Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition by Ben Schott

Schottenfreude: German Words for the Human Condition Reviews

• 
  PoligirlReads

  I'd give five for the concept. I'd give five for the execution of the text. There's something wonderful about discovering that there really are those fabulous words in German that describe a myriad of emotions. My whole world has been better knowing that there is a word for that sense of malaise when it hits you late on Sunday that the weekend is nearly over and that you'll have to resume the weekly grind: Sonntagsleerung.
  
  Why the one star? Whoever decided on the format of this book should be shot (or Schott). The font for the German words are nearly impossible to read in such a small size. The long, skinny rectangle format makes you feel like you've got one of those impulse buy novelty books near the check out counter at Barnes and Noble. The way it's formatted essentially requires you to read from right to left. Why, oh why, did they not make this into a traditional format that people can comfortably read?!
  
  I'm having that sense of despair when an otherwise fun book is poorly, and tragically formatted.
  
  I bet there's a German word for that.
• 
  Adam

  This book is brilliant. Each entry has 5 parts: an article about the word, the word itself, the transliteration, the English definition, the literal definition. Let me tell you, often times the literal definition is simply poetry. Is there a German word for "the completed feeling of an entire story from a short phrase"?
  
  Many entries in here fall into "why is there not a word for that in English" or "holy crap, there's a word for that specific concept?!" But sprinkled throughout are words that are touching and bittersweet.
  
  Erlösungsfreudeschuldbewusstsein
  Guilt at the relief of a loved one’s death.
  deliverance-joy-shame
  
  Some words in here are profound, you know that if they are used then there is a much longer story behind the situation.
  Schubladenbrief
  The letter you write, but never send.
  (desk-)drawer-letter
  
  And some are short poems. Japanese has the succinct structure of 5/7/5 for their haiku. I believe that Germans have truncated the art of confined poetry to a single word.
  Herbstlaubtrittvergnügen
  Kicking through piles of autumn leaves.
  autumn-foliage-strike-fun
  
  Some words are so specific it seems silly that they exist at all.
  Geheimgangsverlockung
  The conviction that all old, large houses must contain secret passages.
  secret-corridor-seduction
  
  Some make you wonder why we don't have a word or phrase for it in English yet.
  Leertretung
  Stepping down heavily on a stair that isn’t there.
  void-stepping
  
  
  Where should one catalog this book? Poetry, linguistics, reference? It's so damn good perhaps one copy belongs in each section. And I'll leave you with one last word that you will need while reading.
  
  Zeuxisgelächter
  Laughter so prolonged and intense it causes physical pain.
  zeuxis-laughter
• 
  Greg Brozeit

  As one who speaks both German and English and regrets not being able to speak other languages, I’ve often mentioned to friends that the former is a much more precise language than the latter. Much like Inuit have been characterized as having more than 200 words for snow—in reality it’s about 50—Germans have words for every kind of joy, most notably Schadenfreude, which means taking joy in the misfortune of others. The word is an example of a portmanteau, a blending of more than one word or meaning to make a new word. German is filled with them and more are added to the language every day. Not sure why they can’t come up with a German word for portmanteau. But that’s another book, I assume. It is not one of the 120 words in this book, but it did provide inspiration for its title.
  
  Among other things, I learned that there was such a thing as a portmanteau-portmanteau. Yes, you guessed it, that’s when they are added together, thus leading to the unwieldy terms for which the German language has become notorious. The book is not long, but it is meticulously researched with gems of descriptions and explanations of nuances with examples. It’s a great, short two-page a day read.
  
  My GR friend Ilse recommended this book to me. Seeing the pictures of her wonderful bookshelves in her year-end summary prompted me to consider; rather than recite some definitions, which wouldn’t be fair to the author, I thought I’d cite two examples Goodreads members would appreciate.
  
  One is Schlüsselszenenadlerauge (literally key-scene-eagle-eye), which means “Knowing from memory where a specific passage is located in a book.” We all know what that means. I’ve always been very bad about this and it’s one reason I really appreciate the ability to provide updates as reminders in GR because I can never remember where they are. The other is Buchadlerauge (book-eagle-eye), which means “Knowing from memory where a specific book may be found on a shelf.” Now this is something I do very well. Especially since I had bookshelves built this past year and have, for the first time in my life, been able to sort every book I own. Why is it that I definitely don’t have a Schlüsselszenenadlerauge but have an exceptional Buchadlerauge? Perhaps there is a German portmanteau I can find or create for that confused feeling.
  
  This book will have a place of honor in my already crowded, new bookshelves. As a gift, people will appreciate the scholarship and humor. This is a really fun book that anyone who loves words and their meanings would want to have in their library.
• 
  Kristen

  If you're a word-geek, like I am, this book is so much fun.
• 
  Trey Jones

  Where Conlanging Meets Precision German Engineering
  
  Here is a rare combination: a book that appeals to word lovers and language freaks, to book design geeks and typography nerds, and to trivia buffs and other assorted aficionados of miscellanea.
  
  The book itself is wonderful as a purely physical artifact. The wide landscape format is unusual, but unlike other books where the format can be annoying, here it works well with the content—facing pages of pseudo-German words across from what amounts to extended footnotes discussing them. The blackletter font used for the German words is decidedly Germanic, but also reasonably readable. That and the stylistic ligatures (notable st and ct) and dark red ink used for definitions give the book that “old tome feel”.
  
  The German words themselves (and of course their definitions for those of us whose German is rusty or nonexistent) are quite amusing. The whole enterprise is reminiscent of Rich Hall’s Sniglets from the 80s and 90s, but considerably more grown up—though there are plenty of adolescent gags in the book, too, like Stuhlgangsgenuss, “the private enjoyment of your own unsavory bodily functions”, glossed as “POO(P)LEASURE”.
  
  There seems to be some confusion over the authenticity of the words. It’s clear that Schott has created these words (with the oversight of native German speaker Oscar Bandtlow), but some reviews seem to imply that these are words in common use among Germans. They are not—for example, the only references to Kraftfahrzeuginnenaustattungsneugeruchsgenuss, “new car smell”, on the web are reviews of this book. Nonetheless, these words are—given the compounding capabilities of German that brought us the completely legitimate Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz—entirely plausible.
  
  As a linguist and fan of lexicography, I have a few specific nerdy nits to pick. My least favorite entry in the book is Zwillingsmoral, “Reading horoscopes you don’t believe in,” glossed as “GEMINI-STANDARD”. A footnote explains the etymology: Zwillinge (“twins”, or “Gemini”) + Doppelmoral (“double standard”). The concept and the word go well together, and the play on double and twin is great. However...
  
  My biggest objection is that this noun is glossed with a verb phrase. Slightly better would be “The act of reading...”. Even then, the definition doesn’t match the meaning of the root of the compound, which is moral. The word thus refers to some kind of morals or standards, as in “A double standard that allows you to read horoscopes you don’t believe in.” It’s a nerdy nit to pick, as I said.
  
  And my final objection to Zwillingsmoral is that it seems to exist in German, with a much more prosaic meaning, similar, as best I can tell, to Doppelmoral—namely, “hypocrisy”. Of course, if you aren’t as much of a word-nerd as me, then these things won’t bother you, because the intent of the words and their meanings are clear, even if their parts of speech are ill-fitting or their forms recycled.
  
  The best part of the book, in my opinion, are the notes that accompany most entries. They comprise a mini Schott’s Miscellany, and range widely in time (quoting Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in the original Middle English and a 2012 book from neuroscientist V. S. Ramachandran), broadly in place (referencing traditional Japanese decorative mizuhiki cords and the Bermuda Triangle), and almost erratically in topic and tone (with a note that begins on the subject of looking into the fridge for a snack then veers through Eminem’s home life before crashing into messages scrawled in blood at the scene of the Manson Family murders). It’s loads of fun, and occasionally quite surprising.
  
  This is a book probably best taken in small, pleasant doses, and I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of German, loves word-nerd silliness, or takes pleasure in rambling, unexpected trivia.
  
  For a preview of the book, check out
  http://bit.ly/TJSchott—there you can sample the format and design of the book, and find a bonus audio recording.
  
• 
  Judith Johnson

  I love words and I love things German, so was really pleased to get this last Christmas. Had a lot of fun reading it, though I felt a tad embarrassed that it took me a few conversations with German friends before I twigged they were made up words! Hahahahaha! Think my favourite is the first one - Herbstlaubtrittvergnugen - as this has always been a particular joy of mine, from age 2 to today!!
• 
  Nathan Albright

  This book has a particular audience in mind, namely those who are impressed or intrigued or amused by the ability of the German language to contain thoughtful words based on the joining together of smaller words [1].  I do not necessarily think that this is a large audience, but I happen to be someone who is interested in language games in general and I have fun with the coining of words, and so this was a book I wanted to read when I saw it in the library shelves in a recent trip there, and I basically enjoyed this book for the most part.  Aside from the author's ill-advised attempts to assume that left-wing posturing against former president Bush was some sort of brave act of going against conventional wisdom--something that rings particularly hollow--most of this book is genuinely enjoyable and that is for the best.  Obviously, this book is best enjoyed by someone who either knows German or is somewhat of a language nerd, but for such an audience this author provides a fair amount of wit in a small book that is a pleasant read that brought a few smiles to my face at least.
  
  At its core this book contains 120 neologisms or, as the author often describes them, portmanteau-portmanteau, created by the author to describe some kind of aspect of contemporary culture in an elegant and often haunting and humorous way.  The book is organized by having the German words, a phonetic guide, a definition, and then a literal translation of the German words being combined on the right side and a further explanation of the concept-terms on the left side of the book.  The author shows himself to be well-read in the references that this book has and thoughtful about the words that he coins.  His point that the lexical resources of German are sufficient to make any sort of word that can be conceived is definitely amply demonstrated by the materials, and the blend of humorous material and genuinely poignant material is definitely something to appreciate as well.  While it is unclear what exactly the point of this book is and why it was made--perhaps it was a personal challenge or some kind of fulfillment of a bet--the book as a whole demonstrates the author's intellect and abilities at working with miscellaneous material.
  
  Overall, I was struck by the large amount of Nathanish words [2] this volume contained.  I suppose, though, that being a bookish person with a delight in odd words that a book like this is by definition Nathanish already.  In reading a book like this, though, I wonder who else would find something like this appealing.  It almost feels like a bit of snobbery to praise a book like this, since it was written by someone involved in some high-level linguistic humor.  At the same time, though, this book simultaneously has the feel of someone who is an expert at humorous pub conversation, and the author as a whole has a reputation for writing miscellaneous books about various matters.  While it is a mystery that my library somehow managed to get a copy of it, it caught my eye, and is likely a book whose oddball sense of humor will impress many readers as long as they are not offended by his defective political worldview.
  
  [1] See, for example:
  
  
  https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
  
  
  https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...
  
  
  https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...
  
  
  https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2014...
  
  [2] Examples include:
  
  Ludwigssyndrom:  discovering an indecipherable note in your own handwriting
  Deppenfahrerbeäugung:  the urge to turn and glare at a bad driver you've just passed
  Srhlüsselszenenadlerauge:  knowing from memory where a specific passage is located in a book
  Bammelbegierde:  inexorable attraction to something you fear or find unpleasant
  Dreikäsehorhregression:  returning to your old school and finding everything feels so small
  Srhmutzwortsurhe:  looking up rude words in the dictionary
  Einsiedelei:  the melancholy of cooking for one
  Dielennystagmus:  repeatedly catching and avoiding people's gazes when, say, approaching them down a long corridor
  Clashsyndrom:  moments of etiquette perplexity when there is no polite way of behaving
  
• 
  Wayne McCoy

  A portmanteau (besides being a large suitcase) is a word that is created by combining or mashing together 2 or more words. Words like chortle, affluenza and bootylicious are all examples of words that are portmanteaus.
  
  The book Schottenfreude by Ben Schott takes a series of difficult to explain occurrences (like new car smell or kicking through autumn leaves) and shows how one word in German can be used to precisely explain the situation (in this case Kraftfahrzeugsinnenausstattungsneugeruchsgenuss & Herbstlaubtrittvergnugen are the answers. Along with the words, literal English breakdowns are given (like automobile-interior-furnishing-new-aroma-pleasure & Autumn-foliage-strike-fun). There is a word origin (if there is one) and a pronunciation guide.
  
  The humor of it all works because it's all presented so earnestly and seriously. The definitions delve into literary situations, and German words can seem quite long to English speakers, so cramming a bunch of German words together to form new ones (ala portmanteaus) seems somewhat logical. Rather than make the language more accessible the process makes the language even more of a mouthful. Clever and fun.
  
  I was given a review copy of this book by Penguin Group Blue Rider Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this book.
• 
  Melissa

  German words invented by the author, Ben Schott. For those that love German words and English definitions. An example: SPIEGELBILDAUFLOSUNG (reflection + disintegration)= Staring into a mirror until you begin not to recognize your own face.
• 
  Bookish

  Prima!
• 
  Mike

  This funny little book was sitting on the bathroom bookshelf for almost two years and I finally finished. It's no Schott's Miscellany, but anything that sits in the bathroom long enough will get read eventually.
• 
  Ann

  In this book, Schott takes the "sniglets" idea of the 1980s a step further and invents words in German, a language whose structure lends itself more easily to the task. Usually a German-speaking listener or reader will recognize the meaning of a traditionally formed German neologism at once, though I must confess that I rarely did in this case. Whether the shortcoming was Schott's or mine is a moot question. Schottenfreude is an entertaining read, despite ridiculously small font sizes and occasional etymological/lexical confusion. [For example, Schott mistakenly relates Einsiedelei to the verb sieden (to boil) and redefines the German word for "hermitage" as "the melancholy of cooking for one," or literally "lonely-kettle"; whereas it actually derives from siedeln (to settle), i.e. a place where one can settle in and be alone.] But assuming Schott wasn't writing for word geeks, I can cut him some slack. He dug up some pretty cool stuff from literature to substantiate the existence of the quirky concepts for which he was coining or redefining German words. Readers will find themselves smiling often in recognition of their own human condition.
• 
  Skjam!

  Disclaimer: I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it.
  
  The German language is well known for its ability to agglutinate words together to create new words, such as zeitgeist, “the spirit of the times.” Mr. Schott has done this to create 120 new words to describe sensations or activities that don’t already have German words. For example, “LIppenhaftung”, the lingering sensation of a first kiss.
  
  The word are nicely laid out in old-style German lettering on what look like music staves, so that those of you who practice calligraphy can copy them. Many of the words are mildly funny, and a couple look like they’d actually be useful. The real meat of the book is in the footnotes and references for each word. There are plenty of quotes and philosophical musings.
  
  It’s not really a very practical book, perhaps best used as a fun gift for someone who already has studied some German and will be able to fully appreciate the puns.
• 
  Simone

  This is an incredible book. The amount of research behind each term is exceptional. And the ideas they express are indeed, in my opinion, really relevant to the human condition, as expressed in the back cover.
  I agree with reviews that complain about the German font. It was a bit difficult to understand at first, but even the use of that font is not random. It closely resembles fonts used in the 19th century, such as those in Schumann's music magazine. After some time, I got used to them. I couldn't still get some letters, but a look at the pronunciation guide would solve any doubts.
  It does help if you have some knowledge of the German language. I found it extremely helpful to consolidate my studies, which I had recently taken up.
  All in all, I think this book is aimed at a very specific kind of public, a sort of linguaphile, who has read texts such as Mark Twain's "The Awful German Language". But it is a real pleasure to read.
• 
  Annie

  After reading Ben Schott’s hilarious Schottenfreude, I started to wonder if there’s a German word for discovering that there’s a word for one of your own weird little pleasures, mental tics, and irritations. If not, someone needs to coin one immediately, if not sooner. Years ago, my friend Deb gave me a copy of Ben Schott’s Schott’s Original Miscellany, which I still have because it’s a damned useful and interesting little book. I suspect that Schottenfreude's going to end up on the shelf, too, because this is the perfect kind of book for me. In fact, it kind of makes me want to take German up again...
  
  Read the rest of my review at
  A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration.
• 
  Cameron

  I just received this book today and am already in love with it. With every new page, I discover a word that perfectly pinpoints a very specific sensation that one often finds hard to put into words (such as: Fingernageltafelquietsrhen--the visceral hatred of certain noises). Over and over again I thought "YES!! Finally a word to describe this!" Needless to say, my vocabulary is about to contain many more German words. Like others have said, however, the biggest problem with the book is the format. It was quite frustrating to get used to, but I would still recommend Shottenfreude to my friends! I do believe that this book is less of a cover-to-cover read and more of a book to browse every now and then.
• 
  Bruce Snyder

  Ben Schott conceived of this book of German "portmanteau" words, compound multi syllabic behemoths in German, which incorporate all the meanings of complex emotions, like the actual German word "schadenfreude", happiness at another's misfortune. Although not actual words, these have been crafted by a German linguist, Dr. Oscar Bandtlow, and do the heavy lifting that is required by a whole sentence in English. They should exist. My favorite:
  Unerraschingspartyuberraschungsheuchelei means "feigning surprise at a surprise party".
  All 120 words are researched, and like in the OED, the first time the mixed emotion was used in literature is noted. Brilliant and funny stuff. I only wish my German was better!
• 
  Jeff

  I won this book from a Goodreads firstreads giveaway.
  I already speak a little German, which made this book funnier to me than I think it would be to others, but I can't be sure. What really makes it pop is the huge amount of research that has gone into these made-up words' meanings. Mr. Schott has created some amazing compound words that really only work in German, but convey the ideas that I have personally pondered so many times. I think that it is very well-written, well-researched, and well-translated. I hope that I can remember some of the Schott-isms so that when they occur in my life again, I am ready to convey the meaning.
• 
  Inken

  An okay read that would’ve been so much better if the book hadn’t been printed in ye olde German text and if the references/notes pages facing the German words weren’t printed so damn small! This is basically a small coffee-table book designed to entertain and not much more, altho there are some great words listed here:
  
  Kraftfahrzeugsinnenausstattungsneugeruchsgenuss: New car smell
  Dornhöschenshlaf: Feigning sleep to avoid unwanted sex
  Scheidungskreidekreisprobe: Distribution of friends after divorce
  Gaststättenneueröffnugsuntergansgewissheit: Total confidence that a newly opened restaurant will fail
  
• 
  Lauren

  Some of my favorites... Three of 'em already happened today.
  
  *Brillenbrillanz: The sudden, innervating clarity afforded by new glasses.
  Ludwigssyndrom: Discovering an indecipherable note in your own handwriting.
  *Deppenfahrerbeäugung: The urge to turn and glare at a bad driver you've just overtaken.
  *Frühlichkeit: Feeling uniquely special at being up and about while others are still abed.
• 
  Mark

  It was quite enjoyable although Sara's German would've been much better but I read it to her. Also, much of the typography is almost too small to read, and the smallest bits have the most characters by being the 8-or-so different kinds of notes symbols and text. Marked down a star for being harmful (and painful) to my middle-aged eyes.
  
  Good eyes, lots of lights; you may find it humorous.
• 
  Julianne

  A brainiac type book with an interesting take on made up words. My German Couchsurfers thought it was absolutely hilarious. I thought the layout was a little odd but it was readable and I enjoyed the historical notes for every made up word. It will join my other "grammar" books on a Keeper Shelf.
• 
  Jill Pickle

  The first German word I learned was "feurzeug" ("fire" + "thing"). Keeping in this vein, Scottenfreude combines real German words to artfully create a dictionary of heretofore inexpressable feelings and experiences in English. The perfect gift for language lovers, trivia buffs, design nerds, and even Deutschsprachiger.
• 
  Jeff

  I won this book in a First Reads giveaway.
  
  This was a very interesting and fun German to English dictionary of sorts. Each word also has an accompanying footnote which are often interesting as well.
• 
  Lin

  fun! although not necessary to have a knowledge of german -- probably a little more fun if you know the basics!
• 
  Tasha

  My mom thinks this book is hilarious.
• 
  Valerie

  Everyone should buy a copy, and we should conspire to get some of these words into common use. Once I figure out how to pronounce them without laughing.
• 
  Kerri Turner

  A lot of fun. I do wish the font for the German words was easier to read, but overall a very enjoyable book that gave me quite a few laugh out loud moments.