5.28 The vocabulary of the humanities — Epoché
What you will be able to do Use sixty words of the humanities: the names of the disciplines, the parts of a scholarly text, the words for ideas and contexts, and the words for periods, customs and institutions. Read the technical terms of current research German in the texts of this course: Rezeption , Diskurs , Epistemologie , methodologisch . Understand what German means by Geisteswissenschaften , and why a historian is a Wissenschaftler . Avoid the traps: Lexikon is usually an encyclopaedia, Herausgeber is usually an editor, Absatz has three meanings. Sentences from this lesson, before the explanation. Read the German aloud; all of them come back below. German English Diese Gelehrte studiert alte Manuskripte. [1] This scholar studies ancient manuscripts. Mein Hauptfach ist Linguistik. [2] My major is linguistics. Vergleiche diese Kopie mit dem Original! [3] Compare this copy with the original. In welcher Sprache führst du dein Tagebuch? [4] What language do you journal in? Führst du ein Tagebuch? [5] Do you keep a journal? Vergleich die Kopie mit dem Original. [6] Compare this copy with the original. Prerequisites : 5.27 — you need the vocabulary of literary criticism from 5.21 Vocabulary and the Hausarbeit from 10.5 Argument . German divides the university into the natural sciences, die Naturwissenschaften , and the humanities, die Geisteswissenschaften , literally the sciences of the mind or spirit. The word goes back to the nineteenth century, when Wilhelm Dilthey argued that the humanities need their own method: not explaining, as in physics, but understanding, Verstehen , the art of interpretation called Hermeneutik . Today one also hears Kulturwissenschaften and Sozialwissenschaften . For an English speaker the important point is that Wissenschaft is not only science : a professor of medieval literature is a Wissenschaftler too, and her work is wissenschaftlich . This lesson gives the words you need to read and write in these fields. Word list Sixty words in four groups: disciplines, texts and their parts, ideas and contexts, and times, customs and institutions. Disciplines Word (article, plural) Meaning Notes die Literaturwissenschaft（-en） de literary studies Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs German calls the humanities Wissenschaften too: Wissenschaft is any scholarly discipline. Er studierte englische Literaturwissenschaft an der Universität Oxford. [7] He read English Literature at Oxford University. die Sprachwissenschaft（-en） de linguistics Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs Also die Linguistik . Mein Hauptfach ist Sprachwissenschaft. [8] My major is linguistics. die Germanistik de German studies Gender / part of speech feminine noun, no plural How English differs The study of German language and literature; a student is Germanist or Germanistin . The corpus translation below narrows it to German linguistics ; the subject includes the literature. Emilie studiert an ihrer Universität Germanistik. [9] Emily is studying German linguistics at her university. die Anglistik de English studies Gender / part of speech feminine noun, no plural How English differs Likewise Romanistik , Slawistik . Studierst du Anglistik? [10] Do you study English? die Kunstgeschichte de art history Gender / part of speech feminine noun, no plural How English differs Literally history of art . Ich studiere Kunstgeschichte. [11] I'm studying art history. die Theologie（-n） de theology Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs Stress on the last syllable. Infolge meines Studiums der Theologie bin ich Atheist geworden. [12] It was because of my study of theology that I became an atheist. die Soziologie de sociology Gender / part of speech feminine noun, no plural How English differs Stress on the last syllable. Jener Student studiert Soziologie. [13] That student's studying sociology. die Pädagogik de education, educational theory Gender / part of speech feminine noun, no plural How English differs Not pedagogy only: the academic subject of education. Ich weiß nichts über Pädagogik. [14] I know nothing about pedagogy. die Anthropologie de anthropology Gender / part of speech feminine noun, no plural How English differs In German also philosophical anthropology, the study of what a human being is. Dieses Buch handelt von Anthropologie. [15] This book deals with anthropology. die Archäologie de archaeology Gender / part of speech feminine noun, no plural How English differs Stress on the last syllable. Die Archäologie macht Spaß! [16] Archaeology is fun. die Etymologie（-n） de etymology Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs The history of a word; not entomology , which is Entomologie . Was ist die Etymologie dieses Wortes? [17] What's the etymology of this word? Texts and their parts Word (article, plural) Meaning Notes das Manuskript（-e） de manuscript Gender / part of speech neuter noun How English differs Also an author's typescript sent to a publisher. Das Manuskript wurde handschriftlich verfasst. [18] The manuscript had been written by hand. die Anmerkung（-en） de note, remark; footnote Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs Anmerkung des Übersetzers , translator's note . Ich habe eine kleine Anmerkung zum Text. [19] I have a little remark on the text. das Register（-） de index; register Gender / part of speech neuter noun How English differs Also an organ stop: alle Register ziehen , to pull out all the stops . Hat das Buch ein Register? [20] Is there an index to the book? das Inhaltsverzeichnis（-se） de table of contents Gender / part of speech neuter noun How English differs Literally list of contents . Am Anfang des Buches befindet sich ein Inhaltsverzeichnis. [21] At the beginning of the book is a table of contents. der Absatz（Absätze） de paragraph; heel; sales Gender / part of speech masculine noun How English differs Three unrelated meanings: a paragraph, the heel of a shoe, and the sale of goods.