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One German word I have always found amusing is “Rathaus”. Everytime, I see the word in print, I immediately think “rat house”. Just chalk it up to a puerile mind. By the way, the spoken word is pronounced rot-house, and there’s admittedly nothing all that amusing about that. But if you mistakenly pronounce the word as “rat house,” every subsequent attempt at being serious is a lost cause.

Germans find none of this amusing. They love their “rott-hoiser”, which is the pronunciation of the plural of Rathaus (Rathäuser).

In Germany, these “rat houses” are very serious business because they are basically the same thing as a city hall or county seat in English. They are the place where official business takes place.

But once the mispronunciation “rat house” got centered in my head, there is no getting it out. I often make the mistake of mispronouncing Rathaus when speaking to Germans. Mostly, it leaves them puzzled, and they simply chalk it up to an American who has trouble with German pronunciation. But occasionally, I run into a stick-in-the-mud who takes offense at me murdering their language and making fun of it to boot.

The expression on their face can never be mistaken. It is one of indignation, plus the overwhelming urge to punish me for my silliness. Just imagine the expression of an English teacher whose student mispronounces the word “pious” with a short I, and you get the picture.

I guess what all of this boils down to is this: Some things are very childish, but oh so fun in the right hands.