5.17 Science and method — Epoché
What you will be able to do Talk about research and method: Forschung, Experiment, Versuch, Hypothese, Theorie, Daten, Analyse, Beobachtung . Describe measurements and results: messen, Durchschnitt, Geschwindigkeit, Gewicht, Ursache, Wirkung, Folgen . Read popular science about matter and the universe: Atom, Molekül, Zelle, Gen, Sauerstoff, Planet, Schwerkraft . Understand why German Wissenschaft is wider than English science , and use the cognates of science without falling into their traps. Sentences from this lesson, before the explanation. Read the German aloud; all of them come back below. German English Die Wissenschaftler machten eine überraschende Entdeckung. [1] The scientists made a surprising discovery. Wasser besteht aus Wasserstoff und Sauerstoff. [2] Water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen. Das Auto ist eine wunderbare Erfindung. [3] The automobile is a wonderful invention. Es macht Spaß, die Wellen zu beobachten. [4] Waves are fun to watch. Lange Haare sind gegenwärtig aus der Mode. [5] Long hair is out of fashion now. Wasserstoff und Sauerstoff verbinden sich und werden zu Wasser. [6] Hydrogen and oxygen combine to form water. Der Weltraum ist voller Rätsel. [7] Space is full of mysteries. Prerequisites : 5.16 — you need the nominal style from 2.30 Grammar , the passive from 2.19 Grammar , and the compound method from 5.11 Vocabulary . Science is the field where an English speaker has the biggest head start in German. Most technical words are international and come from Latin or Greek: Theorie , Hypothese , Methode , Analyse , Atom , Molekül , Evolution . You can read a German popular science article sooner than a German novel. The difficulties lie elsewhere: in the native German words that sit beside the international ones ( Versuch beside Experiment , Ursache and Wirkung ), in shifted stress, and in a few broad words whose meaning is wider or narrower than their English look-alikes. Word list Sixty words in five groups. Science and the people who do it Word (article, plural) Meaning Notes der Wissenschaftler（-） de scientist; scholar Gender / part of speech masculine noun How English differs Any academic researcher, in the humanities too: Wissenschaft covers all scholarship. Er ist Wissenschaftler. [8] He is a scientist. wissenschaftlich de scientific; academic, scholarly Gender / part of speech adjective How English differs Also for history or literature: eine wissenschaftliche Arbeit is any academic paper. Ist das wissenschaftlich erwiesen? [9] Has that been scientifically proven? die Naturwissenschaft（-en） de natural science Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs What English calls science in the narrow sense; mostly plural. Sie muss Naturwissenschaften studieren. [10] She has to study science. die Forschung（-en） de research Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs Uncountable in English, but German has a plural: Forschungen . Diese Forschung ist bahnbrechend. [11] This research is groundbreaking. forschen de to research, to do research Gender / part of speech verb How English differs With an or nach : an Krebs forschen . Sie forschen an Krebs. [12] They are engaged in cancer research. der Forscher（-） de researcher Gender / part of speech masculine noun How English differs From forschen . Der Forscher verfälschte die Ergebnisse. [13] The researcher falsified his results. das Labor（-e） de laboratory, lab Gender / part of speech neuter noun How English differs Stress on the last syllable: -bor . Ich gehe ins Labor. [14] I'm going to the lab. das Fachgebiet（-e） de field, specialism Gender / part of speech neuter noun How English differs subject area ; Fach is a school or university subject. Mode ist nicht mein Fachgebiet. [15] Fashion is not my speciality. der Fachbegriff（-e） de technical term Gender / part of speech masculine noun How English differs Fach + Begriff . Wie lautet der Fachbegriff dafür? [16] What's the technical term for that? die Erkenntnis（-se） de insight, finding; knowledge Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs A result of thinking or research. Die Verbreitung wissenschaftlicher Erkenntnisse ist absolut notwendig. [17] The dissemination of scientific knowledge is essential. der Fortschritt（-e） de progress, advance Gender / part of speech masculine noun How English differs forth step ; uncountable in English, countable in German. Fortschritt ist unvermeidbar. [18] Progress is unavoidable. Method Word (article, plural) Meaning Notes das Experiment（-e） de experiment Gender / part of speech neuter noun How English differs A scientific experiment; also a risky try. Das Experiment scheiterte. [19] The experiment failed. der Versuch（-e） de attempt, try; experiment Gender / part of speech masculine noun How English differs Everyday attempt and also a laboratory experiment. Der Versuch ist vorbei. [20] The experiment is over. die Theorie（-n） de theory Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs Stress on the last syllable: -rie . Diese Theorie ist falsch. [21] This theory is false. die These（-n） de thesis, proposition Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs A claim to be argued; a doctoral thesis is die Dissertation . Die These ist nicht mehr haltbar. [22] This thesis is no longer tenable. die Hypothese（-n） de hypothesis Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs Stress on the third syllable: -the- . Das ist nur eine Hypothese. [23] This is just a hypothesis. vermuten de to suppose, to suspect, to guess Gender / part of speech inseparable verb How English differs Weaker than assume ; ich vermute is a polite guess. Ich vermute das nur. [24] I'm just guessing. die Vermutung（-en） de assumption, guess; conjecture Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs Also a mathematical conjecture. Das ist nur eine Vermutung. [25] It's just an assumption. die Methode（-n） de method Gender / part of speech feminine noun How English differs Stress on the second sy