[MV] Kuebelwagen vs. Kubelwagen

Andreas Mehlhorn (a.mehlhorn@t-online.de)
Thu, 21 Oct 1999 08:47:45 +0200

Antoine schrieb:
> Are you sure it is "Keubel15.jpg"? The right spelling would be
> "Kubel" without the "e" after the "K", (as in "Cube" in German,
> I think).
> Antoine

The really correct spelling is "Kübelwagen". (Kübel = bucket)
The "ü" is a German Umlaut, a letter "u" with two dots on the top.

It is spoken like the french "u" in "une" or "université", not
like the "u" in the English "cube"!
The English don't have such a sound in their language. It is
a little bit like the "eu" in "Deuce and a half".

The problem is, that the old teletypes and most anglo-american
computer code-pages don't have the German Umlaut "ü".

If you use such a machine, you must write "ue" for the "ü" but
never only a single "u".

The difference between the "u" (standard "u") and the "ü" (Umlaut
with two dots on top) is the reason, why many English speakers
go to the wrong town in Germany, when they want to visit the
Panzermuseum at Münster. Münster (with Umlaut) is a small town
with the Panzermuseum. Munster (standard "u") is a much bigger
town and much easier to find on the map, but it is 150 miles away
from Münster and has no Panzermuseum!

So always look for the Umlaut and if your computer refuses to
use them, use "ue" instead of "ü". (Same for the other Umlauts,
simply add an "e" to the standard letter)

Enough German lesson for today.
Best regards from Germany, home of the Umlaut
Andreas

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