European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 6, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                May 1985 the stars and stripes Page 17 Modem living the German language a controversy Over capital letters by Susan Smith associated press linguists have quibble for decades about How to streamline the Complex grammar and punctuation rules of the German but far reaching Reform has been repeatedly held up by the most Peculiar and controversial aspect of written German capitalizing the first letter of every officials from German language institutes in Wiesbaden and Mannheim met at the conference of state Cul Ture ministers in Bonn recently to discuss new proposals for ridding written German of All those capital supporters of Reform charge that capitalizing nouns in modern German is making it increasingly difficult for both germans and foreigners to learn the More than 78 rules have been developed for the use of the weekly news Magazine Der Spiegel re marked last year that even the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe would not have tested Well under today capitalizing nouns causes and not Only for errors occur daily in German schools and and even turn up in Graffiti on the Berlin an innocent mistake in capitalization can dramatically change the meaning of a German the most celebrated example is Ich Habe in Berlin Hebe or i have dear comrades in by capitalizing the l in Liebe and writing the g in Genessen in lower the same sentence i have enjoyed love in the problem is that just about any word in German can be made into a and often one cant Tell whether one is dealing with a adjective or sub Der Spiegel the Burden this creates for German schoolchildren was recognized Long ago by Konrad one of the authors of the Duden lexicons codify ing the language at the turn of the the writing of a capital letter damages the mental and physical health of our Young people through useless burdening of the As it robs the schools of valuable time and the child of the will to learn and the Joy in doing Duden lamented in the system has become very Gerhard an adviser at the Wiesbaden society for the German acknowledged in an the Wiesbaden group favors Only partial for by allowing German nouns to be written in lower Case when they Are used As we want but with the fewest changes Possi Mueller asking for a Complete change to lower Case is like asking for a cultural proponents of dramatic including the Institute for German language in scoff at such after some reformers Point the capitalization of German nouns started Only a Little Over three centuries before the 17th no one even the German protestant Leader Martin whose writings helped fix Many of the standards of modern capitalized Only the names of the prophets and the first word of every famous German writers have lined up on both sides of the capital lower Case supporters included Bertolt Brecht and Heinrich upper Case support ers included Thomas Mann and Guenter the Grimm German born authors of the famous fairy were divided on the Jacob Grimm wanted but Wilhelm liked his the present Day argument is aggravated by the Lack of a Clear Legal authority for the there is no Federal West German culture so the states Are studying the matter through the conference of state culture the West German parliament might have to give the final godhead for any dramatic Harald a senior official at the conferences Bonn office but it is not to be expected this he twice in 1958 and the conference made Reform proposals that were filed away and Denmark changed to lower Case nouns in 1948 with out much but then the Danes just had one country to the German language is spoken in West East Austria and Switzer and any change would ideally apply in All four Kaestner East German officials have already signalled to the West that they favor switching to lower Case Mueller but they dont want to go it Book of posters documents German history  a by Mark Heinrich associated press from Naziera violence to the earthy pacifism of 1980s a new picture Book traces the tortuous path of 20thcentury Ger the 220 political posters As a document of German was timed for release just before the 40th anniversary of Germany world War ii defeat on May its publication mirrors the continuing German Strug Gle to come to terms with a harrowing recent but the breadth of time covered by the posters also depicts How a nation once characterized by paranoia and aggression has turned its attention to Security and the Friedrich associate Secretary of the bavarian state culture ministry and editor of the poster collect Calls it a contribution to the 40th anniversary in the sense that it keeps the memory it is important that we never a predecessor Book was published in the year a collection of posters confiscated by military authorities after world War ii was returned to West the new edition got its impetus from the discovery of 120 much More wicked examples of Germany nazi past in old archives Over the past two Arnold the books posters Are accompanied by Arnolds Blunt and provide vivid Testi Mony to the political and cultural atmosphere of each decade in Germany Rocky 20th included Are 1923 a foreign Soldier standing on top of two with the hands off belgian and French so Long As Germany is this was a Boycott Call after the French occupied the Industrial Ruhr Valley to press demands for War an act that encouraged rightist 1924 an obese banker with a Star of David Waist Chain towering Over a mass of unemployed workers with dozens of wires emanating from his coat sleeves into the with the overline the and under vote and two an election poster by the fledgling nazi party during a period of High unemployment in the doomed Weimar 1932 head shots of 10 prominent German jews with the we vote head shots of 10 prominent nazis with the we vote a nazi attempt to defame Field marshal Paul von a revered world War i hero and hitlers toughest election As a puppet of Hitler came to Power several months 1936 hundreds of thousands of people listening to a giant radio in their with the All of Germany listens to the fuehrer a reflection of the nazis Brilliant manipulation of news Media to win Over the 1936 degenerate Art a presentation of cultural this advertised an exhibit of jewish and bolshevik Art sponsored by the nazi regime to fan Early 1940s several posters announcing death sentences for resisters in occupied territories and measures to contain jews for the unstated purpose of 1953 a fan of red roads merging into the eyes of a soviet army with the All roads of Marx ism Lead to a Christian democratic party elec Tion attack on the social democratic party at the height of the cold War when the social democrats had not yet dropped marxist goals from their 1965 a Mother and child loading a Basket with Groce with an our vote an election poster by the incumbent Christian democrats in an economic Boom Early 1970s a police poster showing the faces of West Germany mos wanted leftist Early 1980s preserve peace without weapons conscientious objectors for a Mirror of the nations rising antinuclear 1983 a Watercolour painting of a smiling Sun shining on Trees and with the we have Only leased the Earth from our the ant establishment greens party urging preservation of the Arnold said the Art of political posters in recen years reflects political stability and economic strength 40 years after the nation hit Rock there is no More no More fundamental arguments against something in a time of he said in an today posters Are for a healthy posters have also lost Impact with the spread of television and Independent he but he regardless of whether truth or lies were being such posters Are the most colourful witnesses of Erma Bombeck i feel obliged to warn expectant mothers that there is a plan being launched by Hospital insurance companies to Cut Down on the Cost of birth by paying you to leave the Hospital it offers new mothers Cash incentives of to to leave the Hospital 24 hours after Are they serious take it from a woman who clutched her bedsprings after the birth for 30 Days and then had to be physically hold your its a we used to have a once you turn in your paper they put you in a pair of track shoes and a shirt with a red s on and you hit the ground giving birth is the last stronghold women have for getting any for 30 you Are a living shrine who Speaks Prophet you have Given the ultimate gift to your husband who takes everything else Back and credits it to the you have Given your father a picture for his Billfold to replace Debbie Rey you have enough stretch Marks to spread guilt for two fur a Quartz watch and a trip to Croix in its the quintessential and they want to buy us for Many giving birth represents the first time Treyve been off their feet in especially if its a second or third never again will they have such a time when they can Lap up whole push a Button and have their feet watch soaps until they go have ice cubes in their order food they dont have to and go to the bathroom without someone sliding a note under the door can 1 split a Pepsi id like to see them bargain away sick time for take my husbands Black the one that fell off three months after he had run a he  have taken a million dollars for and the time he had his Teeth cleaned and took to his bed for three Days he would have spit on your theres a real contradiction Here that 1 think should be put in men think nothing of putting a car in the shop for three Days until they can get they will stand in a ticket line wrapped in a Blanket for world series seats for 48 hours if they have they under stand that a Bank needs two Days to Clear a that but these Are times of instant just add heavy breathing and simmer for 24 i say we stand As i told my husband when 1 came Home after the birth of the third i am going to bed and wait for the sedative to Wear How Long will that take he three c los times Syndicate