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You may encounter words that are identical in both languages or only slightly changed (e.g., finger, hand, arm. wind, winter, Schulter-shoulder, Knie-knee, Mutter-mother, Onkel-uncle, Garten-garden, gru"n-green, blau-blue, fein-fine, rot-red). These words are identical or similar because they evolved from a single earlier language. Their closeness derives from their shared ancestry: the West-Germanic language family. Words in this group are called cognates (=born together).
We also use words such as Inspiration, Student, Semester, Chance-- again identical in both languages, except for capitalization in German. Words in this group are derived from Greek and Latin. And a sentence like: Mein Vater ist Professor fu"r Chemie und mein Bruder studiert Physik, Mathematik und Biologie is readily understood.
Most of the words listed below, have become so common in American English, at least in some areas, that they are now considered part of the American language.
gemu"tlichkeit waltz kitsch
kaffeeklatsch leitmotiv wunderkind
beergarden yodel katzenjammer
stein edelweiss kindergarten
prosit lied (pron. leet) poltergeist
rat(h)skeller liederkranz Kriss Kringle
spritz glockenspiel hausfrau
weltanschauung turnverein paraffin
zeitgeist gesundheit plunder
gestalt hinterland meerschaum
weltschmerz rucksack misch-masch
angst wanderlust zigzag
ostpolitik iceberg kaputt
blitz(krieg) ohm wunderbar
flak ersatz fahrvergnu"gen
verboten dummkopf spatsy
Heldentenor bedeckt
Germans are very fond of dogs and introduced many breeds to the United States: Schnauzer, Dachshund, Spitz, Doberman, Poodle, Pincher, German Shepherd, Rottweiler, Weimaraner, German Shorthair.
From Teaching Unit: German Names and Words in the American Language
Please visit the home page of the Max Kade German-American Center for complete versions of the above excerpts and further information.
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Last updated September 22, 1996.