I. Please, translate the boxed-in passage into idiomatic German:
This heading can be read both in the straightforward sense of “rules
about humour” and in the graffiti sense of “humour rules, OK!” The
latter is in fact more appropriate, as the most noticeable and important
“rule” about humour in English conversation is its dominance and
pervasiveness. Humour rules. Humour governs. Humour is omnipresent and
omnipotent.
There is an awful
lot of guff talked about the English Sense of Humour, including many patriotic
attempts to prove that our sense of humour is somehow unique and superior to
everyone else’s. Many English people seem to believe that we have some sort
of global monopoly, if not on humour itself, then at least on certain
“brands” of humour — the high-class ones such as wit and especially
irony. My findings indicate that while there may indeed be something
distinctive about English humour, the real “defining characteristic” is
the value we put on humour, the central importance of humour in English
culture and social interactions.
In English conversation, there is always an undercurrent of humour. We
can barely manage to say “hello” or comment on the weather without somehow
contriving to make a bit of a joke out of it, and most English conversations
will involve at least some degree of banter, teasing, irony, understatement,
humorous self-deprecation, mockery or just silliness. Humour is our “default
mode”, if you like: we do not have to switch it on deliberately, and we
cannot switch it off. For
the English, the rules of humour are the cultural equivalent of natural laws -
we obey them automatically, rather in the way that we obey the law of gravity.
At the most basic
level, an underlying rule in all English conversation is the proscription of
“earnestness”. Although we may not have a monopoly on humour, or even on
irony, the English are probably more acutely sensitive than any other nation
to the distinction between “serious” and “solemn”, between
“sincerity” and “earnestness”.
(324 words)
This distinction is crucial to any kind of understanding of Englishness.
I cannot emphasize this strongly enough: if you are not able to grasp these
subtle but vital differences, you will never understand the English — and even
if you speak the language fluently, you will never feel or appear entirely at
home in conversation with the English. Your English may be impeccable, but your
behavioural “grammar” will be full of glaring errors.
Once
you have become sufficiently sensitized to these distinctions, the Importance of
Not Being Earnest rule is really quite simple. Seriousness is acceptable,
solemnity is prohibited. Sincerity is allowed, earnestness is strictly forbidden.
Pomposity and self-importance are outlawed. Serious matters can be spoken of
seriously, but one must never take oneself too seriously. The ability to
laugh at ourselves, although it may be rooted in a form of arrogance, is one of
the more endearing characteristics of the English […]
Quelle: Kate Fox, Watching the English, The Hidden
Rules of English Behaviour, London 2004, pp. 61 – 62
for
the full text go to: Kate
Fox, Humour Rules
II. Pluspunkte
Please,
translate the following 10 words or expressions into idiomatic German.
Please,
use the extra
small sheet provided.
1) alloy; 2) to abide sb.; 3) blighted; 4)
profligate; 5) DP; 6) template; 7) ignominious;
8) to sit on the fence; 9) to talk turkey; 10) warts and all;
The corrected and graded Klausur will be returned at our next and
final session on July 21, 2009. This final session is scheduled for just 60
minutes from 12.15 to13.15. Those of you who – for whichever reason – are
unable to attend our final session will find all the necessary information on wepsite:
The results (= the grades of your Scheine) will be posted on wepsite
in due course, including the date when your Scheine can be collected at
Infotheke. Please, do not go to Infotheke before you have been informed
via WEPSITE that the Scheine can indeed be collected.
Wishing you all the best and keeping my fingers crossed for you, W.E.P.
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