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Does alter mean dude?
The word is said to have derived from the phrase Alter Schwede, which directly translates to old Swedish man. Additionally, the phrase can be used to depict surprise or disbelief from the speaker. For example, “Alter! Rat’ mal, was ich gerade gesehen habe!” which means “Man!
Which language is German most similar to?
Dutch
German is most similar to other languages within the West Germanic language branch, including Afrikaans, Dutch, English, the Frisian languages, Low German, Luxembourgish, Scots, and Yiddish.
Why do Germans say alter so much?
Alter! This is one of my favourite German expressions. It can used to express surprise, informally greet someone or as an interjection. It’s a shortened version of the term, “Alter Schwede” which translates to old Swedish man in English.
Why do Germans say old Swede?
They mostly held the rank of sergeants as they were very experienced in tough military exercise (drilling). Because of that, they were soon referred to as “the old Swedes”, which explains the described first meaning of Alter Schwede as a buddy/friend.
What does the German oak stand for?
The German Oak stands for Heroism. In the 18th and 19th-century, artists began personifying a nation in the form of an allegory. Germania was the female figure wearing a crown of oak leaves. The oak leaves represented heroism.
What is the difference between Alt and AltGr?
The AltGr key typically takes the place of the right-hand Alt key. However, IBM states that AltGr is an abbreviation for alternate graphic, and Sun keyboards label the key as Alt Graph.
How do you type special letters in German on a keyboard?
press and hold down the Alt key, type the Alt Code value of the special German letter, for example, for eszett, type 0223 on the numeric pad, release the Alt key and you got ß.
What is the difference between Old High German and modern German?
The main difference between Old High German and the West Germanic dialects from which it developed is that it underwent the Second Sound Shift. The result of this sound change is that the consonantal system of German remains different from all other West Germanic languages, including English and Low German.
Is there a substitute for the AltGr key on a keyboard?
Control + Alt as a substitute. Originally, US PC keyboards (specifically, the US 101-key PC/AT keyboards) did not have an AltGr key because that was relevant to only non-US markets; they simply had “left” and “right” Alt keys.