The title really says it all.
IIrc the umlaut is supposed to invoke images of Germanic languages and peoples, specifically ones traditionally associated with physical strength, deeds of valor, and maybe a bit of a barbarian mindset. The umlaut is a major feature of German and iirc is also used in some Scandinavian languages (the descendants of the language of the Vikings), the perfect languages to invoke that sense of noble warriors, barbarians, pirates, rural folk, etc.
The fact that English itself is a Germanic language is conveniently pushed aside somewhat.
Wikipedia has an article on everything.
^^^ and it also calls to mind the idea of Scandinavians being extremely sexual people (e.g., I Am Curious (Yellow), the Swedish Bikini Team). [I’m not sure this meme is still current, come to think of it, but it was big in the 60’s and 70’s.]
gasp!
How is it Motörhead is left out of that opening paragraph?
I might need to edit a wiki…
Did you? I see:
I didn’t. But I could’ve sworn it wasn’t there before.
Then again, I’m kinda rockin’ out right now, so I may have overlooked it.
And of course D minör is the saddest of sound shifts.
Achtung, baby! Off to Cafe Society with you!
From IMHO.
The umlaut is sexual? Is it rough sex if diaeresis is gentle?
Queensrÿche uses the ÿ, which is apparently only used in a few languages, often as a variant of an existing letter or digraph.
Spın̈al Tap uses n̈, in a few languages as well, like Malagasy. That doesn’t seem to appear correctly here to me. And the Turkish dotless “I”
Die Ärzte are German, and so the umlaut there is part of the word. They’re more of a punk band, so to poke fun they added a third dot, which isn’t part of any typeset that I know of.
I like to pronounce them as they are spelled. Spingal Tap.
You do realize you’re overthinking this?
It’s branding; distinctive and teenage cool. The Beatles, the Byrds, Wyld Stalyuns - messing with the spelling is a long time rock thing. Umlauts are just a variation on that. Motley Cure had no clue what an umlaut was - they saw it on a bottle of Lowenbrau.
How did you interpret that I was making an exegesis? Merely examples of bands who didn’t choose the läzy mëthöd of putting it over vöwëls.
It’s a font issue. I don’t know why Microsoft has never fixed it. Try switching to Arial for stuff like that: n̈.
And we who see our diacritics abused in this way find it extremely silly and non-cool.
Is there a Metal band called Ümlaüt? If there isn’t, there should be.
Because you use words like exegesis in threads that include Mötley Crüe?
I don’t need no Extra Jesus!
Just think about how Chinese folks feel about non-Chinese people getting Chinese-language tattoos because it’s cool - and getting the language wrong.
Apparently, there is a counter-trend in China of getting English-language tattoos …
In the early 80’s, I visited Paris. There was a trend for a variation of a, I dunno, I guess a type of Bomber Jacket - big shoulders, stops at the waist, floppy collar usually with shearling lining it. This variation had 2"-3" canvas (?) web straps that went over each shoulder - like stitching straps from Overalls onto the jacket. These straps were white, but had “spray painted” words in black on them in English - I guess to look like Army issue or something.
The phrases were nonsense English - “Let’s Happy” “Make Hip” sort of phrases. They looked SO stupid to my traveling buddy and me.
Always makes me wonder when I ponder Chinese tattoos, umlauts on rock band names, etc. - it takes every kind of stupid, I guess.
- Intentionally flowery, based upon someone overc omplicating things and somehow reading meaning that simply wasn’t there, 2) The word was encountered yesterday, perhaps only one of a half dozen times other, as the original name of RapGenius.com. Rap is inherently less nerdy than a bunch of guys who wear women’s clothing and female hair styles and eyeliner. Even if the website no longer specializes in one genre, and last I saw had interpretation of Mike Jones lyrics next to an analysis of the Waste Land.
Is this a Turtledove book? Did modern day or 90s Japanese people get sent back in time to 1980s Paris?