Übung 5
Hören Sie sich Teil 2 des Hörberichts an und machen Sie sich auf Englisch zu den folgenden Punkten Notizen:
dyke-building over the centuries;
heathen customs;
the flood of 1962;
the East Frisian character;
the interrelationship between the landscape and the East Frisian character.
Answer
As well as helping you to record important information, note-taking under specific headings as in this activity is a useful technique that will help you check your understanding of the main points.
Dyke-building over the centuries:
crucial activity throughout the centuries, was always a matter of life or death;
oldest dykes date from eleventh century;
those dykes provided protection only in summer;
in winter they could not contain the floods;
from thirteenth century onwards so-called winter dykes were built;
these protected larger areas all year round.
Heathen customs:
animals and humans were sacrificed to protect dykes;
example of baby that was sacrificed can be seen in museum.
Flood of 1962:
dyke gave way;
debris from dyke was slung against house walls, walls gave way;
whole row of houses had to be cleared to shore up dyke;
children were sent home from school;
situation was very threatening.
East Frisian character:
home-loving people (‘rooted in the soil’), don't like to be moved;
rather cold and distant but with dry sense of humour (rather like English sense of humour);
local communities very important to them, like to celebrate and keep local customs alive.
Interrelationship between landscape and the East Frisian character:
very distinct group of people with their own way of life, result of barren landscape;
large meadows, open landscape, causing solitary/isolated existence with little communication and some loss of social skills.