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Andreas
Does the german word Herr excist in the english language? Hallo, I am reading the book the girl with the dragon tattoo from Stieg Larrsson. It is written in english but sometimes there is used the german word Herr. The meaning of this word is Mr.. For example there stands Herr Frode or Herr Vanger instead of Mr. Frode and so on. Is this just a mistake?
Oct 11, 2010 4:29 PM
Answers · 7
1
It's not a mistake, sometimes you can simply use the German title even though it's an English work. (It's not a word in English). Just like in a German book, you could call someone Mister Smith, it doesn't mean Mister is a german word.
October 11, 2010
1
It's not an English word. In Germany you often call Englishmen Mr. Smith, etc. We do the same to Germans in England!
October 11, 2010
1
Oh look, here comes Herr Flick. He's looking for the Fallen Madonna With the Big Boobies!
October 11, 2010
Yes, we would use "Herr" to highlight the fact the person is German, or that they are Germanic (ie. efficient, serious) in behaviour.
October 12, 2010
My German teacher told us that the word "Herr" is the German equivalent to the English honorific "Mr." I see in a lot of Japanese manga that the honorifics pretty much just stick through some translations because it keeps a bit of the cultural feel. I'm not sure if that is the same with German literature, but I think it may be the case. :)
October 11, 2010
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