#wortlist

Most of my word lists come from movies. The more specific a movie’s theme, the more specific the word list. Sometimes the results are surprising -- yet revealing -- like the “colonial vocabulary” I learned from Legend of Tarzan. At other times, they’re exactly what you’d expect, like the “extreme mountaineering vocabulary” I just learned from Everest.

Basic Mountain Climbing Vocabulary

(auf etwas) klettern -- to climb (something) using your arms and legs  (auf etwas) steigen -- to climb (something) using mostly your legs More on the difference between “klettern” and “steigen” 

abstürzen -- to plummet sich akklimatisieren -- to acclimate oneself (etwas) erreichen -- to reach (something) (jemanden) geleiten -- to guide (someone) (jemanden) überholen -- to overtake (someone) umkehren -- to turn back wagen (etwas zu tun) -- to dare (to do something)

der Abstieg -- the descent der Aufstieg -- the ascent das Basislager -- the base camp die Flanke -- the side (of the mountain) die Gipfelbesteigung -- the ascent to the summit der Eisfall -- the ice fall der Hinweg -- the outbound trip der Sturm -- the storm der Spalt -- the gap die Suchaktion -- the search operation  der Unfall -- the accident der Unterkühlung -- the hypothermia die Wetterprognose -- the weather forecast

“Rauf auf den Gipfel!” -- Upwards to the peak!

Mountain Climbing Equipment (and What We Can Do With It . . . Also What It Might Do Itself)

das Funkgerät -- the mobile radio   die Kletter-Genehmigung -- the climbing permit die Leiter -- the ladder der Rucksack -- the backpack das Seil -- the rope (das Fixseil -- the rope fixed or anchored to the mountain) der Sauerstoff -- the oxygen (die Flasche Sauerstoff -- the tank of oxygen) der Vorrat -- the supply das Zelt -- the tent

(etwas) abladen -- to unload (something) (etwas) anbringen -- to attach (something) (etwas) hochschicken -- to send (something) up (etwas) runterholen -- to bring (something) down (etwas) verschwenden -- to waste (something)

ausgehen -- to run out vereisen -- to freeze up

Worst-case Scenario Vocabulary

abgefrorene Zehen -- frozen-off toes erfrorene Hände -- frostbitten hands 

schweinekalt -- freezing cold (literally: pig cold)

Now for some “Madlibs”! I noticed the characters saying the same phrases over and over, referring to different directions each time.

“Ich will nicht _____” “Ich muss _____” “Ich kriege nicht _____” “Ich schaffe es _____” “Ich schicke den/die/es _____”

rauf -- upwards raus -- outwards runter -- downwards zurück -- back

The title of this post is ironic. When I watched Legend of Tarzan on a friend’s gushing recommendation, I thought I’d be learning a lot of jungle-themed and adventure-themed vocabulary.

Instead, I got breathtaking CGI spectacles like those in the trailer . . .

. . . and a lot of colonial-themed vocabulary.

Apparently, natural beauties and dangers and violent battles can speak for themselves, but the net of human politics and economics needs complicated words, like the following:

etwas unter sich aufteilen -- to divide something up among themselves etwas ausbeuten -- to exploit something etwas ausschlagen -- to reject something etwas für jemanden beanspruchen -- to claim something for someone etwas beschaffen -- to procure something jemandem eine Forderung stellen -- to make a demand of someone

die Bestrebung -- the aspiration die Geldquelle -- the source of financing die Kolonialmacht -- the colonial power die Lage -- the situation die Rundreise -- the round trip die Sklaverei -- the slavery

Eure Hoheit -- Your Majesty

mittellos -- destitute überfällig -- overdue

But there were a few terms that I could classify under “Dschungel Wortschatz”, including the great word in this post’s title -- which is a key word in the movie.

jemanden umzingeln -- to close in on someone etwas verschlingen -- to gobble something up 

der Balzruf -- the mating call

stromaufwärts -- upstream