Germany bans very long names

[ccharles000]

BERLIN: Germany is renowned for fighting inflation, but the battle extends beyond money and into the realm of names. In a split decision on Tuesday,
the German Constitutional Court upheld a ban on married people combining already-hyphenated names, forbidding last names of three parts or more.

It was not the first time the court was forced to weigh in on the subject of names, which are regulated start to finish, fore to family, in Germany. This time, it was a Munich couple who decided to challenge the constitutionality of a 1993 rule limiting the names of married people to a single hyphen and two last names.


Frieda Rosemarie Thalheim, a Munich dentist, wanted to take the last name of her husband, Hans Peter Kunz-Hallstein, to become Frieda Rosemarie Thalheim-Kunz-Hallstein. The case brought Germany’s minister of justice before the court in Karlsruhe for oral arguments in February to defend the ban on what the Germans call “chain names.”

By a vote of five to three, the court refused to budge, ruling that ballooning names “would quickly lose the effectiveness of their identifying purpose,” and declined to overturn the law.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Germany-bans-very-long-names/articleshow/4501292.cms

[bbernardini]

1. But what will the Gambolputty de von Ausfern...

...Schplenden Schlitter Crass Cren Bon Fried Digger Dingle Dangle Dongle Dungle Burstein von Knacker Trasher Apple Banger Horowitz Ticolensic Grander Knotty Spelltinkle Grandlich Grumblemeyer Spelter Wasser Kürstlich Himble Eisenbahnwagen Gutenabend Bitte einen Nürnburger Bratwürstel Gespurten mit Zweimache Luber Hundsfut Gumberaber Schönendanker Kalbsfleisch Mittelraucher von Hauptkopft's of Ulm do? Is there a grandfather clause?

[hvn_nbr_2]

4. Sorry. That one needs a great-great-great-great great-grandfather clause.

One of those hyphens had to be a space to satisfy the DU posting bot:
"ERROR: Posting error
. Long subjects require periodic spaces."

Who knew? :shrug:

[SoCalDem]

11. I have a long-dead relative who was named Zollycopter

I Have NO idea how that name came to be or where they came from :rofl:

[TahitiNut]

9. Well ...

Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern Schplenden Schlitter Crass Cren Bon Fried Digger Dingle Dangle Dongle Dungle Burstein von Knacker Trasher Apple Banger Horowitz Ticolensic Grander Knotty Spelltinkle Grandlich Grumblemeyer Spelter Wasser Kürstlich Himble Eisenbahnwagen Gutenabend Bitte einen Nürnburger Bratwürstel Gespurten mit Zweimache Luber Hundsfut Gumberaber Schönendanker Kalbsfleisch Mittelraucher von Hauptkopft of Ulm is my favorite composer of all time!

[hfojvt]

13. I believe you have him confused with

Herr Donaudampfschiffahrtskapitänswitwe-Rolltreppenbenutzungshinweise-Vierwaldstätterseedampfshiffsfahrtsgeselschaftskapitänsmützensternlein

[Fumesucker]

2. German is rather famous for combining words into very long words..

In fact I recall a story I read a few years ago where the protagonist worked for a German company whose name was about twelve syllables and was referred to in casual conversation among employees as "bigword"..

Why not just leave out the hyphens?

[Donnachaidh]

3. one of Monty Python's funniest bits involved a long german name

that went on for two minutes, ending with *of Ulm*. :rofl:

[bridgit]

5. Ja gut!

[Tab]

6. Oh that's funny

German is nothing if not glued together terms. To describe something, they don't come up with a phrasing, they just tack on descriptive terms until they come up with these forty or fifty letter monstrosities.

[ccharles000]

7. yes it is funny

[eridani]

14. Achtung! Alles Lookenpeepers!

Dies Machine is nicht fur gefingerpoken und mittengraben. Is easy schnappen der springenwerk, blowenfusen und poppencorken mit spitzensparken. Is nicht fur gewerken by das dummkopfen. Das rubbernecken sightseeren keepen Cotten-pickenen hands in das pockets - relaxen und Watch Das Blinken Lights.

English speakers are endlessly amused by that particular trait of German. Presumably they are equally amused by the English-speaker's habit of breaking them all apart.

[Karenina]

15. My FAVORITE!!! Danke!

:rofl:

[Flubadubya]

8. Oh no, no more singing my favorite song!

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt,
His name is my name too.
Whenever we go out
The people always shout,
"There goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt."
Dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah
John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt,
His name is my name too
When ever we go out
The people always shout
There goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt,(repeat ad infinitum)


:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(

[flygal]

10. My friend here had to petition to name her son Anakin

They seriously have laws about naming your child a made-up name. But now I know of 2 Anakins. One of them I swear has already chosen the dark side - little stinker LOL

[orleans]

12. i've sometimes wondered how all that is going to go for kids with

parents who each have two last names and then incorporate them together for their child's name.

and then there is the child who has to learn how to spell the entire name in kindergarten.