August, 2004 - Nr. 8
"Best word" jury begins hunt for Teutonic treasure
TWIG - A blue-ribbon panel that includes authors, musicians, actors and even an unusually eloquent soccer coach has gotten down to the tricky task of selecting the most beautiful word in the German language.
The jury is wading through more than 21,000 words sent in after the German Language Council launched its ambitious bid to identify the fairest word in the Teutonic tongue.
The competition, which ended last weekend, drew entries from around the world running the gamut from the tongue-twisters that vex foreign students to simple words like "Liebe" (love) and "Glueck" (happiness).
About a third of the entries came from the 20 million people learning German abroad, including "Streichholzshaechtelchen" (matchbox), the pick of an Australian who wrote that "if as a foreigner you can pronounce it, then you can pronounce everything."
Other notable entries include "Lebenslust," meaning a zest for life, and "Erdbeermund" — literally strawberry mouth — meaning voluptuous lips.
"Ohrwurm," a word that describes a tune that you can’t get out of your head and literally means "earworm," is in the running — as is "Feierabend," the "party evening" that follows a hard day at work.
"It is astonishing to note the humour and irony with which many of the participants approached this contest," said Jutta Limbach, president of the Goethe Institut, the organization that markets German culture abroad.
The jury is expected to reach its decision by October,
awarding the winner of the competition with a trip to Mauritius sure to
satisfy his or her Wanderlust, the very strong or irresistible need to
travel.
Republished with permission from "The Week in Germany"
