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HOW
DO YOU SAY “SCHNITZLEIN”?
The
correct German pronunciation is [SHNITS line]
If you still can’t say that…. an easier Americanized pronunciation
is [SNITS line] Whenever
you hear someone say “Schnitzlein”
it is polite to respond with “Gezundheit!”
or “Bless You!” and offer them a tissue.
WHAT DOES “SCHNITZLEIN” MEAN?
People
often ask me what my name means and so I did some research to find out.
Apparently the first syllable, “Schnitz” comes from the German word
“Schnitzel” which means “small inedible cookie.”
Another possible interpretation comes from the Austrian word
“schnitz” which translates: “one
who rides subway while wearing a hat backwards” or “lover of movies about
dinosaurs” depending on your inflection.
The suffix “lein” (pronounced “line”) apparently means “the
shortest distance between two points” or
“something you draw with a crayon or pencil with the help of a
ruler.” Putting
all these together, it’s easy to see that “SCHNITZLEIN” means “subway
riding dinosaur who wears hats and eats cookies while drawing with a ruler.” WARNING:
Among the Masai people in Africa, “SNEET-SLINE” is a curse word, so
if you’re ever in Africa, don’t just going around saying “Schnitzlein”
to everyone you meet. You could
be offending them. Okay,
if you’re reading this far, and you’re still not bored, you must REALLY
want to know what Schnitzlein means. Schnitz
means “cut” and “lein” means “little” so together they mean
“little cutter” or “little carver” or maybe “carver of little
things.” Honest.
No foolin’.
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Copyright 2003, Danny Schnitzlein |