"Schatzi, Where Are My Handschuhe? "

Never mind gibberish, what about a touch of Genglish?

Seven years should just about do it. Bob and I have been surrounded by lingua local and one can't help but think bilingual. Somehow our brains seem to have been rewired and often the two of us will sit and debate what English word was replaced by our use of a German one. Even mum, who came to have a look at our handiwork, was side tracked by our newly domesticated feral cat and joined our Genglish club.

Her new joy in life ( the cat, not mum ) is to sit and let us stroke her, even the odd attempt at picking her up is tolerated but never without a glimpse at Mausi who of course has her bouts of jealousy. Anyway, there mum walked right up to Tiggi and stroked her for ages...

" Gosh, you won't believe, but I stroked her and she schnurred like mad. "

Yip, we've turned into a family of Genglish speakers.

The other night the phone rang rather late and it was Mum who phoned during choir practice wanting to know if I knew the difference between life and live which took some focus because if I'd got it wrong, the whole choir would chant a wrong version of life...

English being an afterthought in everyday life, makes those easy questions into an exercise in grammar, discipline and self confidence. After I put the phone down I rethought the whole lot once more and then asked the oracle...he said that I had explained it perfectly but what about the Live concert or life saver ? Well, as the audience is mostly local, I am sure that nobody will pick up on a slight change of life!

Biggi