The curious phenomenon of the German pouting lips
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2019 1:19 pm
I am sure those of you who study German have noticed this.
Sometimes a native German speaker, for one sentence or so, will pout her lips while speaking. I am not sure if this is a typical female trait or if both men and women do this. I think maybe both. The interesting thing is that it is possible to hear this, even if you don't see the speaker. For instance, when I watch a German TV program, the (female) voice-over will occasionally do this and it is easy to hear it in her voice.
And even more interesting - the pouting carry some sort of meaning. It is not a flirtatious meaning, this is a more general part of the language. It can somehow convey that what is being said is slightly witty or tongue-in-cheek, I think, but there might be more to it.
I haven't noticed this in any other languages, only in German.
Sometimes a native German speaker, for one sentence or so, will pout her lips while speaking. I am not sure if this is a typical female trait or if both men and women do this. I think maybe both. The interesting thing is that it is possible to hear this, even if you don't see the speaker. For instance, when I watch a German TV program, the (female) voice-over will occasionally do this and it is easy to hear it in her voice.
And even more interesting - the pouting carry some sort of meaning. It is not a flirtatious meaning, this is a more general part of the language. It can somehow convey that what is being said is slightly witty or tongue-in-cheek, I think, but there might be more to it.
I haven't noticed this in any other languages, only in German.