Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft

Danube steamship company captain (since the spelling reform in 1996, and therefore after the dissolution of the company: Danube steamship company captain ). Was an unofficial term for a captain from 1829 to 1991 existing Danube Steamship Company ( DDSG ) The word is a popular example of the formation of Mehrfachkomposita in the German language, in addition to artificial (but grammatically correct ) combinations like Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft.

History

To its spread wore the same Tango also at that of the then already living in Vienna artists Erich Meder (1897-1966, text) and Karl Loube (1907-1983, music) was created. He was first published in 1936 in Viennese music publisher Ludwig Doblinger at the Palais Dietrichsteinplatz to Dorotheergasse. The song tells about the love life of a tricky Danube steamship company captain. Everyone would like to go on the Danube, along because the area is so beautiful, but before one should preserve the fate: " The fact that you do not go in the end as captain ". Namely, because one makes the uniform may be nice, the ladies are thrilled and stagger with love happiness, but you go from place to place and can stay anywhere. " No sooner have you seen the like is, it says on Wiederseh'n. " And because of the long title and no girl wants to write a letter. The chorus begins with the words: " No song was ever so beautiful than the one the Danube steamship company captain ..." " inimitable " A very well known in Germany interpretation comes from Peter Igelhoff that should have been the Erstinterpret after hit chronicle of Wolfgang Adler, what over time can just go out with his relocation to Berlin. Other famous artists were about Peter Alexander, Karel Gott, Heinz Conrads and Ernst Mosch with the Egerlander musicians.

Composites, variants and record attempts

The word is a popular example of complex Mehrfachkomposita and their problems in the field of linguistics and computational linguistics in thesauri, translation programs and search queries. In Austria, where the company was located, it is probably the prime example. It is often used as a starting point for word games such as the derivation of even longer fictional composite nouns such as the Danube steamship company captain candidate items Danube steamship company captain's cabin keyhole and the like.

Wolfgang Menzel claims in his short text for children The longest word of the language that the upper Danube steamship company captain would be that. In this text, he explains step by step what parts the word is composed. The " upper " he adds, as the ships go up to the upper Danube ( there to Kelheim ). However, in everyday usage, the word should never have been used.

Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft is the word that is expressed in various editions of the Guinness Book of Records with a length of 79 characters as the longest published word in the German language. According to the spelling reform of 1996 with three consecutive, f ' ( " marine " ), the word has 80 letters. There are no known evidence that ever existed a company of that name and it is not merely this name is a portmanteau, which was created to achieve a specific word length.

Reception in other languages

The Paris-born writer Michèle Métail learned this word in 1972 know in Vienna, where she studied German. You liked the word and they thought it was funny. Translated into French it says in her Le capitaine de la compagnie des voyages en bateau à vapeur du Danube. Inspired by the French version they began to tinker verses, each consisting of six nouns, being with each new verse added a new front and rear the last word was omitted. The whole complex is called the German Danube verses and consists of 2888 verses, because the Danube as the same number of kilometers long and the text was like a river flowing. He is part of their emerging since then mammoth project, which they " endless poem" called, does not require verbs and the other parts in French, Old French, Chinese and English are written. By April 2004, there were a total of 25,000 verses, which were found on a 20 meter long roll of paper space.