Metal umlaut
As a heavy metal umlaut ( also English: röck Doets ) umlauts in the name of bands that are usually attributed to the metal, respectively. Umlauts and other diacritical marks give the ( mostly English ) band names a strange appearance, partly to illustrate this " Germanic hardness ". In the pronunciation of the name of the umlaut does not flow with.
Development
The arbitrary umlaut in rock music was introduced in 1970 by Blue Öyster Cult. There are arguments over though, whether the guitarist Allen Lanier or the producer and manager Sandy Pearlman had the idea there is consensus it to try to describe the aspects of Wagnerian music.
Motörhead, Mötley Crüe and Znöwhite should be the next. The umlaut in " Motorhead " was a creation of the graphic artist who created the cover for their first album: "Because it just looks bad. " ( Lemmy Kilmister, singer and bassist ). On the use of held you tight - even more: even the band members wrote their names from time to time with an umlaut, such as " Wizzö " ( Phil Campbell) and " Würzel " ( Mick Burston ) on the album " 1916". The umlauts in " Mötley Crüe " come supposedly from their favorite drink Lowenbrau.
The umlaut mania was continued by the U.S. metallers Lääz Rockit. In this double variant, the two Trema - points are distributed as an additional highlight individually on the double -a, so that the notation "L ȧ ȧ z Rockit " results. Because this new creation in general use of Scripture but hardly can be represented, the band uses the umlaut usually only in their official logo. The same problem applies to Queensrÿche, who provided the letter y with two dots. The rare letter derives historically from the modern common in Dutch ligature " ij " (cf. rijk for German " Reich" ) from whose letters often equal looked like a ÿ. However, the band did not want to act through the use of the label "harder " but " weaken " the actual band name Queen realm and avoid feared neo-Nazi associations. Underground Zéro extended the language game of the Scandinavian languages , from the Spanish space are Mägo de Oz mentioned. Similarly, the synth - rock group The Crüxshadows bears from Florida an umlaut in the band name.
The joke band Spinal Tap put the umlaut over the N, a consonant ( with simultaneous abandonment of the i- point). This unusual structure is found so far only in the language Jacalteco in Guatemala as well as in Malagasy, one of the official languages in Madagascar.
Languages with special characters
Languages such as German, Swedish, Hungarian or Turkish, which use the diacritics, therefore describe clearly defined sounds. In contrast to the Anglo-American view of these characters so they want their vocabulary not give an emphatic or evil character. In German umlauts are often in the diminutive ( diminutive ) used (eg flower → Floral ), so press the opposite of emphatic or evil from.
In German umlauts said band name often flow into the debate with a. For example, chanted the visitors a tour of Germany by Mötley Crüe " Möötley Crüü ".
The heavy metal umlaut in the popular literature
First of all English-language authors use in scene-related works like these strange characters. In the comic strip by Berkeley Breathed, there is the band Deathtöngue that songs like "Let 's run over Lionel Richie with a tank" is for the best.
In Jeff Kinney's mehrbändigem graphic novel Greg's diary the name of a rock band " Löded Diper " is. In addition to the umlaut including two intentional misspelling used as a stylistic device, correctly should the name "Loaded Diaper " (stuffed diaper ) are written. In the German translation of the book " Folle Vindl ," the heavy metal umlaut and the resulting word is called joke will be lost.
The amendment Zodiac by Neal Stephenson describes the fictional band Pöyzen Böyzen as " not so bad for a band with two umlauts " describes a person in the book.
In 1997, the satirical magazine The Onion ran an article entitled " Ünited Stätes toughens Image With Umlauts " out. In the article, it is important that an initiative in Congress brought the proposal, with the umlaut in the name would be presented a quasi- metallic hardness.
Journalist and author Steve Almond called his book "spandex and umlaut circuit", where in 2002 he described the everyday life on tour in Metal -business.
The rock critic Chuck Klosterman subtitled 2003, his book " Fargo Rock City " "A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural Nörth Daköta ".
Product name and the heavy metal umlaut
As part of the namings product names are launched particularly in the U.S. and over again, which are provided with umlauts. The American brand of ice cream Häagen -Dazs is true in marketing as the best known example for Foreign branding. The use of the umlaut together with the diphthong is a Scandinavian origin suggest. Other examples are the British Dessert Manufacturers freight or the nüvi manufacturer Garmin. Even with movie titles like Brüno the umlaut is used solely to transport strangeness and so to attract attention. Similarly, the heavy metal umlaut is used in the title of published in 2009 console game Brütal Legend.