Awful German Language

Mark Twain, the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), was an American writer and humorist, author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In 1878 he travelled in Europe, spending time in Germany and Switzerland, and the trip produced A Tramp Abroad, published in 1880.

The essay known as The Awful German Language appeared as Appendix D in that book. In it Twain describes his struggles with German grammar, from the three genders, which assign masculine or feminine forms to unlikely things, to the long compound nouns and the habit of placing the verb at the end of a clause. He supports his complaints with invented examples and mock-scientific lists, and he ends with a comic suggestion for how the language might be improved. The humour is exaggerated, but there is an affectionate respect beneath the teasing.

This recording has three parts and lasts a little over an hour. It is read by a LibriVox volunteer named Rainer. It is particularly enjoyable for people who have learned German themselves, since they will recognise the pitfalls, but anyone who has wrestled with irregular grammar will sympathise. It is a good example of Twain's essays, where a simple complaint grows into an extended comic performance, and it makes a funny and brisk listen for a short journey. The essay is hilariously quotable, and Twain's gift for stretching a small irritation into a grand comic performance has rarely been more evident.