2024-02-13 23:03:00
What was probably formulated with a wink in this specific case raises the question of whether every adjective in German can be intensified. In fact, there are a surprising number of other adjectives besides “super” for which this is not the case: Can one be more naked than naked, more single than single, childless than childless, more finished than finished?
No of course not. (The latter at most following the 712th season of “Bauer sucht Frau”.)
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A word that cannot be increased, but which nevertheless enjoys great popularity as a superlative, is “deadly”. “Deadliest disease in the world: You will 100 percent die from it,” was the headline in the free newspaper Today, which is not exactly known for its elaborate language code, last September. (For those interested: It’s Kuru disease – but you have to travel to Papua New Guinea to get it.)
In the unlikely event that you have to write a German essay soon, be careful not to write regarding the deadliest assassinations, the deadliest attacks or the deadliest snake bites – your German teacher would be extremely annoyed.
Which brings us to another group of false superlatives. In Latin, maximus means “the greatest,” minimus “the smallest,” and optimus “the best.” These are adjectives that, in their basic form, denote the highest degree in German – increasing them is strictly forbidden. Even if formulations like “most optimal solution” and “minimum damage” sound good, such word formations are not great. Not to mention the most awesome.
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Find of the week: “Access for hunters and lawn” (information board at the Ottenstein reservoir).
We’ve always known: they exist, the moving lawns!
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Wolfram Kautzky is a philologist and likes to get to the bottom of words.
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