Ok. Does, or does not, the phrase "seig heil" or even just "heil" have a Nazi connotation/implication in American English society, regardless of its simple and harmless denotation in literal translation from the German?
Oddly enough, I notice the word "Heil" on the back of certain construction trucks like dump trucks or whatever. I'm not sure the reason for having "Heil" in the back of these vehicles.
The words themselves may be harmless, but they do carry a lot of baggage with them now because of their use in Nazi Germany, so people would have to be pretty careful about when/where/how this phrase is invoked. It's just like the swastika, which is an ancient symbol used throughout the world (and continues to be a part of Buddhist symbology), but I'd wager that the first association most Americans make with it would be to Nazism.
See, I ask because at work, we got a plastic "dummy" display version of a little portable USB Jump drive/MP3 player, and on its "screen" it says "8. HEIL" I remarked upon that, and got into an argument with a German-speaking coworker (not German himself, just took a lot of German classes and a school trip to Europe) over whether or not it's worth remarking.
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Oddly enough, I notice the word "Heil" on the back of certain construction trucks like dump trucks or whatever. I'm not sure the reason for having "Heil" in the back of these vehicles.
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(Anonymous) 2004-11-14 04:25 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
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(Anonymous) 2004-11-14 04:36 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
The drive, FTR, is American-made.