[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.58,0:00:12.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The 2015 Polyglot Gathering is brought to you by Italki.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.91,0:00:15.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Become fluent in any language.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.57,0:00:19.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I could welcome you to this talk by saying:
Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.23,0:00:22.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,“I would like to welcome you to my talk\N\N
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.14,0:00:24.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about politeness in the German language", \Nin English.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:24.60,0:00:27.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Who would use German I would say:
Dialogue: 0,0:00:27.88,0:00:30.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,„Ich möchte euch herzlich zu meinem Vortrag
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.78,0:00:32.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,über Höflichkeit in der deutschen Sprache willkommen heißen.”
Dialogue: 0,0:00:33.47,0:00:35.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And than we are right at the topic.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.60,0:00:39.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because if you noticed I used “euch.”
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.98,0:00:43.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, and basically the whole idea of the talk is:
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.96,0:00:48.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why did I used “euch” although I don’t know half of you,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.52,0:00:52.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you know, half of the audience. I haven’t spoken to you.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:52.48,0:00:57.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I am seeing you now for first time. I don’t know you.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:57.53,0:01:00.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, if we’re following the textbook examples,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.88,0:01:04.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you know the textbook examples, \Nyou open the textbook of German.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.55,0:01:07.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It says: Yeah, if you don’t know someone and he is a stranger
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.78,0:01:11.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and he is an adult you say “Sie.”\NNo, I don’t.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.04,0:01:19.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the reason why in this instance it would be wrong to say “Sie”
Dialogue: 0,0:01:19.93,0:01:24.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is basically the whole dissent of the talk.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:24.87,0:01:29.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was inspired by some discussions on the Facebook group Polyglots
Dialogue: 0,0:01:29.84,0:01:32.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where people thought about.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.12,0:01:37.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay, guys, I’m now in German and I’m quite uncertain
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.09,0:01:40.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because in this instance, do you say “du” or do you say “Sie”?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.16,0:01:43.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Oh what? It’s easy, you know. They started talking and talking and talking.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:43.83,0:01:50.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the thread went long and the course was getting longer and you had to scroll through pages.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.06,0:01:58.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I guess it is not that easy. Actually it can get a bit complicated. So, yes.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.93,0:02:01.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Why should you pay attention?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.72,0:02:15.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As I said the textbooks will explain to you how “Sie” and “du” are bacically used, the basic use.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:15.58,0:02:21.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It will tell you how grammar works. It is fine. It is nice.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.31,0:02:28.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The problem is most of textbooks do not tell you about the social protocols involved.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:28.61,0:02:38.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know. I mean, if you say “Sie” to a stranger at some point you become friends.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.52,0:02:44.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,At what point do you stop saying “Sie”? How does that work?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.12,0:02:53.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You know. You can open up any textbook it will tell you that children, normally you just say “du” to children.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.86,0:02:57.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That’s normal. But children grow up.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:57.41,0:03:04.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What happens when they get older? At what point do you stop saying “du”?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.30,0:03:16.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And how does it work? If you go into a shop do you always say “Sie”? – No.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.92,0:03:23.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are a lot of exceptions in special cases.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.94,0:03:27.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That is one of the reasons why my fellow native speakers said:
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.64,0:03:31.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,“Oh yeah, could we join the talk as well?” I said: “All right.”
Dialogue: 0,0:03:31.45,0:03:40.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, using the wrong pronoun can be a faux pas. Sometimes it can be illegal.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:40.31,0:03:47.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We’ll talk about that later.\NYou can be insulting with either pronoun.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.81,0:03:54.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, if you say “du” in the wrong situation that can be an insult. If you use “Sie” it also can be an insult
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.46,0:03:58.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,given the situation. It’s something you have to keep in mind.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:58.70,0:04:07.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the textbook is a bit status. So let’s start with the textbook explanation again.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.79,0:04:16.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We have in German mainly three ways of addressing people. So that we are all on the same page.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.33,0:04:21.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The first one is “Sie”, the second one is “du” or “ihr.”
Dialogue: 0,0:04:21.02,0:04:26.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,“Du” for a single person, “ihr” if we are talking to a group people.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:26.19,0:04:36.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,“Sie” is used for a single person or a group of people in a formal setting.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:36.41,0:04:46.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There is also “er” and “sie.” We get this mostly for royalty. That is actually quit old-fashioned.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.56,0:04:52.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So, sometime you will read that. “Her Royal Highness”—it is the same in English—
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.75,0:04:59.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,“Her Royal Highness would like to have her bath”, so something like that, you know.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.07,0:05:06.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this is rarely used. We will just drop that.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.35,0:05:12.54,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We will just concentrate on “du” , “Sie” and “ihr” because that is rather complicated, you know.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.54,0:05:20.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,German is not the only language that does that.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:20.34,0:05:24.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So if you go to Scandinavian countries\Nyou have “du” and “ni.”
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.91,0:05:28.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you go to Dutch you have “jij” and “U.”
Dialogue: 0,0:05:28.66,0:05:32.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you go to French you have “tu” and “vous.”
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.30,0:05:36.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you go to Spanish you have “tú” and “usted.”
Dialogue: 0,0:05:36.70,0:05:46.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in Old English you have “ðū” and “iow” or “ēow” and “ġē” depending on the suffix.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.79,0:05:54.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The one thing you have to keep in mind is that
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.82,0:05:57.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you know how this is done in German
Dialogue: 0,0:05:57.36,0:06:01.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,don’t think that you are prepared for how it’s done in the other countries.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:01.45,0:06:08.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,For example, rules in Sweden are:\NBasically it’s “du.”
Dialogue: 0,0:06:08.09,0:06:13.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you have a receipt, if you have a formal document than they use the ni form.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:13.58,0:06:17.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But usually you go to a shop, say “Hej, du”.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.80,0:06:24.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The rules are quite different.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.31,0:06:34.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The … Another thing, this was actually a nice thing,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:34.35,0:06:39.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,yesterday I talked with an English native speaker.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.38,0:06:44.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He said: “Yeah, it is confusing for us because we do not have these politeness levels.”
Dialogue: 0,0:06:44.11,0:06:48.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I said: “You are utterly wrong, Lambert.”
Dialogue: 0,0:06:48.05,0:06:51.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He said: “No, we don’t.”
Dialogue: 0,0:06:51.77,0:06:56.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Okay, at one point I went to London Victoria.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:56.84,0:07:05.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And I, you know, yesterday maybe at a pretty naval festival we had a taste of Irn-Bru, a Scottish lemonade.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.29,0:07:10.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I went to London Victoria and wanted to have some Irn-Bru.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:10.94,0:07:17.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I went to the Sainsbury’s and I didn’t see it on the shelves.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:17.44,0:07:20.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I asked a f????: ”Do you have Iron Brew?”
Dialogue: 0,9:59:59.99,9:59:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That’s what she said: “One moment, sir, please let me tell the