Probably "it feels like summer"

It's along the same lines at the commercial (for what I can't remember) Hinein ins Weekend-Feeling! Kinda makes your skin crawl, doesn't it?

Ich vermute, daß es eine Neuschöpfung in Anlehnung an die wohlbekannten "Frühlingsgefühle" sind. Und weil's hipper (sic!) klingt, sagt man es auf "Englisch".

I'm sorry for my own language, but unfortunately "Sommergefühle" does not cover the same feelings like "summer feelings" does. Though I don't like this Denglish flood as well, I must admit that I can't deny its power to transport completely different connotation with nothing but a literal translation. Somergefühle sounds like from a poem or postcard out of 1890 or something and sounds heavy like a summer day in late July with the men still wearing pickelhelmets (or what ever they are called). "Summer feelings" sounds more like June 2003, 26°C, light caribbean breeze, cocktails and everybody having fun.
Weird but real.

Y'all know this song, don't you?
http://www.lyricsandlyrics.com/Y/Yanai-Kate/S...

and what about this? http://www.capitalrecordings.co.nz/gallery/co...

and this?
http://www.wendymcarthur.com.au/2004_03.html

and this?
http://nwitimes.com/articles/2005/06/13/featu...

and this?
http://www.mastercard.com/au/general/aboutus/...

seems like only the plural-s is wrong ...

Matthias: who'd ever think of pickelhelms when hearing the word "Sommergefühl"? For me it's timeless. But I agree, Sommergefühl is more like something you have in a classical "Sommerfrische".

------> I'm sorry for my own language, but unfortunately "Sommergefühle" does not cover the same feelings like "summer feelings" does.

This is insight in the way the German language and culture is perceived by Germans. I have the impression (from many Germans) that it must be really oppressive to be German: one cannot express oneself with a language of such limitations. I disagree of course. It's called self-abasement! Get over it people!

@matthias, und wenn du das erste Mal wieder im Freibad bist, den Geruch von Sonnenöl in der Nase, das Gequiek und Geplatsche von aufgeregten Kindern im Ohr, dann das Gefühl von Barfuß über den Rasen laufen um ein Eis zu kaufen, wenn du abends auf dem Balkon im lauen Lüftchen sitzt, der Sonnenbrand ein bisschen zwackt und dir der Duft von Nachbars Grill in die Nase steigt, all das im Jahr 2005, was hast du dann? Sommergefühle oder summer feelings?

@Polka Dancer Jones: The problem is of course that no individual controls the connotations in a language. It was good to see such a precise and open contribution on why the two terms *mean* something different (Matthias). Just in case, this is the same with loan words in English, too. Why do we call it *panzer* or *verstehen* (sociology)?, or what about all those French words that have now different connotations that the Anglo-Saxon ones? Well, this is language.

@Polka Dancer Jones: Well roared, lion! Just to assure you that there are (still?) some (??) Germans not inflicted by Prussianisms whenever they hear a German sounding word, I'd like to support Anna-Lena. Of course, I can't contradict Matthias's feelings, but they might not be shared by others.

As witness I call Georg Britting:

SOMMERGEFÜHL
Kurzer Sommer, glühender, bleib! Dein Anhauch
Zwar verdrießt das ängstliche Gras. Das Korn doch
Liebt dich, der sich rötende Wein. Die Grille
Singt dir ein Loblied,

Und die Lerche, wenn sie ins Blaue klettert,
Tut es trillernd, dir zu gefallen, und des
Wilden Klatschmohns purpume Blüte ist ein
Feuriger Juhschrei!

In den kühlen, glänzenden Nächten richtet
Sich das grüne Gras wieder auf. Die Schnecke
Wandert durch das taunasse Land und sieht nicht
Oben die Sterne:

Ihren Fühlern sind sie entrückt! Sie fürchtet
Jetzt schon wie die Kröte im schwarzen Hohlweg,
Wie der Salamander im Sumpf den süßen,
Rosigen Morgen

http://www.britting.com/gedichte/4-172.html

(Dazu auch eine sehr lesenswerte Interpretation: http://www.britting.com/Sekund/Jaspersen.pdf

Very interesting!!!!!! I agree with a couple of these comments. This strange people/language relationship goes back many centuries. Frederick William II considered the German language as good enough only to speak to his horses and wrote mostly in French.

It's not about borrowing words. What is important is the motive!

zurück zum Thema: Ist "summer feeling" (ohne s) jetzt English oder Denglisch?

Ich bin kein englischer Muttersprachler. Wenn du aber "summer feeling" site:.uk im Google eingibst, bekommt man rund 600 Treffer, das spricht doch eigentlich dafür, dass es eine gängige Redewendung ist...

Denglish I reckon. A Google search gives a rough idea:

"summer feeling": 37 600 hits, 19 000 of which are in German.
"summer feelings": 3450 hits, 2430 of which are in German.

I am reminded of a quote from the German footballer Andreas Möller: "ich hatte vom Feeling her ein gutes Gefühl" :-)

@ Markus: on reflection, the version without an "s" actually sounds like real English and not Denglish, but this will probably depend a bit on context.

"That summer feeling" (which incidentally also seems to be the name of a band), in particular, sounds like real English.

@Harry: "Frederick William II considered the German language as good enough only to speak to his horses and wrote mostly in French."

So what? Does this mean that German is a somewhat limited language? Kann man auf Deutsch sich also nicht genauso poetisch ausdrücken wie auf Englisch oder Französisch? Nur weil Deutsch lange Zeit nicht als hoffähig galt?

Ich mag keine "summer feelings" haben, wenn dann "Sommergefühle". Ich habe auch keinen "body" sondern einen Körper.

Tanja1s Beispiel belegt sehr schön, dass kaum ein Mensch "summer feelings" sagen würde, wenn er nicht gerade in irgendeiner Marketingabteilung an Kreativitätsnotstand leidet. Ich kann auch überhaupt nichts antiquiertes an "Sommergefühl(e)" finden. "Summer feeling(s)" hat auch keinerlei andere Bedeutung oder Konnotation für mich.

In Anzeigen und Fernsehwerbung würde mir der Begriff vermutlich gar nicht weiter auffallen, aber wenn mir hingegen privat jemand sagen würde, er hätte am Wochenende "so richtige summer feelings" gehabt, dann würde ich ihn schon etwas schräg von der Seite angucken. Das passt einfach nicht.

You missed my point. I believe it subjective to say what is good and bad. German is in my opinion a very interesting and dynamic language. It is just a shame that Germans do not think so. It is Germans who feel that their language has limitations. The quote above proves this.


I'm sorry for my own language, but unfortunately "Sommergefühle" does not cover the same feelings like "summer feelings" does.

@ rob_oz: Thanks for the clarification. I suppose the above-average popularity of the phrase "summer feeling" in Germany is a result of the song I referred to in my first reply above. This song - although it's already a few years old - still has an enormous amount of airplay on German radio stations plus, it was the undelying soundtrack of a popular commercial for a white rum. I wouldn't be surprise if people got used to the expression "summer feeling" from listening to this song so frequently.

Let's face it. Every language has its limitations. I confuse my wife sometimes by using Latin or German when English doesn't quite hit the nail on the head, and I would see it as quite natural for an educated German speaker to use an expression from a foreign language when no appropriate German expression come to mind.

It is in this way that languages become less limited and more expressive.

I therefore think that German speakers should feel free to use the expression "summer feelings" if they believe that this phrase expresses something which is otherwise dificult to get across. Hopefully, however, they should recognise it as Denglisch, and not expect us native English speakers fully to understand the subtlety of it.

"German is very interesting and dynamic language."

Do you really think that?

To me it sounds like an iron wheel rolling on a cobble stone lane ....


And I'm a German native speaker.

Wie kann denn die eigene Sprache komisch klingen?? Nur mit dieser Sprache ist es dir doch möglich, Gefühle auszudrücken, die du in keiner anderen Sprache sagen könntest... Ich habe schöne Erinnerungen, rein sprachlich gesehen, und deshalb liebe ich meine Sprache!
Sorry, wurde zum Schluss doch ein wenig dramatisch :-)

I think your comment illustrates what my point is. Many Germans do not like their language. If a German speaker attempt to write lyrics in English, how does one even begin to translate ones emotions and express concepts unique to Germans and German culture. People fail to see that a translation is a mere approximation. It can never fully express what was originally expressed in the first language. A language can not stand alone on its own. It is therefore what is behind it that matters.

Agree with Harry, German is a wonderful and underrated language. The better I know it, the better I like it. But I have found this to be true of every language I have learned (three and counting); each opens up new ideas and way of seeing the world. 'Course I only speak to dogs in English, but they don't seem to mind.

Die Sonne scheint
Die Mücken picken
Das Gras ist hoch
Und nichts zu lesen


Sorry, couldn't help it!

@Volker: Wenn das alles ist, was dir zur deutschen Sprache einfällt, musst du ein sehr armseliges Leben führen... sorry!

Also ich kenne keinen einzigen Deutschen (mich eingeschlossen), der seine Muttersprache nicht mag, Harry! Aber ich gebe Dir recht: (fast) jeder Nicht-englische Muttersprachler, der versucht, in einer anderen Sprache (nicht nur Englisch!) poetisch zu werden, scheitert. Mir fällt als Gegenbeispiel nur Joseph Conrad ein. Und warum die Deutschen (und nicht nur die) so scharf aufs Englische sind/scheinen, ist eh klar: Englisch ist lingua franca in der Werbung und anderswo. Und dass dort nicht das korrekte Englisch gesprochen wird, wissen wir doch auch.

"I'm sorry for my own language, but unfortunately "Sommergefühle" does not cover the same feelings like "summer feelings" does."

Mit Verlaub, so einen Schmarrn hab ich lange nicht gehört. Vielleicht liegts ja auch einfach an mir, aber ich kann nicht erkennen, warum "Summer Feelings" etwas anderes ausdrückt als "Sommergefühle".

Wem das Wort "Sommergefühle" nicht gefällt, der kann ja auch eines der deutschen Synonyme verwenden (wie Sommerlaune, Sommerstimmung...).

I was just asking myself how I would express this idea in my native language English, and I thought "summery feelings", not "summer feelings", but I wouldn't use the phrase quite like that, I would say, "I feel all summery today!" This may be a nonce word, but I think it would be understood.

Do any other native speakers have a reaction to this?

Upon waking up yesterday morning, my youngest looked out the window and yelled "Hey, it's all summery outside!" (the sun was shining here at 6 in the morning), so it seems she would agree with you, Joe, nonce-y or not. I would say "it feels just like summer," personally, but to each her own.

@Joe W. Why not say "summery"? This is a perfectly good and useful idiomatic way to make adjectives out of nouns (or verbs, adjectives...) - and is something the Denglish speakers will never be able to work out.;-) My four-year-old nephew uses this all the time, especially when he needs to find a new word, e.g., "those swimmy ducks", "the uppy bed", "the downy bed", "that chocolatey ice-cream", "the racey boy" (that's the boy from the "'Cwedibles"), etc...

..and it is indeed a lovely summery, sunny day here in Vienna (though some of the locals seem to think that it's cold - despite 30°C or so - because there's a pleasant breeze blowing: I suppose they don't get that "summer feeling" unless they are suffering in stifling, muggy heat..."das Raunzen ist des Wieners Lust...;-)?")

Cambridge and Vienna are two of the loveliest places in the world, I think, especially when they're summery. Ain't we lucky?

Here today, it's http://www.uk.research.att.com/cgi-bin/weathe...

@lio: WOW, du hast mich ja aufgrund einiger weinger Zeilen total durchschaut. Mal sehen, ob ich dich aufgrund deines Beitrags auch analysieren kann:

Mitte/Ende fünzig
ledig
Religionslehrerin
totale Spießerin

Falsch? Na dann solltest du anderen vielleicht nicht so oberlehrerhaft daherkommnen. Mein Beitrag war als "nicht ernst gemeint" gekennzeichnet und ich nehme für mich nicht in Anspruch, dass ich einen tollen Beitrag zum Thema beigesteuert habe, aber gemessen an dem, was man in diesem Forum manchmal an gequirlter Kacke zu lesen bekommt, sehe ich keine Veranlassung mich zu verstecken.

Sorry, "fünFzig" of course.

By the way, I guess I was more on-topic than some of the others.