nervt manchmal mit speziellem Humor; für korrektes Schriftdeutsch brauchbar, bei Umgangssprache und lokalem Sprachgebrauch (rheinische Verlaufsform) zu Übereifer neigend ( )

This book is a compilation of the author's "Zwiebelfisch" columns which appeared in the German magazine _Spiegel_. The continuing column may be read at http://www.spiegel.de/zwiebelfisch .

As a native speaker of English who has lived in Germany at various times and enjoys learning the ins and outs of the German language, the book is both a valuable resource and a little shot of Schadenfreude when I see that even native speakers of German struggle with some of the same things I do. The most disturbing recurring theme that appears in many of the specific language confusions discussed is the growing influence of English vocabulary, usage and orthography on German, by way of ads, pop culture and even the news media. I don't remember whether it was in this book or its sequel that I read Bastian Sick's offhand remark that "most German journalism today consists of translation from English," but I found it both scary and probably true. ( )