Spelling Alphabet
There is a German spelling alphabet similar to the ICAO spelling alphabet. The official version in Germany, laid down in DIN 5009, is as follows:
| Letter | Code | Letter | Code | Letter | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Anton | K | Kaufmann | ß | Eszett |
| Ä | Ärger | L | Ludwig | T | Theodor |
| B | Berta | M | Martha | U | Ulrich |
| C | Cäsar | N | Nordpol | Ü | Übermut |
| D | Dora | O | Otto | V | Viktor |
| E | Emil | Ö | Ökonom | W | Wilhelm |
| F | Friedrich | P | Paula | X | Xanthippe |
| G | Gustav | Q | Quelle | Y | Ypsilon |
| H | Heinrich | R | Richard | Z | Zacharias |
| I | Ida | S | Samuel | ||
| J | Julius | SCH | SCHule | ||
The spelling alphabet was changed several times during the 20th century, in some cases for political reasons. In 1934, supposedly "Jewish" names were replaced. Thus, David, Jakob, Nathan, Samuel and Zacharias became Dora, Jot, Nordpol, Siegfried and Zeppelin. In Germany, the 1948 and 1950 versions reverted to some of the old versions but introduced additional changes. Many of the older, officially obsolete forms are still found in popular use, in particular Siegfried and Zeppelin. Some letter names are still official in Austria. The official Austrian version, as laid down in ÖNORM A 1081, differs from DIN 5009 in the following places:
| Letter | Code | Letter | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| K | Konrad | Ü | Übel |
| Ö | Österreich | X | Xaver |
| S | Siegfried | Z | Zürich |
| ß | Scharfes S | ||
Konrad is also used in Germany, although this is not and apparently never was official there. Konrad can cause confusion since the first name "Conrad" (spelled with a "C") also exists. Not following the norm, but not uncommon are CHarlotte and - especially in Austria - CHristine, Norbert and Zeppelin.
In Switzerland and Liechtenstein yet another slightly different spelling alphabet is used.
Read more about this topic: German Alphabet
Famous quotes containing the words spelling and/or alphabet:
“The old saying of Buffon’s that style is the man himself is as near the truth as we can get—but then most men mistake grammar for style, as they mistake correct spelling for words or schooling for education.”
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902)
“I wonder, Mr. Bone man, what you’re thinking
of your fury now, gone sour as a sinking whale,
crawling up the alphabet on her own bones.”
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)