The suffix –schaft has a wide range of uses in German that overlaps to a large extent with the way in which the etymologically related suffix –ship is used in English. It may indicate, for instance, a state of affairs or a relationship between the type of persons indicated by the noun it is attached to. For example, Freund means "friend" and Freundschaft "friendship": It's the relationship that exists between friends.
It may also refer to a group whose members have something in common. For example, Leser mean "reader" and Leserschaft "readership": It's the community of people identified by the preceding noun. In German, this type of use may have negative connotations. For example, a Sippe is a clan or an extended family, while a Sippschaft is bad company.
The suffix can also refer to an event or action or their result. The word Erbe means "heir" and Erbschaft "inheritance": If you become an Erbe, you receive an Erbschaft. Analoguous examples for the use of -ship in English are "courtship" and "censorship".
The suffix can also be attached to an adjective. An English example is "hardship". But this use is rare in English. It's more common in German. A well-known and often commented-on example is Gemeinschaft, which is formed by adding -schaft to the adjective gemein in the now almost obsolete meaning of "relating to the larger community". It's often translated into English as "community", but this translation does not capture the connotations of the German term, the sense of belonging, on the one hand, and the rejection of outsiders, on the other hand, that are often implied when we speak of a Gemeinschaft.
There are also instances in German where -schaft is added to a verb. For example, wandern can mean "to hike" or "to roam", and Wanderschaft refers to an extended period of being on the move without having a fixed residence. I cannot think of an analoguous use of English -ship, unless one considers the "court-" and "censor-" parts in "courtship" and "censorship" verbs instead of nouns. In fact, I would consider this a more plausible explanation, but no online source I consulted supports this point of view.
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13 comments:
functional definition 'sticks' more easily. This is a wonderful example.
I was sad when you didn't do gesellschaft along with gemeinschaft.
Thanks for commenting!
I though about the Gesellschaft vs Gemeinschaft thing, which is indeed important if one wants to understand German culture. But then I decided not get into it bec. my post was really about the suffix -schaft and I did not want to distract from it with extraneous issues.
But the topic could warrant a post by itself!
What about Mannschaft, Wirtschaft ,..?
Thanks for sharing such a useful and informative post like this. Keep updating more updates like this.
German to English Translation
came across this post because I was fascinated by the etimology of the german word for Science - Wissenschaft or roughly “Knowledgeship”
@JPHB: Yes, indeed! I appreciate you interest.
Does Wissenschaft, Naturwissenschaft or Wissenschaftler(in) have negative connotations because of the -schaft suffix?
@Unknown: The suffix carries no connotations by itself. Those come with the stem it is attached to. For example, Freundschaft (friendship) has positive connotations, while Feindschaft (enmity--literally enemy-ship) has negative ones. Wissenschaft has no connotations of that kind at all.
Thank you for responding!
Kreigsgesangschaft?
I don't understand: Kreig is not a German word. If you mean Krieg (war), the construct makes no sense--war songship? I.e. you cannot attach -ship to any German noun, as you cannot attach -ship to any English noun.
I was interested in your commentary on the use of the suffix -schaft and especially in the combination Gesellschaft which is probably how most English speakers meet it. I came to your blog when looking into the use of the stem Gesell…I’m currently getting to grips with the riot scene from Die Meistersinger von Nürenberg where one of the squabbling groups consists of the Gesellen. I then thought of its use in Carmina Burana - chum, chum Gesellschaft min - where the implication s of more than simple companionship: would Gesellschaft be an appropriate translation of companionship in that context?
@Willmol:
I cannot exhaust the topic here, just concentrate on a few points. A Geselle can be a companion or just some fellow (“ein lustiger Geselle”—a funny fellow). But it also has a very special meaning, and that may be the case in Die Meistersinger. It’s the middle stage in the traditional sequence by which a tradesperson achieves mastery—from Lehrling (apprentice) to Geselle (yeoman) and finally Meister (master). A “Gesellenstück” is the piece an apprentice produces when trying to become a Geselle.
Gesellschaft has an even broader meaning. It can be companionship or the company one keeps: “gute Gesellschaft” (a classy crowd) or “schlechte Gesellschaft” (bad company). It can also be a company in the legal sense (“Gesellschafr mit beschränkter Haftung”— limited liability company) or an association with a specific mission (“Gesellschaft für Datenverarbeitung”—Society for data processing).
Anyway, I very much appreciate your interest.
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