How Hitler Ruined the Reputation of the German Language 🇩🇪 | Feli from Germany

▸"German always sounds angry and aggressive." That's a stereotype that many people around the world believe. But why is that? And what does the guy with the mustache have to do with it?

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ABOUT ME: Hallo, Servus, and welcome to my channel! My name is Felicia (Feli), I'm 28, and I'm a German living in the USA! I was born and raised in Munich, Germany but have been living in Cincinnati, Ohio off and on since 2016. I first came here for an exchange semester during my undergrad at LMU Munich, then I returned for an internship, and then I got my master's degree in Cincinnati. I was lucky enough to win the Green Card lottery and have been a permanent resident since 2019! In my videos, I talk about cultural differences between America and Germany, things I like and dislike about living here, and other topics I come across in my everyday life in the States. Let me know what YOU would like to hear about in the comments below. DANKE :)
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[FelifromGermany]

Hey guys, here are two things that I forgot to mention in the video that I'd like to add! :)

Annotation 1: [I was actually going to mention this in the video and wrote it down in my notes too but then I totally forgot when I wrote the script and didn’t notice it until I saw all of your comments just now. This fits in right at around 13:18 .] Bands like Rammstein use this style of speaking, including the overly rolled R, in their music to this day in combination with other stylistic elements that create somewhat of a “Nazi aesthetic”. The band is known to be politically anti-fascist though and seems to use this style mainly to provoke.

Annotation 2: I should have mentioned in this context again that there are many regional dialects in Germany (mainly in the South) as well as in other German-speaking countries where people use the rolled R in their normal, everyday speech. However, they don’t use it in the same overly expressive way as Hitler did, and -- with exception of Swiss German -- these dialects don’t usually stress the Rs at the end of words either.

[TonyLeva]

To be fair, if you hear Mussolini speeches you’d think Italian is an aggressive language as well.

[aMOOSEing]

As a German who studied Linguistics and Communication Science this video makes me so happy! Love how you make such detailed aspects of spoken language, speaking trends and their effects known and connect them to today's perception of the German language! 💪

[gplwonv]

The German branches of my family kept their language for three generations after arriving in Wisconsin in the 1870s. As a child, it was a natural thing for us to hear German words interspersed with English. They also worshipped in German until the 1950s, and I have my grandmother's Bible and hymnals -- all in German, but printed in the US. So we learned not only to be proud of our ancestry, but to know it had no connection to the Nazi regime. Many thanks for debunking the myth!

[FranciscoMartinez-]

I'm surprised by how much research you put into this, and by how much I actually learned. Awesome work.

[heaththeemissary]

You have a rare talent for presenting culture in its historical context and within the larger world perspective. Growing up in America, the only German I heard was my grandfather and his siblings trading the fragments they remembered from their parents, (a jumble of Black Forest (High Alemannic?) and Swabian). It was a light language with a musical quality to my ear. I now understand how so many people have the impression of German being aggressive and dour. Thanks for being such a wonderful ambassador of German culture and language.

[deathmetal]

Imagine your country's reputation being ruined by a guy who wasn't even from it

[jiros]

I notice that, in German, each word is very clearly demarcated and fully pronounced (even within compound words) unlike other languages where words elide. In Spanish a whole sentence can become a word in effect when spoken. This German demarcation can sound aggressive to some. It's actually a joy to those learning German as a foreign language. It's easier to understand Germans.

[BrianTRude]

Hey Fili. When I was first posted to Schwabstadl Kasserne in 1981. They had a Headstart program to teach us enough German to get by. They taught us how to use the public transportation schedule, order a meal, etc.
My post had about 350 Americans. And the rest was Luftwaffe support personell, for the 32nd Jagbomber Geschwader on Lechfeld Kasserne.
They had a Mannschaftshiem on post, where we could get bier and a good Schnitzel dinner.
So I started learning Bayrisch and Swabisch from the Luftwaffe troops that shared our post.
One thing I've learned. Any people appreciate when you show an interest in learning about their language and culture. It's a great way to break the ice with anybody.
Though it can be embarrassing when you mispronounce a word or phrase. And end up saying something completely different.
My Luftwaffe friends wanted to know about me, and my life in America. I drew a picture of a pickup truck on a napkin. And said, "Was ist Das I'm Deutsche?" Das is einen Last Kraft Wagen. Oder LKW.
I said Lust Kraft Wagen. It was quite embarrassing. Still they appreciated the fact that I was trying to learn their language.
I was exposed to the Bayrisch culture along with learning the language. Much Gemudlikiet came with that. So to me, I always thought the Bayrisch and Swabisch dialects of the German language was really quite beautiful. Because there is much beauty in the culture and people of Germany.

[joemiller]

I'm an American that studied German for 11 years- from 7th grade through college. Many times I have heard non-German speakers say "German sounds so angry." My reply- When did you ever hear German being spoken other than Hitler giving a speech or a German officer barking out orders to his troops in a movie? One person replied back- "I've never really thought about it that way." I said German can be very smooth and soft especially if a pretty girl is talking in a calm voice. I am vindicated!

[khausere]

I opted to take German as a ninth-grader in my school system in Indiana (around 1980). That was the first year German was offered, alongside French and Spanish which had been in the curriculum for years. On the first day, our teacher (Herr Kinnard) had us memorize a little song that I remember to this day, and it first opened my eyes and ears to how melodic the language can be. Hopefully I'm spelling the words correctly: "O, wie woll, ist mir am abend, mir am abend, wenn zuruh, die Glocken leuten, Glocken leuten, bing, bong, bing, bong." Translated roughly as, "In the evening, I feel at ease when I hear the bells ring." Danke, Herr Kinnard.

[nomad]

I remember I took German in highschool. I loved it, unfortunately the class was full of immature kids who would constantly joke and mess around the entire time. Basically because it was extra credit. Our teacher was awesome. He was like Tom Hanks, and he was a great teacher. He would play Rammstein for us (before the controversy with till and the band) and he brought authentic chocolate and other snacks from Germany to us. It was a lot of fun. I'd love to visit the whole country one day. Stay for a couple of years just to really get a good taste of living in Germany and understand the culture. Not just learn on Rosetta stone.

[richardabbot]

I have been trying to learn German for years. It is an extremely difficult language to learn and living in Australia doesn't make it any easier. I work with a German lady and she said my German is not so bad but she is an extremely nice lady and probably thinks she'll hurt my feelings. Anyway i love your videos. Please keep going. ❤

[alinek]

Your video's timing is perfect!

Just the day before yesterday, I was at an event for international students (I am currently studying in Canada). On the way back home I spoke to another German student in German.

A guy overheard us and asked what language that was because he said it sounded so nice. I told him it was German and he first wouldn't believe me as he was convinced German sounds angry and harsh.

It turned out he had seen some of these videos and assumed the words/sentences were pronounced normally just like they were in other languages. He didn't realize that this was not how German actually sounds like.

I told him that every language sounds harsh when you pronounce it in an angry manner. Then, I pronounced some of the commonly ill-portrayed words such as Schmetterling, Krankenhaus, etc. in both an angry and my normal voice. He recognized the words when I spoke angrily and laughed.

It made me a little sad that the idea of German being a harsh language is still very much present in people's minds and that this is something that some people wouldn't question.

Later on, we had a long conversation about the German language and he showed genuine interest. Still, it was a little frustrating to learn that these videos (whether it be people pronouncing words in different languages or German sentences in talk shows) that are very common on social media make people dislike the German language without / before actually knowing how it really sounds like.

While I somewhat get the comedic aspect of these videos, I also find it incredibly sad that they keep reinforcing stereotypes that are far from reflecting the reality.

[stephenyardley]

We hired a German college girl in our office. She was very sweet and very quiet. She certainly didn't have the stereotypical roughness in her language or manner.
Hitler was in most part an actor. Not at all representing the people of Germany.

[Paradise-on-Earth]

I'm a German and felt sad because of our language being so harshly jugded. I NEVER thought about Hitler, maybe having ruined the reputation! So that is a huge Aha- moment, thank you very much! Hitler was terrible in so many ways. Even in speaking.

[DinaTrageser]

Bravo. I'm also a native German speaker in the US, and the caricaturization of German has bugged me for a long time. Your response is brilliant and so well done. Had no idea about Bühnendeutsch...! Wieder mal was gelernt. Vielen Dank!!

[LyleFrancisDelp]

I've always loved German. In fact, growing up in Houston, while most everyone else was taking Spanish and French, I took German in junior high, high school, and college. (Alas, I've forgotten most, not having used it in many years.) I love the culture, the countryside, the food, the classical music, and the language.

[vintagehaynesflute]

my grandparents were German (Mainz) and they not only NEVER sounded like Hitler but referred to him as "Der Idiot"

[joeldykman]

When studying Germany in WWII in high school, my history teacher played one of Hitler's speeches. Setting the content of the speech aside and only focusing on the oration techniques he used, I can tell you its not surprising that he created such a strong cult of personality. His pattern was often to start a speech rather meekly and softly then slowly build power behind his words until it crescendos near the end. Its a pattern that works well with humans in general and is often used in music for a similar, attention grabbing effect. I could see how some person in the crowd had somewhat relatable opinions of the state of Germany at the time could be suckered in by his oration.
I am by no means singing any praises to the content of Hitler's speeches, just merely explaining a reason as to why they were so effective.