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The Punchline

How to pronounce Germany’s longest word

David Brancaccio Jun 4, 2013
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The Punchline

How to pronounce Germany’s longest word

David Brancaccio Jun 4, 2013
HTML EMBED:
COPY

The longest German word is no more. A 1999 law in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania about beef labeling is getting an overhaul, so gone is its title:

Rindfleischetikettierungsueberwachungsaufgabenuebertragungsgesetz.

But never fear, now that this 65-letter word is being erased from the law books, there’s still a 49-letter German beauty that translates to “Widow of a Danube Steamboat Company Captain”: Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitaenswitwe.

Click on the audio player above for the correct pronunciation and to hear the Marketplace Morning Report team sprechen sie auf Deutsch.

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