An American professor has developed a theory that Germans are bad-tempered because pronouncing German sounds puts a frown on the face.
Professor David Myers believes that the facial contortions needed to pronounce vowels modified by the umlaut may be getting the Germans down in the mouth.
The umlaut is the two dots which modify the sound of the vowels a, o and u – dots which many foreigners omit altogether, but which give the German language three alternative vowel sounds.
Saying “u” – one of German’s most recognisable sounds – causes the mouth to turn down.
. . . A spokesperson for the German Embassy said: “We can give no comment on this as it is too scientific.”
(Hat tip: Linta Varghese)