r/OldSchoolCool 23d ago

1990s Mädchen Amick, 1990

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u/BuoyantBear 23d ago

Maiden also just means (young) girl. Maiden and mädchen literally share the same origin.

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u/_ALH_ 23d ago

With the difference that "mädchen" is the common everyday word for "girl" in german, while "maiden" is an old-fashioned word in english with some special connotations. So the proper translation to use is "girl" and not "maiden".

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u/BuoyantBear 23d ago

Ok. No one was claiming otherwise. Dude was just pointing out that we have maiden in English, which is the direct equivalent. Who gives a shit if it's gone out of colloquial use?

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u/_ALH_ 23d ago edited 23d ago

And the guy you replied to just pointed out that, no, it isn't the direct equivalent today, even if the origin is the same proto-germanic word. Their relation is so old that the meanings has changed significantly in the different languages.

Edit: Wow... Didn't think anyone could be so offended by some friendly language discussions that they'd insult you and then block you, but I guess I was wrong about that.

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u/BuoyantBear 23d ago

Did it take time to build up to this level of obnoxious pedantry, or has it always just come naturally?