How learning German taught me the link between maths and poetry | Harry Baker | TEDxVienna

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  • Опубліковано 7 лис 2016
  • In mathematics there are right answers. In poetry there are no wrong ones. Find out how learning a foreign language, especially one that can be as beautifully logical as German, taught World Slam Poetry Slam Champion Harry Baker the two were a lot more linked than he realised.
    More information on www.tedxvienna.at
    Poet and Mathematician Harry Baker has always had a love of language, and his work has taken him around the world and exposed him to many voices and languages used to express those voices. Living in Germany was no different!
    This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,9 тис.

  • @Edgypoo
    @Edgypoo 7 років тому +8250

    "thank you for laughing at my life choices"
    great man

    • @zenahrb8316
      @zenahrb8316 7 років тому +15

      Miles Edgeworth.Copy i think he actually said "life crisis"

    • @alexanderanton468
      @alexanderanton468 7 років тому +9

      yeah thought so too, glad I'm not the only that noticed that

    • @39abc93
      @39abc93 7 років тому +13

      Fuyukine no he doesn't.

    • @DanZhukovin
      @DanZhukovin 7 років тому +1

      He was asking for it

    • @GalenMarekOfficial
      @GalenMarekOfficial 7 років тому

      +39abc93 He clearly did, mate.

  • @Stamnessj
    @Stamnessj 7 років тому +7240

    An English man speaking some German with his mouth,
    but screaming in Italian with his hands.

    • @PusuMera
      @PusuMera 6 років тому +75

      Johannes Ottestad exactly now someone understands!

    • @jellyacc
      @jellyacc 6 років тому +23

      haha thats what i love about italians

    • @proudtitanicdenier4300
      @proudtitanicdenier4300 6 років тому +31

      Mr.WorldWide

    • @youprobablydontlikeme3206
      @youprobablydontlikeme3206 6 років тому +7

      Peter Griffin: Papedu pibedu

    • @auriel6699
      @auriel6699 6 років тому +70

      I'm italian And I'm so offended about what he said whit his hand !
      I'm joking , he was very nice and polite!

  • @acearmageddon4404
    @acearmageddon4404 7 років тому +7535

    The worst puns are the ones, for which you need two languages to understand them.
    like: An assassin walks into a bar and gives his target a drink.
    The target asks if he wants anything in return.
    The assassin responds: "No, it's a gift."
    Thank you, you've been a great audience.

    • @thonktank1239
      @thonktank1239 7 років тому +166

      You seem to be good at this, please explain me the averlavine... please help me, I lack the ability to understand Puns

    • @pascalstiemer
      @pascalstiemer 7 років тому +192

      Lord Darkon Lawine = avalanche
      avril = the month between march and may
      The pun was referring to Avril Lavigne the singer

    • @thonktank1239
      @thonktank1239 7 років тому +145

      +CamaradeSéculière _
      I am German, I understood the gift pun, I just needed help with the avrilavine.
      But I sill don't know what a singer has to do with all that ◉_◉

    • @pascalstiemer
      @pascalstiemer 7 років тому +100

      Die Bedeutung der Wörter ist bei puns meist Nebensache. Avril Lavigne hat natürlich nichts mit Lawinen zu tun aber ihr name passt halt einfach.

    • @thonktank1239
      @thonktank1239 7 років тому +20

      Well, good that pascalstiemer already explained it.
      Und ich weiss natürlich dass die nichts miteinander zu tun haben, deshalb das ◉_◉
      trotzdehm danke :D

  • @pirouette5212
    @pirouette5212 7 років тому +4003

    in my German course i immediately yelled "Krankenbruder" when asked what a male nurse is called, cause the female nurse is Krankenschwester right. I was wrong :(

    • @thonktank1239
      @thonktank1239 7 років тому +1380

      The problem here is not that your Logical assumption was wrong, the problem is that I as a native german speaker don't know if there even is a word for a male nurse.

    • @randomdude2026
      @randomdude2026 7 років тому +631

      caffeineyeti 1 Ahem, there is no male german word for Krankenschwester. You can say Krankenpfleger, but this is the male form of Krankenpflegerin. So I suppose your teacher trolled you :D

    • @ritterderkokosnuss3379
      @ritterderkokosnuss3379 7 років тому +249

      Im german and as a kid I thougt that too. It was just logical :D

    • @stephaniei6355
      @stephaniei6355 7 років тому +24

      this made me LOL

    • @echt114
      @echt114 6 років тому +88

      nah, it's warmer Bruder

  • @tashikamala6917
    @tashikamala6917 7 років тому +2587

    I am german, and I'm on an exchange year right now.
    I don't know why, but the German language is known for not being pretty or nice or anything, and it just makes me really happy to See someone liking the german language so much and getting excited about it and stuff.

    • @essennagerry
      @essennagerry 6 років тому +76

      Tashi Kamala I really like German! I picked it as a kid in school. :) I love how it sounds and I love its' nuances.

    • @lenascheen7634
      @lenascheen7634 6 років тому +59

      Deutsch wird auch die Sprache der Dichter und Denker genannt,und das es sich do blöd anhört liegt an den menschen.Ich muss sagen,das ich mich selber manchmal stoppe dinge etwas härter aus zu sprechen.Glaubst du etwa französisch hört sich so schön an,weil sie das aussprechen,was sie sagen :,)

    • @serenamadsen3278
      @serenamadsen3278 6 років тому +39

      I love the German language!!

    • @catriona5268
      @catriona5268 6 років тому +103

      Lots of people outside Germany have only seen films about WWII and base "what German sounds like" on Nazis yelling orders. They haven't heard normal people speaking normal German. Whenever I speak it, my friends are surprised and tell me "oh, the way you speak German sounds really nice." To which I reply that that's how most German sounds - they have heard the exception, not the rule.
      Personally I really like the elegance of German. It is easy to say a lot in a few words! And I think it is a lovely-sounded language too.

    • @NoName-md6fd
      @NoName-md6fd 5 років тому +18

      I always envisionned German as passion constrained by rules. Of course it is beautiful :)

  • @Imfromjamaicaman
    @Imfromjamaicaman 7 років тому +3418

    Agreed, if you can understand a joke in another language, you have indeed progress, and if you can come up with a joke in another language, you have progressed further.

    • @TheSassi14
      @TheSassi14 7 років тому +53

      But you also need humor. Without that you can very fluent at a language but never reach any of these steps.

    • @chaosgoettin
      @chaosgoettin 7 років тому +36

      everybody has their own sence of humor. If you laugh about it, your and the other person's sence of humor fits together "Wie ein Arsch auf'm Eimer!" :D

    • @TheSassi14
      @TheSassi14 7 років тому +5

      chaosgoettin Ich kenne es als "Wie Arsch auf Eimer". Vielleicht variiert der Spruch je nach Region.

    • @snickersunddeinhungeristge795
      @snickersunddeinhungeristge795 7 років тому +4

      TheSassi42 ich kenne den garnicht XD gibts wohl net in meiner region

    • @TheSassi14
      @TheSassi14 7 років тому +5

      Snickers und dein hunger ist gegessen
      Ich komme aus dem Umland von Hannover.

  • @khgdlqgsds4528
    @khgdlqgsds4528 7 років тому +1581

    I feel sorry for the subtitle writers of this video.

    • @sunriselg
      @sunriselg 6 років тому +36

      Thank you. I had trouble understanding the poem, the subtitles helped a lot.

    • @trystewilber9307
      @trystewilber9307 5 років тому +1

      Same here!!

    • @Bizarro69
      @Bizarro69 4 роки тому +8

      (applause).... (laughter).... (applause)... (laughter)... (laughter)

    • @Patrick89ish
      @Patrick89ish 4 роки тому +1

      Danke !

    • @dohuktube
      @dohuktube 4 роки тому

      they're automatic from YT

  • @minaa7011
    @minaa7011 6 років тому +309

    Someone show this guy Rhabarberbabera

  • @Martinh1999
    @Martinh1999 7 років тому +4345

    I am german. But the Löffel part is hard to understand.

    • @Grayvedygger
      @Grayvedygger 7 років тому +634

      No, the Löffel Peom is part english and part german. However he articulates some german parts in a way that it blends into the english parts which results in a very sluggish kind of expression :)

    • @steffahn
      @steffahn 7 років тому +104

      ..felt the same, got maybe two thirds of the German and not nealy half of the English part when first hearing.
      But there are subtitles ^^

    • @InsertTruthHere
      @InsertTruthHere 7 років тому +117

      tyler t What's hardest I think is knowing which parts are German and which are English because his accent is kinda thick.

    • @TheP4LAD1N
      @TheP4LAD1N 7 років тому +61

      bin auch deutsch aber wenn man die probleme kennt die viele nicht deutsche mit der aussprache von deutschen wörtern haben ist das "gedicht" ziemlich amüsant, diese alliterationen die eig keine sind machts noch komischer ;O

    • @glockenrein
      @glockenrein 7 років тому +42

      The Löffel part is hilarious but I really needed the subtitles for both the English and the German.

  • @glockenrein
    @glockenrein 7 років тому +787

    I'm German but I live in England. I think and live mostly English and what he says about jokes is very true. But there are two things that always come out German: counting and swearing.

    • @DomqE
      @DomqE 7 років тому +15

      glockenrein hahahaha verdammte Scheiße ;)

    • @glockenrein
      @glockenrein 7 років тому +5

      Pretty much lol

    • @henryduma6738
      @henryduma6738 6 років тому +44

      I am French and feel so much the same. Swearing and counting comes easier in French.

    • @99cseni
      @99cseni 6 років тому +7

      glockenrein for me it's just counting

    • @jhdrch2656
      @jhdrch2656 6 років тому

      csenge varkonyi same

  • @justarandomgirlinarandomwo3698
    @justarandomgirlinarandomwo3698 6 років тому +4337

    Hab grad einem Freund einen Limonadenwitz erzählt...
    Fanta witzig.

    • @niklas8523
      @niklas8523 6 років тому +234

      just a random girl in a random world
      Aber nicht sofort oder?
      Sowas nennt man tee witz
      Muss man ziehen lassen

    • @justarandomgirlinarandomwo3698
      @justarandomgirlinarandomwo3698 6 років тому +54

      NikName Short but unique ASMR
      Füße hoch, der kommt flach😅😂

    • @justarandomgirlinarandomwo3698
      @justarandomgirlinarandomwo3698 6 років тому +87

      NikName Short but unique ASMR
      Schwarzer Humor?Ok....
      Wie war die stimmung in der DDR?
      Sie hielt sich in grenzen...

    • @niklas8523
      @niklas8523 6 років тому +14

      just a random girl in a random world deine mudda is wie darth vader
      Stinkt und sagt „ich bin dein vater“

    • @drageekeksi
      @drageekeksi 5 років тому +3

      Ein dad-joke hahahaha😂

  • @jk666
    @jk666 6 років тому +89

    This had me laughing SO hard. As an English person living in Germany, I also found all the German words for gloves, snail and slug and turtle really funny when I learnt them.

    • @jessieca6757
      @jessieca6757 6 років тому +6

      "Shielded toad" totally cracked me up! :-D

    • @Sookielein
      @Sookielein 4 роки тому +9

      @@jessieca6757 I'm german and I never thought anything about the word Schildkröte when using it but now it cracks me up as well lol

    • @thegoodestman
      @thegoodestman 2 роки тому +2

      When my American wife thought she had figured German out I told her that the opposite of „jemanden umfahren“ is „jemanden umfahren“

  • @ImCookiiez
    @ImCookiiez 7 років тому +1527

    This guy is highly creative and I love his enthusiasm for the oddities that come with learning a new language

    • @philaeew4866
      @philaeew4866 7 років тому +3

      SHARP do you honestly expect UA-cam people to understand Kappa? :P

    • @SiriusGG
      @SiriusGG 6 років тому

      Actually quite a lot do, including you.

  • @TheSassi14
    @TheSassi14 7 років тому +1640

    I am German and I often think in English. In my dreams there is never any language.

    • @leayo1682
      @leayo1682 7 років тому +25

      TheSassi42 Same

    • @graup1309
      @graup1309 7 років тому +54

      TheSassi42 Same here. But yeah, I just substitute the 'dreaming in a language' part with 'just randomly and without any input whatsoever starting to think in a language' which is amazing.

    • @somegingerthings9530
      @somegingerthings9530 7 років тому +68

      TheSassi42 Same here. I often just randomly think in englisch without wanting to do it. And sometimes I only can think of the englisch Word for something I want to express in my native language (German) 😂

    • @leayo1682
      @leayo1682 7 років тому +28

      somegingerthings Me too! When I think about stuff on the internet I mostly think in english.

    • @Julia-wy8et
      @Julia-wy8et 7 років тому +37

      somegingerthings Same! It's so weird being in Class and trying to explain something in German, but you only come to think of the english explanation... and then you have to explain why you can only think in English.

  • @hannahhannah1110
    @hannahhannah1110 7 років тому +44

    "Es hat geklappt." (English: "It has clapped.") doesn´t mean clapping to yourself. Instead it refers to one single sound (one clap) in the moment of success. The phrase originates from hunting, especially trapping. When you hear a clap from the trap, respectively the trap has clapped, it has clapped and you succeeded.
    And by the way, telling someone else that you just perform a little dance of joy to yourself, wouldn´t be very German like.

    • @LeaLikesIcecream
      @LeaLikesIcecream 6 років тому +2

      Hannah Hannah oh my. Das mit dem klappen wusste ich nicht :D

  • @yesmissfrancon
    @yesmissfrancon 6 років тому +12

    One of my favorite logical German words is Mutterkuchen. In English this is placenta. It literally means mother-cake (which nourishes the fetus). I should add, though, that placenta also means cake in Latin.

    • @kraenk12
      @kraenk12 5 років тому

      Hahaha good one.

  • @juweinert
    @juweinert 7 років тому +1867

    8:00 I as a German would've called it "Falöffel"

    • @isaanderdonau31
      @isaanderdonau31 7 років тому +73

      Yep, that was my first thought as well (also German)

    • @C43P9
      @C43P9 7 років тому +48

      Julian Weinert Quasi wie 'n Göffel. Was, wie ich finde, übrigens das witzigste Wort dieser Welt ist. 😂

    • @xGlitzerkiste
      @xGlitzerkiste 7 років тому +21

      Julian Weinert Same! I also immediately thought he'd say falöffel - i am German as well

    • @Lolomatikus333
      @Lolomatikus333 7 років тому +8

      +J. K. Ich find das Wort Göffel auch so geil, dass ich nurnoch Göffel zu Löffeln sage :D true story

    • @frenchimp
      @frenchimp 7 років тому +43

      It was my first thought too, and I'm French. I've been learning German for four years. I'm a mathematician too, and I find that Harry Baker describes very well my own elation when I discover wonderful or hilarious German words or expressions, such as entgegengegangen... Which must sound totally banal to a German! I feel constantly tempted to play with words, and it often works. For instance, when I learned the word Hochstapler, I immediately wondered what a Tiefstapler would be, and as it turned out the word existed and, much to my delight, meant exactly what I had assumed. Or, when I came across the word Einheitsbrei, I felt immediately compelled to combine it with Streicheleinheit to get Streicheleinheitsbrei...

  • @M41785929
    @M41785929 7 років тому +1571

    That moment when you are watching Ted Talks in English, and in the Ted Talk they start talking in German, but you don't understand that much because you don't know German, because actually you are just an argentinian person (who speaks Spanish) trying to understand an english person that isn't speaking the language you do understand.

    • @luschmiedt1071
      @luschmiedt1071 7 років тому +21

      Maira Robiglio ich am german and I don't always unterstand What he is talking Abort XD

    • @Hugo-pj4bm
      @Hugo-pj4bm 7 років тому +28

      tyler t German? no way lol

    • @l.l.5948
      @l.l.5948 7 років тому +37

      +tyler t German is quite hard actually.

    • @miss_walderdbeere
      @miss_walderdbeere 7 років тому +56

      Please don´t mind. My native language is german and i didnt understand his german very well... actually i needed full ttention and got only like half he was sayin´ when talking german.....

    • @dutchik5107
      @dutchik5107 7 років тому +10

      tyler t i think you mean dutch if you are englisch. since its like german with a lot less grammar. closest to englisch. vocabulary wise close to german. bjt the german language has its own linguistic category. a category above English, French, Dutch and all.

  • @rosaroteseinhornregenbogen8555
    @rosaroteseinhornregenbogen8555 7 років тому +332

    As a German this Talk was hilarious

    • @timeaesnyx
      @timeaesnyx 6 років тому +1

      Rosaroteseinhorn Regenbogen please explain why.

    • @xypaisb8026
      @xypaisb8026 5 років тому +3

      as a German I still don't understand what this is about

    • @alkahina5458
      @alkahina5458 5 років тому +3

      @@timeaesnyx we have to learn that in english we cant just put words together. Its pretty normal to just call the things how we see them and it sound terrible sometimes to describe things in an subsentence.

    • @Zarr0c1337
      @Zarr0c1337 5 років тому +5

      @@timeaesnyx like @Bobo Riro said we can just add 1 word with another one and we have a new word with a new meaning e.g. Freezer = Kühlschrank, we can break it up like kühl+schrank -> eng cool+closet and the logic behind it is that it kinda make sense to "add" these words together,
      this is als the reason german words can be add up to a very very long bit single word sometimes they do exist sometimes not but even if not german speaking people will kinda understand what u mean :D (and it sounds very funny if u speak these long words veeery fast x))

    • @gtacheats1638
      @gtacheats1638 3 роки тому +1

      @@Zarr0c1337 Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungs-gesetzesentwurfsdebattierklubdiskussions-standsberichterstattungsgeldantragsformular

  • @erikengheim1106
    @erikengheim1106 7 років тому +76

    As a native Norwegian speaker, I've also noticed that my American-English speaking personality is different from my Norwegian one, even the sound of the voice. I speak in a lower register in American-English than in Norwegian. Much of this I think is because it is hard to separate the culture that goes with a language. The ways you express yourself in a language is connected to the culture which formed that language.

    • @bilvotel3119
      @bilvotel3119 5 років тому +5

      I also noticed that about me. I am much more open to communicate with strangers when speaking english

  • @behrmaus1378
    @behrmaus1378 7 років тому +563

    I'm going to start German classes this coming semester, I hear the grammar is tough but German is such a beautiful language I believe it is worth the effort.

    • @KeehseLP
      @KeehseLP 7 років тому +9

      I think ist not that hard.. english russian and so on are way more complicated than german

    • @Hyonyx
      @Hyonyx 7 років тому +134

      Spastus, Sohn des Retardus english is way more easy.. there is a reason why it is the "world language"... the grammar can be learned quite fast - in German, that isn't the case

    • @behrmaus1378
      @behrmaus1378 7 років тому +15

      +Hyonyx I'm from the U.S. and English is not an easy language to learn for foreigners, in fact it is the most difficult language because it is composed of so many different languages. However, many foreigners learn it because they want to integrate into society. Even if a foreigner has an accent it's acceptable because it is evident they are trying to adapt to our society. German is no different in my opinion it is just a language and like all languages it has its rules in grammar. Übung macht den Meister!

    • @Hyonyx
      @Hyonyx 7 років тому +100

      Edith I'm a German native speaker. I have learned English, Korean, Chinese and French. English was the easiest language to learn so far, while Korean was the hardest (not chinese!)... The reason is that English and Chinese have an easy grammar compared to german, (or korean) because they don't have, tons of special cases when it comes to eg. sentence structure...
      I never hear pupils complain about English but French (and Latin or Korean) have tough grammar, and when we are allowed to drop a language class only 5% drops out of her or his English class ^^ congrats on starting to learn German btw :p

    • @KeehseLP
      @KeehseLP 7 років тому +12

      Of course English is the easiest when you have learned korean or chinese.. But you are a german native speaker so how can you say that its hard to learn it? You never had to learn it

  • @YakiMasala
    @YakiMasala 7 років тому +322

    I'm a 27 old male german and i still can't get over the word "Brustwarze". But you got to be hounest. We are more likely to say "Nippel".

    • @agnetelundvaldfisker1382
      @agnetelundvaldfisker1382 7 років тому +34

      Same in Danish, it's called "Brystvorte", which means the same as in German, but a lot of people (especially young) just use "nipple".

    • @essennagerry
      @essennagerry 6 років тому +10

      I've been living in Austria for four years already and never heard the word Brustwarze, everyone always said Nippel. I'm pretty sure the next language reform or whatever will rule out Brustwarze and adopt Nippel. :D

    • @Niemer82
      @Niemer82 6 років тому +28

      There is no need for a reform because "der Nippel" is allready a proper german word. It is used for a lot of things. Mostly for small things pointing out of something bigger.

    • @johangrostkerck6046
      @johangrostkerck6046 6 років тому +1

      In Dutch we say tepel

    • @bonazza4476
      @bonazza4476 4 роки тому +11

      Das gleiche mit Regenbogenhaut und Iris ,ich dachte mein Wortschatz wäre eigentlich ganz passabel aber habe noch nie von Regenbogenhaut als wort für Iris gehört.

  • @eb3279
    @eb3279 7 років тому +19

    This is almost exactly how I experienced learning German. I still think in German most of the time. Excellent, smart, logical language.

  • @listocalisto8124
    @listocalisto8124 5 років тому +40

    as a persian-german, also being fluent in english, i also found that my personalities differ very much from each other, when using a different language. in persian, which i obviously use in conversations with relatives, i am much more polite and in self-doubt, whilst when talking german in everyday life, i am - just like harry - pretty direct and maybe even offensive to some people. on the other hand i've been told that when speaking english i do tend to be very objective and neutral towards things and sometimes even sound like i'm holding a scientific speech. the sudden change of personalities is pretty interesting

    • @GuideTheNation
      @GuideTheNation 4 роки тому +3

      Thanks for the insight. Im a german native and I made similar observations, in my mothertongue I seem to have absorbed a way of expressing myself similar to the well-structured, polite and calm way my highly educated parents would do. In some social situations this actually feels really restraining, on the contrary in more formal contexts that "framework" is giving me a confidence boost. Well, while travelling I have created an english alter ego which has become waay more relaxed, outgoing and fun for myself. This in turn has influenced my german habits ever so slightly. I guess that process is a part of coming of age and developing a strong personality. cheers

    • @HippasosofMetapontum
      @HippasosofMetapontum 2 роки тому

      i feel the same xD for me it is mostly about flirting - i feel i get girls way easier, when iam speaking or writing in English than in German :3

  • @TheSassi14
    @TheSassi14 7 років тому +1133

    Why would you eat Falaffel with a Löffel? XD

    • @flauschiblue7388
      @flauschiblue7388 7 років тому +37

      TheSassi42 maybe the falafel breaks and crumbles, or it is completely covered in dip ? :o

    • @steff7395
      @steff7395 7 років тому +4

      TheSassi42 made my day 😂😂😂

    • @DennisSmdFreefightTrainer
      @DennisSmdFreefightTrainer 7 років тому +6

      Pio Day hahahhahahhah I am dying

    • @jamesgrey13
      @jamesgrey13 6 років тому +2

      Because you're full of foolishness!

    • @lukasbeck4421
      @lukasbeck4421 6 років тому +11

      TheSassi42 that's the reason he said "IF you had a spoon for falafel"

  • @jerrit20
    @jerrit20 7 років тому +461

    Hey! Glad to see he is still doing awesome things. I went to school with him in Germany.

  • @livemusicisalive1030
    @livemusicisalive1030 7 років тому +88

    It's actually quite funny and I love his enthusiam about german (especially that he's not like everyone else just thinking it sounds angry but goes in depth with all the meaningful words this language has)

  • @LLFRA
    @LLFRA 7 років тому +10

    I speak both German and English. But when he presented his poem, it sounded like none of these languages.

  • @wadwad5368
    @wadwad5368 7 років тому +531

    I just understand flafflaffelafell...😂

  • @jony1495
    @jony1495 7 років тому +431

    that moment when a native english speaker learns a couple words in another language. Worth a TED -Talk :D

    • @haemse
      @haemse 7 років тому +80

      This guy is genious, his german poetry is quite complex.

    • @urwrstntmre
      @urwrstntmre 7 років тому +18

      Jan Haha good point. Kind of a rare thing, especially in the US

    • @Binerexis
      @Binerexis 7 років тому +26

      Jan The title is also misleading

    • @MineArtworks
      @MineArtworks 7 років тому +13

      no, it's not.

    • @echt114
      @echt114 6 років тому +5

      Anything that begins, "that moment when..." deserves a downvote. Too bad they don't work.

  • @peachsoda111
    @peachsoda111 5 років тому +14

    I started learning German about a month ago and last night I had my first dream in German! 😄😄😄😄

  • @Widdekuu91
    @Widdekuu91 7 років тому +74

    I've had 4 years of German at school and about 10 years of hobby-ish reading German books.
    I still can't fully come up with jokes, but I cán eavesdrop on Germans in the train.
    And scare them afterwards, by politely greeting them in German when I left the train (and trough this action, revealing I heared all of their secrets, including; 'Hey that girl (me) is pretty, look at her legs, I like her ankleboots')
    Even if it was just for the looks of horror on their faces, it would've been worth it, learning German all those years.

    • @lulana9545
      @lulana9545 5 років тому +5

      lol assis will give their useless thoughts about your body no matter which language you speak. 🤦

    • @someoneelse4720
      @someoneelse4720 4 роки тому +3

      German jokes are actually quite easy to come up with. Most times, it's just a fun combination of words. For example:
      Was bekommt ein Engel, wenn er in den Misthaufen fällt?
      - Kotflügel.

    • @gtacheats1638
      @gtacheats1638 3 роки тому +2

      @@someoneelse4720 der ist halt leider net witzig

    • @someoneelse4720
      @someoneelse4720 3 роки тому +1

      @@gtacheats1638 der ist halt echt witzig. Meiner Meinung nach. Die Geschmäcker unterscheiden sich eben.

    • @martinpalmer9810
      @martinpalmer9810 3 роки тому +1

      I have always had fun doing just that - casually listening in on the foreign language conversations of others; especially when they were speaking about me and trying to decide as to what nationality I could be. When I pulled out a German language magazine and started to read it, they changed their minds on me being an American in favour of the now greater probability that I was Canadian.

  • @Luxalpa
    @Luxalpa 7 років тому +583

    Damn I want to learn German now! But I'm already German :S

    • @nacho74
      @nacho74 7 років тому +6

      Smaug fail

    • @costillero2189
      @costillero2189 7 років тому +57

      learn swiss german

    • @shaolin89
      @shaolin89 7 років тому

      hahahahahaha

    • @Trisador9
      @Trisador9 7 років тому +5

      costillero d schwoobe händ doch ken stiich schwiizerdütsch z lehre xD

    • @johannschneider6372
      @johannschneider6372 6 років тому +14

      Du sprichst eine der schönsten und komplexesten Sprachen der Welt, sei doch froh!

  • @oyonggofomocci2078
    @oyonggofomocci2078 6 років тому +22

    DUDE Chinese is the same! glove is 手套 which means Hand-covering.
    I like how these languages are so analytical; you build a new concept using existent concepts until it no longer is practical, then you make another one.
    Now I want to learn German, since it seems like Chinese, but with the words stuck together instead of separated.

    • @oyonggofomocci2078
      @oyonggofomocci2078 6 років тому +9

      Nevermind, I scale back a bit, Chinese is not quite AS analytical as German.
      WHICH MAKES ME MORE EXCITED TO LEARN IT

    • @moonshifter0
      @moonshifter0 4 роки тому +1

      @@oyonggofomocci2078 how advanced is your German by now?

  • @bizdickson6561
    @bizdickson6561 6 років тому +13

    I had a similar experience learning German. My math skill soared and I have dreamed auf Deutsch!

  • @KoreanwithMissVicky
    @KoreanwithMissVicky 6 років тому +2

    He's a genius. I admire his sense of humor and passion that obviously shine through his speech!

  • @christopherscharf8185
    @christopherscharf8185 7 років тому +1245

    Factual error there is no such thing as too much falafel

  • @susannicolasheehan
    @susannicolasheehan 7 років тому +949

    Das ist sehr lustig und toll. I have just recently started learning German (and the word löffel yesterday)! I love it. :) Dankeschön for this video. Tschüss.

    • @yangana4099
      @yangana4099 7 років тому +37

      Susan Sheehan I love the german word Löffel. You should check out Schüssel.

    • @gamescept8737
      @gamescept8737 7 років тому +31

      Susan Sheehan I'm from Germany and I can definitely assure you that you'll find more of these funny words^^

    • @toyfabrik2993
      @toyfabrik2993 7 років тому +39

      Next thing to learn is "Den Löffel abgeben", so you can actually use the word in everyday life... ^^

    • @MusixPro4u
      @MusixPro4u 7 років тому

      Or Schlüssel

    • @l.l.5948
      @l.l.5948 7 років тому +26

      German is such a beautiful language!

  • @loubest3935
    @loubest3935 7 років тому +497

    The title sounds like a parody of a Ted talk

  • @joseespinoza6283
    @joseespinoza6283 6 років тому +2

    "Learning another language is like learning to think in another colour" Das ist sehr schön!

  • @manboobstv3083
    @manboobstv3083 7 років тому +80

    Finally someone who was actually fun listening toand not as boring as the most people on Tedx Talks. Kind of an refreshing experience tbh.

    • @pixelfan7261
      @pixelfan7261 2 роки тому +1

      I loved his entusiasm, but had to skip the foolish Falafel part.

    • @lennartbehrendt788
      @lennartbehrendt788 2 роки тому

      @@pixelfan7261 Yes, that wasn't exactly my humour either. But he did a great job!

  • @voyance4elle
    @voyance4elle 7 років тому +69

    He's lovely!! :D some of his jokes really cracked me up xD loved that outside perspective on our language and on some words like Schildkröte and Wasserkocher ;)

  • @SaschaHusenbeth
    @SaschaHusenbeth 7 років тому +111

    I just love british people that are open minded and learn other languages. They don't have to, so the fact that they still do it says alot about them.

    • @calinho7689
      @calinho7689 5 років тому +4

      Sascha Husenbeth sadly there aren’t that many of them...

    • @MrDice45
      @MrDice45 4 роки тому +9

      @@calinho7689 openmindedness is a collector's item, a rare one ...
      oder wie Einstein gesagt haben soll: Viele Menschen haben einen geistigen Horizont mit dem Kreisradius Null. Und das nennen sie dann ihren Standpunkt.

    • @calinho7689
      @calinho7689 4 роки тому

      MrDice45 dem kann man nicht widersprechen

  • @AhmedEssam-rp1to
    @AhmedEssam-rp1to 6 років тому +7

    Vor 3 Monaten habe ich das Video gesehen und Es hat mich inspiriert Deutsch zu lernen. Ich habe jeden Tag der letzten 3 monaten Deutsch gelernt und jetzt kommte ich hier um das Video noch einmal anzuschauen und Ich habe viel ausgelacht. Ich bin ganz völlig seiner Meinung, Deutsch ist sehr logische Sprache. Lebenslauf ist bisher mein Lieblingswort . Es ist viel besser als CV auf Englisch.Ich glaube dass ich im Lauf der Zeit mich in der Sprache verliebt habe. Ich bin erst Anfänger aber es macht jetzt echt spaß, Deutsch weiterzulernen.

    • @Graf_Leo_von_Caprivi
      @Graf_Leo_von_Caprivi 5 років тому

      Ahmed Essam
      kommen - kam - gekommen
      "Kommen" ist ein unregelmäßiges Verb.

    • @kraenk12
      @kraenk12 5 років тому +1

      Du sprichst schon besseres Deutsch, als viele die hier geboren sind! Weiter so!

    • @MikhahS
      @MikhahS 5 років тому +1

      @@kraenk12 Seitdem "hier geboren sein" keinerlei Anspruch zur Folge hat (Sprache, Sitten,...), selbstverständlich möglich.

    • @kraenk12
      @kraenk12 5 років тому

      MikhahS Als ob das in Marzahn oder der sächsischen Provinz anders wäre, unter den ganzen „Möchtegern-Ariern“. 😂

    • @Luk-qm2re
      @Luk-qm2re 5 років тому

      Great!

  • @BillyRHall-hj3jo
    @BillyRHall-hj3jo 7 років тому +60

    ich kann nicht mehr, dieser kerl ist einfach genial😂😂😂😂, and yes learning another language is much easier when you are having fun and making jokes. huge thumbs up

  • @vivasreno
    @vivasreno 7 років тому +161

    German also teaches you directing a musical performance.

    • @gamescept8737
      @gamescept8737 7 років тому +1

      silenciooutstanding so true

    • @ShaoVideoProduction
      @ShaoVideoProduction 7 років тому +34

      You confused german and italian...

    • @JC-fk8mp
      @JC-fk8mp 7 років тому +4

      silenciooutstanding how so??

    • @FreshLlamanade
      @FreshLlamanade 7 років тому +3

      At least you can conduct Mahler

    • @xCorvus7x
      @xCorvus7x 6 років тому +1

      Ach, tatsächlich?
      Inwiefern?

  • @soulintent4129
    @soulintent4129 2 роки тому

    This dude is so amazing, he puts every word beautifully in the sentence so that it keeps you interested and still willing to listen to the rest of his talk, he s so gifted

  • @lenalaatsch
    @lenalaatsch 7 років тому +1437

    wenn er deutsch spricht klingt das wie holländisch 😂😂😂

    • @urwrstntmre
      @urwrstntmre 7 років тому +13

      Kpopfreak 0'0 Die beiden sind ja ähnlich...

    • @lenalaatsch
      @lenalaatsch 7 років тому +7

      Ethan G. woow no sh't bro 😂😂😂

    • @user-bj9zz3tv4v
      @user-bj9zz3tv4v 6 років тому +60

      Kpopfreak 0'0 cause Dutch is German with the English accent

    • @arjenbij
      @arjenbij 6 років тому +3

      Масло Масляное no.

    • @m.h.5400
      @m.h.5400 6 років тому +17

      Kpopfreak 0'0 Nahh ich als Niederländer kann dir da nicht zustimmen.

  • @osnapitzwill
    @osnapitzwill 6 років тому +4

    I am a completely different person in Spanish, so I really get where he's coming from. I'm at least 90% more sarcastic, a bunch more likely to flirt, and direct in a way that I wouldn't dream of being in English. Man I love learning languages.

  • @elchkeksfwf7901
    @elchkeksfwf7901 4 роки тому +67

    Since that day he is known as the Falafel Rapper.
    Diese Kommentarsektion ist Eigentum der BRD.

  • @XxKagarwaxX
    @XxKagarwaxX 7 років тому +26

    I had a hard time at the beginning understanding you (I am german) but after a few minutes I got used to it and I have to say: Dein deutsch ist wirklich gut!
    another great translation in my opinion:
    Sloth = Faultier (which basically means lazy animal)

  • @vincentm99
    @vincentm99 7 років тому +2

    that's exactly it. you quite literally shocked me, you synthesized the process of learning a language like no one did before. You are truly awesome, thanks ;)

  • @Dafoodmaster
    @Dafoodmaster 7 років тому +8

    in dutch it's also waterkoker (water cooker) handschoen (hand shoe) schildpad (shield toad) and naaktslak (naked snail)

  • @DrINTJ
    @DrINTJ 6 років тому +8

    I was waiting for the part about the link between maths and poetry...

    • @pixelfan7261
      @pixelfan7261 2 роки тому +1

      The title is pure clickbait! :-(

  • @feitur
    @feitur 7 років тому +5

    One of the most entertaining Ted talks I've seen in a long time. Great job mate.

  • @melissa397
    @melissa397 4 роки тому +3

    As someone who also learned German from scratch, I found this talk incredibly sweet!

  • @moonshine6542
    @moonshine6542 7 років тому +22

    There are some German kinds of tongue-twisters/storys, which also plays with merged words. One of it ends with the word: Rabababerbarbarabarbabarenbartbabierbierbarbärbel

  • @pollyrawlings2108
    @pollyrawlings2108 7 років тому +32

    Well Done Harry - this is great fun (and brilliant) thank you.

  • @iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii4222
    @iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii4222 6 років тому +1

    So good, I remember those moments when I taught myself your language.
    Satisfying and it makes sense.

  • @drk_fi
    @drk_fi Рік тому +1

    I literally had my first German dream last night. I laughed myself awake and remembered hearing myself say "This dream is in German" as I was opening my eyes

    • @luken136
      @luken136 Рік тому +1

      Omg luckyyyy praying 🙏 that I get mine soon

  • @blub2121
    @blub2121 4 роки тому +7

    Strength: 2
    Agility: 4
    Constitution: 3
    Intelligence: 9
    Wisdom: 10

  • @Albinopfirsichsaft
    @Albinopfirsichsaft 7 років тому +4

    When I talk English I'm much more informal than in German. It's really interesting, the pure use of the language makes me sound and feel kinda calm.

  • @grandadrian522
    @grandadrian522 5 років тому +6

    Yeah, dreaming in another language. I'm from Germany and when I participated in an exchange to Poland (to improve my English), I suddenly started to dream in Polish the 3rd day. I never learned Polish and did not know any of the words they said in my dream but somehow I understood everything.

    • @Wazkaty
      @Wazkaty 3 роки тому

      Fantástic!

    • @Dankschon
      @Dankschon 11 місяців тому

      Well that's because Polish and gibberish are undistinguishable from one another.

  • @gerrie001
    @gerrie001 7 років тому

    This is by far the best talk I've ever seen!

  • @lealippard1045
    @lealippard1045 4 роки тому +8

    It took me almost the whole joke to understand that he was trying to say "Vier Löffel voll Falafel."

  • @notAshildr
    @notAshildr 7 років тому +68

    Four spoons of Falafel is not too much Falafel. Weil vier Falafellöffel voll Falafel vielleicht voll machen, für viele fühlt es sich aber nach zu wenig an

    • @calinho7689
      @calinho7689 5 років тому +1

      Me (No, not Ashildr, I had the name before Doctor Who, and I'm not changing it!) du musst uns Lauchs und seine lyrischen Künste verstehen...

  • @fredanskyi
    @fredanskyi 4 роки тому +1

    To an English speaking German like me that poem was pure brilliance

  • @gingerstarksyoble8261
    @gingerstarksyoble8261 3 роки тому

    alles was du hier gesagt hast, hat mir total getroffen. Ich bin Deutschlehrerin in Colorado and am always trying to explain to my students what you have demonstrated hier. Brilliant.

  • @wuloki
    @wuloki 4 роки тому +5

    When I learned English as a German, I remember when during some english conversation I suddenly thought in english. This was probably the moment I started to get the language.
    The difficult thing about German I think is that you can take two random words and put them together on the fly. In German you do this so often that you don't think about it, and a lot of German jokes work just becaue of that. This leads to the situation however that you tell someone learning German that the word you just used was a "makeshift-word" which isn't in the dictionary.
    That's also the reason why some German words are ridiciously long.

  • @cajsalindqvist5042
    @cajsalindqvist5042 7 років тому +9

    I just Love Harry baker. Best poet ive ever seen.

  • @creativegermanlearning
    @creativegermanlearning 5 років тому

    This was great! I just started learning German and yesterday I was learning oven mitt, Ofenhandschuhe. I loved the hand shoe part! Great job!

  • @o0blubblub0o
    @o0blubblub0o 4 роки тому +2

    he captures pretty well the reasons why i love this language. i really love to take the things that i say apart and rethink what it really could mean. i guess it is a good execise for your mind and german is perfect for this.
    and a few moths ago i had a conversation with some people about why gloves are called "handschuhe" and not "handsocken" which means handsocks.

  • @ric112
    @ric112 7 років тому +106

    "if a falafel for little filipino awful so it's just annoying what the f falafel is the fluffy people actors have been iffy'
    I recommend turning subtitles on.

  • @Eve.n.t_horizon
    @Eve.n.t_horizon 7 років тому +54

    its so wonderful to start dreaming in another language! Problems arise when you cant speak your first language well anymore cause you think in English XD My sentences structure is all fucked up now XD

    • @thonktank1239
      @thonktank1239 7 років тому +19

      Same problem, sometimes I don't even remember words in German anymore and my brain keeps pushing the English word into my head... so instead of speaking good german and okay English, I speak mediocre German and mediocre Englisch...

    • @essennagerry
      @essennagerry 6 років тому

      I feel you, oh dear I feel you xD my Bulgarian is so alien...

    • @essennagerry
      @essennagerry 6 років тому +2

      Lord Darkon DUDE! XD
      I'm even better/worse than you - I do this with three languages. XD That moment when you realize you speak *no* language like a native. XD

    • @js6271
      @js6271 5 років тому +4

      when I first learned English, I dreamed in English with subtitles in Spanish!

    • @lisa_vxng
      @lisa_vxng 4 роки тому +1

      @@thonktank1239 I'm a native german speaker and just regularly stop mid-sentence coz I cant remember the german translation for the english word in my head and my parents' english is not good enough for that (fine with my sister tho)

  • @emerwalsh2627
    @emerwalsh2627 7 років тому +1

    As an Irish person who speaks English as a first language who is also learning German I can really relate to this, love this guy!

  • @prithwirajpal4212
    @prithwirajpal4212 4 роки тому

    One of the best TEDx talks!

  • @leonardreidiess9777
    @leonardreidiess9777 7 років тому +205

    This guy is 98% Calcium.

  • @healthandspirit3238
    @healthandspirit3238 6 років тому +5

    " thank you for laughing at my life choices " lol :3 poetry !

  • @dagmarsigridmanondenijs-bl7156
    @dagmarsigridmanondenijs-bl7156 5 років тому

    Vielen Dank! Dein TED-Gespräch war wirklich wundervoll. Ja, ich habe wirklich unterschiedliche Persönlichkeiten in verschiedenen Sprachen. Nochmals vielen Dank!

  • @Domihork
    @Domihork 7 років тому +1

    It always amazes me how english native speakers are so amazed by learning another language, they make a TED talk, they put it on their facebook, they tell their friends about how bilingual they are... When for the rest of us, it's quite normal that we had to learn English and we experienced all of this in young age and some people speak even more languages...

  • @19NineLives95
    @19NineLives95 7 років тому +45

    "I dont know what to do with my hands"

  • @dekay183
    @dekay183 5 років тому +12

    the only dude eminem is afraid to make a disstrack against

  • @atutalor
    @atutalor 6 років тому

    wow this is a brilliant crossover between english and german language

  • @darrylwhitefeather207
    @darrylwhitefeather207 6 років тому

    I had to put on subtitles for the poem and it was brilliant.

  • @Felixkeeg
    @Felixkeeg 7 років тому +15

    The poem sounds like having a stroke, but these puns are amazing!

    • @martinpalmer9810
      @martinpalmer9810 3 роки тому

      I hope that his math is better than his poetry. The guy is obviously not a romantic.

  • @juliaelric3180
    @juliaelric3180 7 років тому +42

    I saw title and I was oh my God I love german (I'm learning), I love poetry, I have to watch that!

  • @Naturmuslima
    @Naturmuslima 5 років тому +1

    Thanks so much. So cool hearing this about my native language. This Polyglot idea changed my life so much. Language is simply a key to soooo many things. It pushed me to an extend İ couldnt dream of before

  • @yuppyprolepaste4926
    @yuppyprolepaste4926 6 років тому

    I love Harry Baker, he is wicked poet. This has cemented my esteem for him - I have read a poem in German side-by-side with it's English translation, but I cannot imagine reciting a poem in two languages. Really awesome. Incidentally, Loefel is my favourite German word.

  • @jlr177
    @jlr177 7 років тому +151

    I am waaay more passive while speaking german than I am while speaking english. It's so weird.

    • @playrisk7928
      @playrisk7928 7 років тому +19

      J LR i know! it's the same for me (I'm a native German speaker)

    • @knecht6974
      @knecht6974 7 років тому +67

      J LR I can express critisism so much better in english than in german, but in german talking about politics or insulting is much more fun. Calling somebody a fucking facist in english is boring, calling somebody a *DRRECKKSS FASCHISTTTTT!!!!* is fun

    • @stellaw3620
      @stellaw3620 7 років тому +4

      Adam Moer why do I Agree so much with this xD but non-political insults to me are way funnier in russian tho, coz you can Just put them all after each other without anything in between and it still makes perfect sense

    • @meg136
      @meg136 7 років тому +13

      J LR im german and I can speak english very good. its weird that Im so much nicer to other when Im speaking english

    • @zoltansafran8
      @zoltansafran8 7 років тому +10

      potato.just.in.underwear awh you might be good but youu speak WELL, I know you dont have this in german but it really hurts my eyes :D

  • @Liqliq888
    @Liqliq888 5 років тому +5

    such a brave soul for the amount of times he said "maths"

  • @stellamarisgallardo487
    @stellamarisgallardo487 4 роки тому

    I feel exactly what he described while learning German, it has so much logic and it is enjoyable to learn...!

  • @RoRo91xx
    @RoRo91xx 7 років тому

    Adding this to a Playlist and cannot wait to watch! :) I love both Foreign Languages and Science.

  • @TheoTarver
    @TheoTarver 7 років тому +4

    Amazing, sehr toll

  • @skaaads
    @skaaads 4 роки тому +16

    when he tells them to repeat after him, it sounds like in every church in germany. kinda dead xD

  • @ormchaitrakulthong282
    @ormchaitrakulthong282 4 роки тому

    This guy is the best speaker I’ve ever watched in ted

  • @greywolf271
    @greywolf271 6 років тому

    Great talk, not just about learning the language but about the "Nerd Rush"

  • @Lugmillord
    @Lugmillord 7 років тому +8

    This guy is a great comedian.

  • @lenastorm6280
    @lenastorm6280 7 років тому +3

    I live in austria and german is my first language. It is so good to know that I'm not the only one that started dreaming in another language. I think I watch to many english movies, TV Shows and listen to too many english songs. Sometimes I even think (!) in english or say whole sentences in english in a german conversation and everybody araund me is looking at me like: WTF is wrong with you??

  • @Camila-do8ot
    @Camila-do8ot 6 років тому +1

    I loved it!! It was really funny and thank you for "the nerd rush" I always wanted a word to define that absolutely glorious feeling

  • @sasuke22dante
    @sasuke22dante 5 років тому

    what a nice way to wrap up the talk!