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Glossary entry

German term or phrase:

Gäuhochfläche

English translation:

Gäu Plateau

Added to glossary by MiriamT (X)
Jun 21, 2013 09:17
10 yrs ago
German term

Gäuhochfläche

German to English Science Geography description of an area of arable land
Hallo all!
This follows on from my last question about the Feldweg. I need this term for teaching employees of a breeding station (experimental farm) in Lower Franconia. I came across the word Gäuhochfläche here: "Prosselsheim liegt mit Seligenstadt und Püssensheim auf der fruchtbaren Gäuhochfläche (270 m ü. M.) des Maindreiecks vor der Mainschleife bei Volkach" (source http://www.prosselsheim.de/gemeinde/chronik/index.php). The word is also part of a book title on the exact area in which the farm is located: http://www.amazon.de/Prosselsheim-Seligenstadt-Püssensheim-K... But what does it mean?
I am a bit confused as I don't understand the word Gäu in this context, as it seems normally to be used for somewhere geographically quite different.
Any help would be most appreciated!
Thanks!
Diana
Proposed translations (English)
3 +3 Gäu Plateau
Change log

Jun 23, 2013 17:44: British Diana changed "Field (specific)" from "Agriculture" to "Geography"

Jun 26, 2013 07:31: MiriamT (X) Created KOG entry

Discussion

British Diana (asker) Jun 23, 2013:
for more help i'm casting the net a bit wider in order to add those knowledgeable of Geography.
stehletheo Jun 21, 2013:
A-Umlaut vs. ae Phil is correct about me not knowing how to / being able to apply the Umlaut on the website: A-Umlaut is in fact just a convenient convention for writing the vowels ae.
British Diana (asker) Jun 21, 2013:
Phil's reference says, "The term Gau (in Alemannic German: Gäu) was originally used to refer to open, treeless water meadows. Today the term Gäu landscapes (Gäulandschaften) is mainly used to refer to the open terraces of the Swabian-Franconian Scarplands and so includes the areas of open, fertile arable fields."
However, as I say in my introduction, MY "Gäuhochfläche" is in Lower Franconia near Würzburg, this is not near the "Swabian-Franconian Scarplands".
Thus I would say we really need a new word for the "baumarme Landschaft im sueddeutschen Sprachraum, typischerweise mit fruchtbare Boeden, deren intensive Nutzung zum Pflanzenbau urspruengliche Waelder verdraengt hat". (Thank you, stehletheo!)
British Diana (asker) Jun 21, 2013:
@Phil I see, thanks! I thought perhaps it was like changing Würzburg into Wuerzburg for speakers of English. I am wondering if an English speaker would be able to pronounce either "Gäu" or "Gaeu" or whether a completely different word would be better.
philgoddard Jun 21, 2013:
The only reason for writing Gaeu instead of Gäu is not knowing how to do umlauts on your keyboard.
British Diana (asker) Jun 21, 2013:
references In the nature of things, any references are likely to be translations of German texts, so it is just possible that the original translator is not an expert. Miriam and Helen, do you agree with the translations used in your sources?
Another thing that slightly worries me is the problem of the umlaut in a short word consisting mainly of vowels: Would an international audience - i.e. a Brazilian reading an informative text about my breeding station or a German scientist forced to speak English to colleagues - readily understand "Gäu Plateau" - or "Gaeu Plateau"???
British Diana (asker) Jun 21, 2013:
Aha Thank you, colleagues! I'm beginning to understand what is meant. So it is the same word as Gau as in Gauleiter? That might explain why it is not used any more!
stehletheo Jun 21, 2013:
Gaeu & Gaeulandschaft Wikipedia: a) Gaeu: Waldfreie und fruchtbare Kulturlandschaften (hauptsaechlich Sueddeutschland - meine Eintragung); b) Gaeulandschaft: Ebene, baumarme Landschaft im sueddeutschen Sprachraum, typischerweise mit fruchtbare Boeden, deren intensive Nutzung zum Pflanzenbau urspruengliche Waelder verdraengt hat.
Cilian O'Tuama Jun 21, 2013:
Acc. to wiki „Gau“ (bzw. alemannisch „Gäu“) kommt aus dem Mittelhochdeutschen und war ein Terminus für „gutes Ackerland“.
Usch Pilz Jun 21, 2013:
Gäu is sometimes used as a generic term for "area" or "region". It is a term no longer much in use and probably mostly known in Southern Germany. It usually describes an agriculturally used, rural area - as opposed to an urban area or a wilderness.
Wiki only gives a little bit of info. Here's some extra:
http://www.historisches-lexikon-bayerns.de/artikel/artikel_4...

Proposed translations

+3
13 mins
Selected

Gäu Plateau

...

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Note added at 24 mins (2013-06-21 09:42:27 GMT)
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Gäu-Plateau

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Note added at 4 hrs (2013-06-21 13:42:56 GMT)
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Quite welcome you are!
Reference:

http://www.wuerzburg.de/en/visitors/wuerzburg-active/22779.Hiking_.html

Note from asker:
Thank you, Miriam!
Peer comment(s):
agree Peter Hughes
25 mins
Thanks, Peter!
agree stehletheo : Stimm zu
50 mins
Thanks, stehletheo!
agree Helen Shiner : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemmendorf_(Rottenburg)
1 hr
Thanks, Helen!
neutral philgoddard : I don't think this fully answers the question. Gäu is a geological/geographical classification, not a placename, so it needs some kind of paraphrase or explanation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gäu_Plateaus Also, it should not have a hyphen.
6 hrs
Something went wrong...
2 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you, everybody for your input which has helped me understand this puzzling term. I'm afraid I cannot award full points to Miriam as her suggestion is not quite what I Need."
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