@ HotspurHotspur:
What if America had adopted German as the commonly spoken language?
The problem is that most Germans have no pride in their language. As I mentioned before, German is the most common native language in Europe. Considering all the words that got integrated we might be surprised.
What are a few more synonyms ;)
Not to mention the Paternoster that was the center of many jokes on TV ;) The tax bureau for the south-west of where I live had one and I remember the panic when my father took me over the top when I was less than 10 years old even 50 years later I remember...
Translating that word might be considered not decend for the young. Hahn is a male chicken ;) Actually the name Hahn is not uncommon.