Alles klar, Herr Kommissar?

It’s pretty much self-explanatory we think

Well, maybe if you can get teh streeme.

Any summary for us behind the Great Wall of Capitalism?

“50% of business is theology.”

??!?!!!??

And I love Cwedit Cwunch with milk. Also.

Aaaaaaand…We are all shitting in one boat here, as well.

That’s just sad. I can’t laugh at this fellow. At least he’s trying, which is better than the French.

Reminds me of this Buffalax-ing of a Drafi Deutscher video.

In fairness to him, the “cwedit cwunch” is a result of the way he pronounces “r.” There are basically four different ways to pronounce “r” in German (all of them different from the standard American “r”), and he picks the wrong one. In some parts of Germany, it’s pronounced a lot like a French “r,” where the back of the tongue is raised and the soft palate vibrates. After some consonants, the back-of-the-tongue “r” sounds like “w” to American ears, but he thinks he’s pronouncing it correctly. It’s written with the same letter, after all.

The amazing thing is that two people who speak English like this (but from different countries) can understand each other perfectly well.

Even I left the boat for this one and it’s worth it. ? ?? ??? ????

I’ve known some wacky Germans but this guy has some moves I haven’t seen.

From 0:39 to 1:31.

We have a saying in Germany: 50% of business is psychology. On the one hand, the crisis revealed that there is a need for more governmental regulation. On the other hand, we have to find a way of practically limiting the incremental interference into economic activities since they would — since they would otherwise would cause a permanent impairment of the growth drivers of a free market economy.
In Germany, we tried a fresh [French?] solution at the intitiative of the Deutsche Bank in coorporation with other banking banking groups who ran the risk of credit crunch. The serious test we have to pass is still in the future.

See?

Don’t turn around!

“At least he’s trying, which is better than the French.”

Why should the French be “trying” to speak English, anyway? How provincial, the Anglo-Saxon…

I’ve never understood this kneejerk “truism” of how the French don’t speak foreign languages. First of all, in four years in France, I ran across plenty of French people who were always ready to throw in some English whenever my French faltered (which was plenty, in the beginning!). And, yes, this does include Paris, where people were so damn pleased to see an American trying to learn their beautiful language that they sometimes gave me books and magazines so I could practice my (then) lamentable language skills.

Secondly, the French study a hell of lot more languages than we do–and it is mandatory. Everyone takes Latin, for example, and then at least two foreign languages (even the vocational ed students take at least one). If they never gain fluency, maybe it’s because the vast majority of people don’t serve the tourism industry, yes?

And not forgetting that not all French even learn French as their mother tongue: Alsatian is the first language for thousands and thousands of people, for example, and it wouldn’t surprise me if more than a few French start out speaking Basque or Catalon or Corsican or even Provencal. Who knows, there may even be a few families who teach their children Breton.

The French don’t “try” to speak English? Maybe yinz should “try” speaking French.

After some consonants, the back-of-the-tongue “r” sounds like “w” to American ears

I was trying to think of an example, then I remembered saying the name Torsten to an (American) friend, she said “Tawsten?”, and I settled on pronouncing the “r” like the vulgar American I am.

It’s not really a “w” sound though, not any more than the British-accented “r” is.

P.S. Video removed due to copyright claim. That’s pretty amusing.

All of these different R sounds remind me of an auctioneer in England whom I rather admire for his language. He’s a specialist in Chinese art. He is Chinese himself, and sometimes announces the current price bilingually. He speaks impeccable perfect English English. And yet I swear that the way he doesn’t pronounce R is a not an English way of not pronouncing R, but a Chinese way. Then again, I’m probably hallucinating. The auction business can do that to a person.

And of course there’s the American tourist in Scotland who loves the waitress’s accent, and comments to her, “You certainly do roll your Rs.” Merriment ensues, except for the waitress, who tries to walk as strrraight as she can.

I see the rich punks at Columbia University that runs ther stinking high tone G-damn fancypants center put a copyright claim on the youtube, and had it removed.

I think they are an educational insitution with some kind of public service mission, no?

Jackasses.

Anyway, the puke-slow download from the Center (part of a rich university that shuold have the resources to have good internet connections, but they are stingy asses obviously) finally started, but I’m just hearing a lively dude give a long speech with a thick German accent. Must be some other clip that you posted.

LINK PWNED!

“This video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Center On Capitalism and Society.”

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“Zat’s naut mah dawg.”