Check the web and correct those sources.  This is not my invention: I used several web references to refresh my memories from German and linguistics.  This is prevalent, if not entirely precise and accurate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reference_desk/Archives/Language/2006_December_11


My German teacher back in college is where I first heard this, and later in linguistic refrences.  Perhaps you don't have enough gray hair.  This *is* a linguist's issue, and you say that is not your strength.  Long concatenations were common German usage 40 or more years ago, but I would not be surprised to find that modern usage has moved away from that as technology lingo became more commonplace and concatenation too cumbersome.

Sorry, but yours is the specious and undocumented bullshit.

Chuck



> -----Original Message-----
> From: tclug-list-bounces at mn-linux.org
> [mailto:tclug-list-bounces at mn-linux.org]On Behalf Of Munir Nassar
> Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 9:44 AM
> To: TCLUG Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [tclug-list] What distros do you no longer use?
> 
> 
> On Tue, Jun 29, 2010 at 18:39, Chuck Cole <cncole at earthlink.net> wrote:
> > Language perspective, not argument:  The old German WWI word 
> for a military
> > tank was "schutzengrabenabwehrvernichtungskraftfahrwagen".  That was a
> > Guiness record for word length.  Is there any wonder why it wasn't long
> > before people more often used "tank".  Even Germans often used a shorter
> > term "panzerauto" by WWII.  I'm among those that prefer the shorter term
> > Linux and find GNU adequately embedded, as are Torvald, open source
> > operating system, etc.
> 
> I call bullshit, i am not a linguist, but i speak german. Contrary to
> popular belief stringing together any number of words does not work,
> they have to make sense. "Schutzen Graben" is a defensive ditch,
> "Abwehr" is counter fire or defence, "vernichtung" is destruction,
> "kraft" is power, usually a prefix to a machine. ("LKW", or "Last
> Kraft Wagen" is heavy load power automobile or what we would call a
> truck, tractor trailer) "fahr" is drive, and "wagen" is wagon/car. As
> you can see stringing these words together is rather nonsensical, at
> best i can translate it to mean: the destruction of the defence(noun)
> in the defensive ditch with a drivable powered wagon.The german
> wikipedia article calls the first german tank: "schweren Kampfwagen"
> or Heavy Combat Wagon.
> 
> as for the 2nd word, the pre-WW2 german word for tank was "Schwerer
> Schlepper", which means Heavy Tractor. the reason being is that
> Germany was forbidden from building any sort of offensive military
> equipment and the soldiers and everybody who knew about these
> "tractors" was most likely sure to be told to keep their mouths shut
> to keep the secret in(not that it really was a secret). in any case
> the official name for tank in German before and during WW2 was "Panzer
> Kampf Wagen", Armoured Combat Wagon, and would most likely be
> shortened to Panzer or PanzerWagen or referred to by their military
> designation (Panzer III, Tiger I, Panther). PanzerAuto would refer
> more to an armoured car.
> 
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