Ducks affecting language

Fluks, H.W. H.W.Fluks at kpn.com
Mon Jan 14 11:13:52 CET 2002


Harald to Petri:

> Disney comics and especially the translations of Erika 
> Fuchs had a BIG impact on German!

And even some impact on the Dutch language. The oldest Disney stories in
Holland were translated from the German. The name "Dagobert Duck" for
instance is a direct copy of the German name (and, I assume, invented by
Mrs. Fuchs).

> Some affected categories are:
> - sayings ("Dem Ingeniör ist nichts zu schwör")

Very few like that in Holland. People in smaller circles sometimes use "Geld
of fietsje?" ("Money or tricycle?"). This was reported in a book about
"family language".

> - names ("Dagobert (Duck)" [Scrooge] being synonimous with "rich man")

Same in Holland: Dagobert Duck. Also Willie Wortel (Gyro Gearloose) for any
smart person. Zware Jongens (Beagle Boys) for crooks.

Most famous is the country name "Verweggistan" (Farbackistan or so), now
widely used in the Dutch language. I still haven't found out who invented
this Dutch translation.

> - even grammar: Fuchs "invented" a kind of comic-language by 
> abbreviating
> the infinitive: with an English person saying "sigh" - this 
> could be a noun
> or a verb. But the noun in German would be "Seufzer", the 
> verb "seufzen".

There is no such difference in Dutch. So when someone says "zucht!"
("sigh!"), this may or may not be a quote from a Duck story.

--Harry.
"Wie ben ik? Wat doe ik hier? Waar is mijn Roddelflop?"



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