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Non-restrictive meaning in German

German translation: Use adverbs to illustrate distinction.

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:Non-restrictive meaning in German
German translation:Use adverbs to illustrate distinction.
Entered by: Kim Metzger

16:18 Jul 31, 2005
English to German translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Linguistics / Zeichensetzung
English term or phrase: Non-restrictive meaning in German
How would you convey the non-restrictive meaning of: "The lemmings, which performed well in the first race, were all fuzzy animals." in German?

Restrictive clauses, which are essential to the meaning of the sentence, are not set off by a comma. Nonrestrictive clauses, which are not essential to the meaning of the sentence--they merely add further information--are set off by a comma. For example:

Restrictive: The lemmings that performed well in the first race were all fuzzy animals.

Nonrestrictive: The lemmings, which performed well in the first race, were all fuzzy animals.

In the first sentence, the meaning is that some lemmings were not fuzzy. Just the fuzzy ones performed well.
In the second sentence, the meaning is that all the lemmings attending the event were fuzzy and that they all performed well in the race.

I understand that under German punctuation rules the translated German sentence would have a comma after Lemminge (Die Lemminge, die ....) in both cases because:

REGEL: Nebensätze trennt man mit Komma ab oder schließt sie mit paarigem Komma ein.
Beispiele:

Nebensatz
am Anfang: Als wir nach Hause kamen, war es schon spät.
eingeschoben: Das Brot, das sie in den Ofen geschoben hatte, duftete köstlich.
am Ende des Ganzsatzes: Ich weiß nicht, was ich dazu sagen soll.

http://www.neue-rechtschreibung.de/regelwerk_zeichen.htm

So how does one convey a non-restrictive meaning in German?
Kim Metzger
Mexico
Local time: 16:28
"Die Lemminge, die..." versus "Diejenigen Lemminge, die..."
Explanation:
Hi Kim, you are right, the German "die Lemminge, die..." is ambiguous. However, there is a solution to this dilemma.

First of all, you can distinguish the restrictive sentence in one of the following ways:

Diejenigen Lemminge, die...
Jene der Lemminge, die...

By using this construction, you make it perfectly clear you are only talking about certain lemmings.

Secondly, in the case of the non-restrictive clause, you can add a word making it clear you are talking about all of them:

"Die Lemminge, die *allesamt* gut im ersten Rennen abschnitten..."
"Die Lemminge, die *durchweg* gut im ersten Rennen abschnitten..."
"Die Lemminge, die *ausnahmslos* gut im ersten Rennen abschnitten..."
etc.

By adding such adverbs, you avoid the misunderstanding.

HTH ;-)
Selected response from:

Olaf Reibedanz
Colombia
Local time: 17:28
Grading comment
I liked Gabrielle's "wuschlige Viecher" and will use it in my ProZ.com article, but Olaf's explanation and examples were more detailed and thus most helpful. Thank you all.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +4"Die Lemminge, die..." versus "Diejenigen Lemminge, die..."
Olaf Reibedanz
3 +1s.u.
Brie Vernier
4s.u.
Michael Hesselnberg (X)


  

Answers


7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
non-restrictive meaning in german
s.u.


Explanation:
Non-restrictive: *Die* Lemminge, die im ersten Rennen gut performed haben (danke, Dieter Bohlen), waren alle wuschelige Viecher.

Restrictive: *Alle* Lemminge, die ..., waren wuschelige Viecher.

Brie Vernier
Germany
Local time: 00:28
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Johanna Timm, PhD
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Johanna
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
s.u.


Explanation:
da mehrere LÄnder in Deutschland die Reform sine die aufgeschoben haben, und ich sie persönlich als totalen Unsinn empfinde,
rate ich hier zu der Kommatasetzung der Nebensätze, wie Du sie beschreibst

Michael Hesselnberg (X)
Local time: 00:28
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in FrenchFrench

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  MMUlr: Frage: Wollte jemand die Kommasetzung zur Abtrennung von Nebensätzen abschaffen? Meines Wissens nicht ... gottseidank :-)
14 hrs
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15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
non-restrictive meaning in german
"Die Lemminge, die..." versus "Diejenigen Lemminge, die..."


Explanation:
Hi Kim, you are right, the German "die Lemminge, die..." is ambiguous. However, there is a solution to this dilemma.

First of all, you can distinguish the restrictive sentence in one of the following ways:

Diejenigen Lemminge, die...
Jene der Lemminge, die...

By using this construction, you make it perfectly clear you are only talking about certain lemmings.

Secondly, in the case of the non-restrictive clause, you can add a word making it clear you are talking about all of them:

"Die Lemminge, die *allesamt* gut im ersten Rennen abschnitten..."
"Die Lemminge, die *durchweg* gut im ersten Rennen abschnitten..."
"Die Lemminge, die *ausnahmslos* gut im ersten Rennen abschnitten..."
etc.

By adding such adverbs, you avoid the misunderstanding.

HTH ;-)

Olaf Reibedanz
Colombia
Local time: 17:28
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
I liked Gabrielle's "wuschlige Viecher" and will use it in my ProZ.com article, but Olaf's explanation and examples were more detailed and thus most helpful. Thank you all.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Anne Schulz
45 mins
agree  unetz: Ja, genau.
13 hrs
agree  MMUlr
14 hrs
agree  Olaf (X): Eventuell geht auch "Die Lemminge, die *übrigens* gut im ersten Rennen abschnitten..."
21 hrs
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