16 October 2005

Bad in two languages

I've rediscovered my love of the German language. I'm spending a lot of time listening to songs in German and attempting to read in German. I now sometimes think of something in German, first. This is cool if I'm, for example, writing a note in my planner or talking to my dog. Not so fine when I'm trying to explain something to someone at work. And I'm finding myself spitting out the oddest English sentences. They're not necessarily German or English construction. I fear that I sound like the people in David Sedaris' essays on learning French (especially the one about trying to explain the concept of Easter, in French -- see Me Talk Pretty One Day).

This week my copy of Herbert Groenemeyer Live arrived. Pure joy! He has a great voice and the sound is so full. I just love the song Marie (about his daughter when she was a baby). It's very sweet, but unlike other similar songs, it doesn't give your gag reflex a workout. The guitar in the song reminds me of Mark Knopfler. Land Unter and Halt Mich are also lovely and highly singable. Ich Hab Dich Lieb is a favorite and reminds me of studying in Germany. I could go on and on. To hear some samples (with videos) click here.

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