Most Frequent German Words in Speech and Writing

What German words will you encounter most frequently? The answer depends on whether they are in conversation or in reading material. Its valuable to note what words are the most common, although they may not help you as much as you might think. They include many pronouns, articles, prepositions and common verbs. Those are probably not enough to understand what someone is trying to tell you. Top 30 Most Frequent Words in Spoken German The 30 words ranked here for spoken German are excerpted from the Rangwà ¶rterbuch hochdeutscher Umgangssprache by Hans-Heinrich Wà ¤ngler (N.G. Elwert, Marburg, 1963). The words are ranked by frequency of use in everyday, spoken German. Top 30 Words - Spoken GermanRanked by Frequency of Use inGerman Speaking Vocabulary Rank Word Comment/Link 1 ich I - personal pronoun 2 das the; that (one) neuter - definite article or demonstrative pronoun)More: Nouns and Gender 3 die the f. - definite article 4 ist is - form of to be ( sein) 5 nicht not 6 ja yes 7 du you familiar - See Sie und du 8 der the m. - definite article 9 und and 10 sie she, they 11 so so, thus 12 wir we - personal pronoun 13 was what 14 noch still, yet 15 da there, here; since, because 16 mal times; once - particle 17 mit with - See Dative Prepositions 18 auch also, too 19 in in, into 20 es it - personal pronoun 21 zu to; at; too preposition or adverb 22 aber but - See Coordinating/Subordinating Conjunctions 23 habe / hab (I) have - verbs - forms of haben 24 den the - (form of der or dative plural) See Noun Cases 25 eine a, an fem. indefinite article 26 schon already 27 man one, they 28 doch but, nevertheless, after all particle 29 war was - past tense of to be (sein) 30 dann then Source:  Word Frequencies (TU Wien) A few observations about the Top 30 Spoken German Words: In this list of the top 30 spoken German words, there are no nouns, but lots of pronouns and articles.Prepositions are important in spoken (and reading) German. In the top 30 spoken words, there are three prepositions (all dative or dual): mit, in, and zu.The rank for spoken words can vary greatly from that for reading vocabulary. Examples: ich (spoken 1 / reading 51), ist (4/12), da (15/75), doch (28/69).All the top 30 words are small words. None has more than five letters; most have only two or three! Zipfs Law seems to hold true: There is an inverse relationship between the length of a word and its frequency. The Top 100 German Words Ranked by Frequency in Reading Material The words ranked here are taken from German newspapers, magazines and other online publications in German. A similar ranking for spoken German would be quite different. Although it is based on it, unlike the word frequency compilation from the Università ¤t Leipzig, this edited top 100 list of the most common German words in print eliminates duplicates (dass/daß, der/Der) and considers conjugated verb forms as a single verb (i.e., ist represents all forms of sein, to be) to arrive at the 100 most common German words you should know (for reading). However, most personal pronouns have their various forms listed separately. For example, the first-person singular forms ich, mich, mir are listed as separate words, each with its own rank. Alternative forms of other words (in parentheses) are listed in order of occurrence. The ranking below is based on the University of Leipzig compilation as of 8 Jan. 2001. Top 100 German WordsEdited and Ranked by Frequency of Use inGerman Reading Vocabulary Rank Word Comment/Link 1 der (den, dem, des) the m. - definite article 2 die (der, den) the f. - definite article 3 und and - coordinating conjunction 4 in (im) in, into (in the) 5 von (vom) of, from 6 zu (zum, zur) to; at; too preposition or adverb 7 das (dem, des) the n. - definite article 8 mit with 9 sich himself, itself, yourself 10 auf See Two-Way Prepositions 11 fr See Accusative Prepositions 12 ist (sein, sind, war, sei, etc.) is (to be, are, was, be, etc.) - verbs 13 nicht not 14 ein (eine, einen, einer, einem, eines) a, an - indefinite article 15 als as, than, when 16 auch also, too 17 es it 18 an (am/ans) to, at, by 19 werden (wurde, wird) become, get 20 aus from, out of 21 er he, it - personal pronoun 22 hat (haben, hatte, habe) to have - verbs 23 dass / da that 24 sie she, it; they - personal pronoun 25 nach to, after - dative preposition 26 bei at, by - dative preposition 27 um around, at - accusative preposition 28 noch still, yet 29 wie as, how 30 ber about, over, via - two-way preposition 31 so so, such, thus 32 Sie you (formal) 33 nur only 34 oder or - coordinating conjunction 35 aber but - coordinating conjunction 36 vor (vorm, vors) before, in front of; of - two-way preposition 37 bis by, until - accusative preposition 38 mehr more 39 durch by, through - accusative preposition 40 man one, they - personal pronoun 41 Prozent (das) percent 42 kann (knnen, konnte, etc.) be able, can modal verb 43 gegen against; around - accusative preposition 44 schon already 45 wenn if, when - subordinating conjunctions 46 sein (seine, seinen, etc.) his - possessive pronoun 47 Mark (Euro) Der Euro was put into circulation in Jan. 2002, so Mark (Deutsche Mark, DM) is far less frequent now. 48 ihre/ihr her, their - possessive pronoun 49 dann then 50 unter under, among - two-way prepositions 51 wir we - personal pronoun 52 soll (sollen, sollte, etc.) should, ought to - modal verbs 53 ich Obviously ich (I) would rank higher for spoken German, but it also ranks high in print. 54 Jahr (das, Jahren, Jahres, etc.) year 55 zwei two - See Numbers 56 diese (dieser, dieses, etc.) this, these - dieser-word 57 wieder again (adv.) 58 Uhr Most frequently used as oclock in telling time. 59 will (wollen, willst, etc.) wants (to want, want, etc.) - modal verbs 60 zwischen between - two-way preposition 61 immer always (adv.) 62 Millionen (eine Million) millions (a/one million) - number 63 was what 64 sagte (sagen, sagt) said (past) say, says 65 gibt (es gibt; geben) gives (there is/are; to give) 66 alle all, everyone 67 seit since - dative preposition 68 muss (mssen) must (to have to, must) 69 doch but, nevertheless, after all particle 70 jetzt now - adverb 71 drei three - number 72 neue (neu, neuer, neuen, etc.) new adjective 73 damit with it/that; by that; because of that; so thatda-compound (with preposition) 74 bereits already adverb 75 da since, because (prep.), there, here (adv.) 76 ab off, away; exit (theater); from, starting at - adv./prep. 77 ohne without - accusative preposition 78 sondern but rather 79 selbst myself, himself, etc.; self-; even (if) 80 ersten (erste, erstes, etc.) first - adverb 81 nun now; then; well? 82 etwa about, approximately; for instance (adv.) 83 heute today, nowadays (adv.) 84 weil because - subordinating conjunction 85 ihm to/for him personal pronoun (dative) 86 Menschen (der Mensch) people (human being) 87 Deutschland (das) Germany 88 anderen (andere, anderes, etc.) other(s) 89 rund approximately, about (adv.) 90 ihn him personal pronoun (accusative) 91 Ende (das) end 92 jedoch nevertheless 93 Zeit (die) time 94 uns us, to us personal pronoun (accusative or dative) 95 Stadt (die) city, town 96 geht (gehen, ging, etc.) goes (to go, went, etc.) 97 sehr very 98 hier here 99 ganz entire(ly), complete(ly), whole(ly) 100 Berlin (das) Berlin Source: Projekt Wortschatz - Università ¤t LeipzigStand vom 8. Jan. 2001 A few observations about the Top 100 German Words: In this edited list of the Top 100 German Words, there are only 11 nouns (in ranked order): Prozent, Mark (Euro), Jahr/Jahren, Uhr, Millionen, Mensch/Menschen, Deutschland, Ende, Zeit, Stadt, Berlin. These nouns reflect common news and business content in German-language periodicals.Since several simple past tense forms (Imperfekt, war, wurde, sagte) appear in the top 100, it might be better to introduce the past tense earlier in German instruction/learning. In German reading material, the simple past is used more than in conversation.Zipfs Law seems to hold true: There is an inverse relationship between the length of a word and its frequency. The most frequent words are monosyllabic. The longer the word, the less its used, and vice versa.

Child Abuse And Its Effects On Children - 1056 Words

Child Abuse One million children in forty- eight states were victims of substantiated child abuse and neglect in 1994 (Child - Abuse Prevention 1). Out of all the abuse allegations in 2000 only 879,000 cases were able to be proved. Which approximately 1200 children died as a result of child abuse or neglect and forty-four percent of these were younger than one years old. Defenseless children are severely abused constantly every year across the United States, leaving life -long negative effects on their futures. By educating our youth about the impact their words and physical abuse can cause someone, our future generations will have an understanding of why they should handle their aggression. Child abuse can be found almost†¦show more content†¦When a family has a low income it can Lofton 2 result in stress and anger. In the article â€Å"Child Abuse and Neglect† it states, â€Å"The relationship between poverty and abuse is strong; the vast majority of fatalities involve parents and caretakers from the poorest families† (2). Another type of abusive parents are the ones who were abused as children as well. Studies show that those who were abused as a child are more likely to abuse their children. Although most people will want to report child abuse there are some who do not. The majority of the time these people think that if they call it in, the children inside the house will be put into foster care and the siblings will get split up, which has been known to happen. They also believe that if the parents find out somehow that they were the ones that called in, it could put their lives in danger and so they will not call. This led to many states establishing units specifically to help keep families together and to secure therapeutic and support services in their child welfare system (Child Abuse and Neglect 3). With these state laws, not as many children are separated from their siblings. Also as long as no one tells on themselves to other members of the community the abusers should never find out it was them who reported the abuse. Other solutions may include classes for young mothers or reaching out to new parents. Classes for young mothers can prevent child abuse but th ose mothers, if they are over

Alien Resurrection Essay Example For Students

Alien Resurrection Essay Films which are considered science fiction are arguably structured differently and in a more complex fashion. The spectrum and expectations are so broad for character, action, setting, period, whether it be past, present or future, that it is no wonder that the genre has been sectioned off into hybrid or sub genres over the years, such as sci fi Horror, Alien (1979) sci fi Action adventure, Escape from New York (1981) sci fi Western, Outland (1981) and sci fi Family Entertainment, E.T (1982). It does seem that it has become increasingly more difficult to clearly pin down a science fiction text, as the popular genre constantly reinvents itself and at times displays, an archetypal generic framework that on the surface might look like it belongs to another genre, such as Frankenstein (1931) which many people would feel comfortable regarding as Horror. Even though the science and technology that Dr Frankenstein invents to create his monster is clearly fictional. It has often been noted, it is sometimes very difficult to distinguish between Horror and Science Fiction. Films like Frankenstein (1931), The Thing (1982) and The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) in their own ways testify to the propensity for multiplicity and overlap among and between these genres in Hollywood. It is there fore hardly surprising that water tight definitions of science fiction and horror are hard to come by. (Cook Bernink , 1999, p 191). To effectively question Kuhns statement, with reference to the science fiction genre we must at least try to establish key conventions which can be applied across the board to this category of films, taking into account both conventional or classic texts and hybrid films. Richard Hodgens suggests that What makes Science Fiction involves extrapolated or fictions use of scientific possibilities, or it may be simply fiction that takes place in future or introduces some radical assumptions about the present or past. (Cook Bennink, 1999, p 191). This seems a fair enough interpretation of science fiction, although again if taken word for word it could also apply to texts which belong to other genres, for example James Bond films often involve fictitious use of scientific possibilities in regards to his gadgets. Also the villains layer which is more times than not situated in a realistically speaking impossible geographical location, in a hollowed out volcano, which doubles as a space rocket launch centre. Does that mean that the James Bond franchise could be classed as science fiction? Even if the films do borrow certain elements from this genre to label them as science fiction would be reading against the grain. The films lend themselves firstly to the spy, espionage genre and now, more recently to the action adventure genre more than anything else, another example of how a genre evolves. They arguably fit into a genre of Bond Films all by themselves, fulfilling a whole unique set of audience expectations in terms of iconography, the introduction or use of a new technologically advanced Bond Gadgets being one. It may be the case that when trying to categorise certain texts we may have to rely on common sense rather than take Hodgenss definition as gospel. Annette Kuhns, recognises the problem of demarcation between genres herself One of the problems here must be the very difficulty of arriving at a critical definition of science fiction cinema as a genre, even if it is readily recognizable in practise (Kuhns, 1996, p 1) she goes on suggest that more importantly than what film genre is, is the question of what in cultural terms, it does-Its cultural Instrumentality. (Kuhns, 1996, p 1). Science fiction stories were born from adventure stories and tales of science and of the future, these stories were associated with the likes of Jules Verne in a literary sense and dominated the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, fuelled by a second industrial revolution and a new machine age. The stories became increasingly popular and coincided with the invention of film, itself a great technological invention. It therefore seemed an obvious medium in which to present these futurist narratives. The pioneering science fiction film Le Voyage Dans La Lune ( A Trip To the Moon) (1902), utilised many of the science fiction motifs and cinematic language we are still used to today, including the projectile shaped space rocket. The 14-minute film used very inventive film techniques, trick photography and superimposed images, fantastic special effects for the time and set the stage for what audiences still expect from this genre. Fritz Langs Metropolis (1927) was made after the First World War and showed the social condition of Europe. The attributes to create a good film EssayTo a certain extent it acts as a moral warning and does ask the audience whether our not we have the right to play God and experiment with Mother Nature at all. In terms of Kuhns statement this future text powerfully and obviously mirrors our present, although other examples which on the surface may deal with similar themes do not seem to be as culturally relevant, if at all. Alien Resurrection (1997) another modern popular science fiction text, includes the practise of human cloning within the narrative. Unfortunately the problem with Genre Theory is that it caters not only for audiences needs but is also a marketing tool used by the film industry. This film was part of a very successful franchise and although the previous Alien films especially the original, which is now, considered the renaissance of the science fiction genre, offered audiences intellectual food for thought, It seems the case that this film was very much a product to capitalise on an already established fan based audience, the subject of cloning only bought about as a plot line to reintroduce the central character back into the story. The film catered for the audiences needs and met their expectations, with the character of Ripley, actress Sigourney weaver being present, however it would be a challenging task to even build a convincing argument that Kuhns theory readily applies, even though Alien Resurrection is in fact a popular Science fiction generic text, utilising all the conventions, style, iconography and cinematic language we might expect. It might refract some of our present social trends and attitudes but it certainly doesnt clearly reflect any. Tom Ryalls triangle model, offers a give and take relationship between the audience, artist and text. The industry works in collaboration with audience needs to produce generic texts. The model or theory is meant to be unbiased, not giving preference to any one party, although possibly the triangular relationship is not so rigid, but sometimes floats closer to one of the circles, the industry in this case. Robert Warshow suggests of genre films that any representation to the real facts of whatever the situation it presents to describe is only of secondary importance and does not determine the aesthetic force'( Warshow, 1970) The fact that Alien Resurrection was a sequel to an already established framework, within a genre framework makes Warshows theory even more applicable. He goes on to say It is only in an ultimate sense that the type appeals to its audiences experience of reality, much more immediately, it appeals to previous experience of the type itself: It creates its own field of reference. In this particular case the field of reference being the other Alien instalments. It seems to be the case that Alien Resurrection was made not because there was necessarily a social need for the film but because a niche in the market guaranteed financial success. This seems to be the case with many sci fi sequels, the studios feel a need to capitalize on the success of the originals and the original social themes become less important and give way to what is perceived as audiences overly high expectations. Predator 2 (1990) , Terminator 3 (2003) and Escape from L. A (1996) are some more examples where any form of social representation plays second best to the industries need to cash in, but unable to introduce any new significant themes, which havent already been address in the originals. The economic organisation of the film Industry along the lines of commodity productions is cited as the reason for the existence of genres themselves. As the market for entertainment is notoriously difficult to predict and control, profit is dependant on the successful identification and capture of a particular audience (Cook Bernink, 1999, p 141) The above statement seems even more relevant when taking into account sequels or franchise texts. Perhaps as Warshow suggests that only in an ultimate sense can genre appeal to our reality. To explore this we need to look at not only a collection of similar generic texts, but a collection that were all made in a similar period of history.