18th-Century Characters, Including Frederick the Great, Discussion Post 37

[cahn]

More diaries of our favorite 18th-century Prussian diary-keeper have been unearthed and have been synopsized!

January 18th: Blessed be thou to me! Under your light, my Prince Heinrich was born!

Comments

Re: German grammar lesson time

[selenak]

Baroque German strikes again! Also Sophie uses "Ihrer Majestät" in two different meanings, I think. Here's how I'd translate it.

"An impressive piece of furniture whom the gentlemen from the Netherlands presented to His Majesty, and another one for Countess Wartenberg, and nothing for the Queen, who is so full of amusement about this that Her Majesty only laughs about it."

Alternative: "for the Queen, who is so full of amusement about this that His Majesty only laughs about it".

Modern German would say "seine Majestät" if F1 is the one laughing/getting the present, and "ihre Majestät" if it's SC, but old fashioned Baroque German still uses "ihrer" interchangably sometimes, plus, don't forget, Sophie the multilingual grew up in the Netherlands as the daughter of a mostly French speaking Englishwoman and a German who died soon after her birth, with Huguenot teachers - German is one of the languages she learned as a child and spoke as an adult, but it wasn't her first one.

Re: German grammar lesson time

[mildred_of_midgard]

Ahhh, there you go! Baroque German tripping me up again. Thank you, I will make a mental note of that for future Baroque German passages (of which there are no doubt many in my future).

Modern German would say "seine Majestät" if F1 is the one laughing/getting the present, and "ihre Majestät" if it's SC

I am pleased both that my instincts were at least correct for modern German, and that I'm receiving lessons in Baroque German. Salon is so educational!

Re: German grammar lesson time

[cahn]

I must say I think this is an adorable snippet by SC!