Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [705]
Hypothermia starts with shivering, loss of judgment and clumsiness. Unless rewarming occurs, the sufferer deteriorates into apathy, confusion and coma. Prevent further heat loss by seeking shelter, warm dry clothing, hot sweet drinks and shared bodily warmth.
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SEXUAL HEALTH
Emergency contraception is available with a doctor’s prescription in Germany. It is most effective if taken within 24 hours after unprotected sex. Condoms are readily available throughout the country.
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TRAVELLING WITH CHILDREN
Make sure the children are up to date with routine vaccinations, and discuss possible travel vaccines well before departure as some vaccines are not suitable for children aged under one year.
If your child has vomiting or diarrhoea, lost fluid and salts must be replaced. It may be helpful to take rehydration powders with boiled water.
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WOMEN’S HEALTH
Emotional stress, exhaustion and travelling through different time zones can all contribute to an upset in a woman’s menstrual pattern.
If using oral contraceptives, remember some antibiotics, diarrhoea and vomiting can stop the pill from working. Time zones, gastrointestinal upsets and antibiotics do not affect injectable contraception.
Travelling during pregnancy is usually possible but always consult your doctor before planning your trip. The most risky times for travel are during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and after 30 weeks.
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Language
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GRAMMAR
PRONUNCIATION
Vowels
Consonants
Word Stress
ACCOMMODATION
CONVERSATION & ESSENTIALS
DIRECTIONS
EATING OUT
HEALTH
LANGUAGE DIFFICULTIES
NUMBERS
Paperwork
QUESTION WORDS
SHOPPING & SERVICES
TIME & DATES
TRANSPORT
Public Transport
Private Transport
TRAVEL WITH CHILDREN
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German belongs to the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family and is spoken by over 100 million people worldwide, mainly in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. There are also ethnic-German communities in neighbouring Eastern European countries, such as Poland and the Czech Republic, although expulsions after 1945 reduced their numbers dramatically.
Today’s standard German (High German) comes from a regional Saxon dialect. It developed into an official bureaucratic language and was used by Luther in his translation of the Bible, gradually spreading throughout Germany. The impetus Luther gave to the written language through his translations was followed by the establishment of language societies in the 17th century, and later by the 19th-century work of Jacob Grimm, the founder of modern German philology. With his brother, Wilhelm Grimm, he also began work on the first German dictionary.
Regional dialects still thrive throughout Germany, especially in Cologne, rural Bavaria, Swabia and parts of Saxony. The Sorb minority in eastern Germany has its own language. In northern Germany it is common to hear Plattdeutsch (Low German) and Frisian spoken.
German and its dialects are distant relatives of English, and the fact that many Germanic words survive in the English vocabulary today makes things a lot easier for native English speakers.
That’s the good news; the bad news is that, unlike English, German has retained clear distinctions in gender and case for nouns. Though not as difficult as Russian, for instance, which has more cases, German does have its tricky moments. Germans are used to hearing foreigners – and a few notable indigenous sports personalities – make a hash of their grammar, however, and any attempt to speak the language is always well received.
All German school children learn a second language – usually English – which means most can speak it to a certain degree; some, very well. You might have problems finding English speakers in eastern Germany, however, where Russian was the main foreign language taught in schools before the Wende (change).
The words