1 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:24,662 How did you learn to speak so fast? 2 00:00:32,957 --> 00:00:35,916 I used to go to a lot of auctions with my dad. 3 00:00:36,042 --> 00:00:39,705 In our area, there was this brilliant auctioneer. 4 00:00:39,832 --> 00:00:46,113 I was fascinated by his ability to hold the attention of 400 or 500 people. 5 00:00:46,250 --> 00:00:48,616 I wanted to do that someday too. 6 00:00:48,750 --> 00:00:50,411 So I would listen to him. 7 00:00:50,542 --> 00:00:53,500 I began by practising with numbers. 8 00:01:02,417 --> 00:01:07,411 Then you move on to tongue twisters, for example, in German: 9 00:01:07,542 --> 00:01:11,706 "A big black bug bit a big brown bear." 10 00:01:16,250 --> 00:01:20,323 Or: "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck?" 11 00:01:20,457 --> 00:01:22,244 Then you start with numbers. 12 00:01:22,375 --> 00:01:25,913 You start building up speed and establishing a rhythm. 13 00:01:30,375 --> 00:01:34,493 It takes a lot of practice and you really have to love to talk. 14 00:01:35,875 --> 00:01:38,617 Have you got another example? 15 00:01:38,750 --> 00:01:42,197 Can you try saying it in slow motion? 16 00:02:13,417 --> 00:02:18,366 OBSERVATIONS ON A NEW LANGUAGE 17 00:02:19,082 --> 00:02:24,623 A FILM BY WERNER HERZOG 18 00:02:25,375 --> 00:02:33,375 WORLD LIVESTOCK AUCTIONEERS CHAMPIONSHIP 19 00:02:40,332 --> 00:02:43,655 Can you decode what you just said for us? 20 00:02:45,417 --> 00:02:47,157 Well, I'm selling. 21 00:02:47,292 --> 00:02:49,829 In slow-motion, I'm saying: 22 00:02:51,582 --> 00:02:56,873 "I bid $30. Would you give me $30.50? 23 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:01,494 "Would you give me $30.75?" And so on. 24 00:03:30,792 --> 00:03:33,829 More so than that, it's the personal feeling I get. 25 00:03:38,875 --> 00:03:43,369 I've managed to reach a goal I've had since I was six years old. 26 00:03:43,500 --> 00:03:47,322 That one day I'd become World Champion Livestock Auctioneer. 27 00:03:51,707 --> 00:03:54,700 I can hardly believe that I've done it. 28 00:04:06,042 --> 00:04:12,242 I started practising when I was a student at the National Auction Institute. 29 00:04:12,375 --> 00:04:18,746 I also took lessons with an opera teacher to learn breathing techniques. 30 00:04:18,875 --> 00:04:21,161 He taught me to breathe properly, 31 00:04:21,291 --> 00:04:23,783 to develop my volume and stamina. 32 00:04:24,833 --> 00:04:27,540 I used to drive down the motorway 33 00:04:27,666 --> 00:04:31,660 and try to sell to every telegraph pole that went by. 34 00:04:31,791 --> 00:04:34,750 I'd pretend they were bidders at an auction. 35 00:04:42,416 --> 00:04:45,580 Then at every junction it would start again. 36 00:04:54,458 --> 00:04:57,200 This broke the monotony of travelling 37 00:04:57,333 --> 00:04:59,915 and gave me the chance to practise. 38 00:05:01,416 --> 00:05:03,749 I have a few friends in this trade. 39 00:05:03,875 --> 00:05:09,040 They are real, true friends. They tell me when I make mistakes. 40 00:05:09,166 --> 00:05:11,829 How did you turn professional? 41 00:05:13,750 --> 00:05:17,072 It always takes practice| to make perfect. 42 00:05:21,958 --> 00:05:25,450 When I started out as an auctioneer in 1965. 43 00:05:25,583 --> 00:05:28,040 I was just a kid from the country. 44 00:05:29,791 --> 00:05:33,614 Uncle Sam got me. After that, I started auctioneering. 45 00:05:37,833 --> 00:05:41,530 And just like Ralph here, I used to hold auctions with myself. 46 00:05:48,750 --> 00:05:51,207 You can never get too much practice. 47 00:05:54,208 --> 00:05:56,824 But where I really started from... 48 00:05:59,333 --> 00:06:01,995 You probably won't believe this. 49 00:06:02,125 --> 00:06:06,494 ...I was the only one in our family who would milk the cows. 50 00:06:10,875 --> 00:06:13,036 I'd sit down on a bucket, 51 00:06:13,166 --> 00:06:17,115 and every time I pulled on the udder, I'd take a bid. 52 00:06:32,833 --> 00:06:35,745 And then I'd be through milking. 53 00:06:50,833 --> 00:06:53,290 The World Championships take place 54 00:06:53,416 --> 00:06:56,409 in the village of New Holland, Pennsylvania, 55 00:06:56,541 --> 00:07:00,114 one of the centres for cattle farming in the US. 56 00:07:00,250 --> 00:07:04,289 We thought it important to show some of the surrounding area, 57 00:07:04,416 --> 00:07:08,660 because it is home to a community of Amish people. 58 00:07:08,791 --> 00:07:12,785 Here, they till the soil and raise cattle the biblical way. 59 00:08:04,791 --> 00:08:10,537 The Amish are a sect who originally come from Switzerland. 60 00:08:10,666 --> 00:08:14,489 However, they mainly consist of a group of German immigrants 61 00:08:14,625 --> 00:08:18,914 who arrived from the Palatinate around 200 years ago. 62 00:08:20,583 --> 00:08:25,327 These days, they still speak an old Palatinate dialect. 63 00:08:25,458 --> 00:08:29,326 Their most remarkable trait is their puritanical attitude 64 00:08:29,458 --> 00:08:32,291 towards developments in our society. 65 00:08:33,582 --> 00:08:37,701 The Amish reject the ideas of capitalism and competition. 66 00:08:38,792 --> 00:08:42,956 So they are the very antithesis of the world championships 67 00:08:43,082 --> 00:08:45,995 that are being held in their region this year. 68 00:08:47,667 --> 00:08:50,864 The Amish also reject progress. 69 00:08:51,625 --> 00:08:54,662 They dress the same as they did 200 years ago, 70 00:08:54,792 --> 00:08:58,785 and still follow many of the same customs. 71 00:08:58,917 --> 00:09:04,457 The orthodox Amish even reject electricity and cars. 72 00:09:04,582 --> 00:09:07,825 Today, they still drive horse-drawn carriages. 73 00:09:09,082 --> 00:09:10,994 It may appear strange at first, 74 00:09:11,125 --> 00:09:15,289 but there's a lot to be said for their way of life. 75 00:09:15,417 --> 00:09:18,489 They have refused to participate in war. 76 00:09:18,625 --> 00:09:20,741 They don't suffer from the pollution problems 77 00:09:20,875 --> 00:09:23,992 that afflict the rest of the US. 78 00:09:53,832 --> 00:09:57,451 The Amish don't normally| like being filmed. 79 00:09:57,582 --> 00:10:01,246 They turned away as soon as they saw us. 80 00:10:02,792 --> 00:10:06,785 They viewed the championships with an air of mistrust. 81 00:10:06,917 --> 00:10:10,785 Even so, they still pitched a tent| outside the auction room 82 00:10:10,917 --> 00:10:14,990 and handed out free snacks from their farms. 83 00:10:29,582 --> 00:10:34,907 The venue for the championships is an arena in this building. 84 00:10:46,000 --> 00:10:50,790 Inside, we eavesdropped on an auctioneer while he warmed up. 85 00:11:28,375 --> 00:11:31,697 We only have about an hour left now until the contest starts, 86 00:11:31,832 --> 00:11:36,532 and there are 53 competitors here from all over the US and Canada. 87 00:11:38,875 --> 00:11:42,618 In fact, we don't have enough cattle for all the auctioneers, 88 00:11:42,750 --> 00:11:47,619 and each has just three to six minutes to show what they can do. 89 00:11:47,750 --> 00:11:49,741 That's not enough time. 90 00:11:49,875 --> 00:11:52,992 Normally, we need ten to fifteen minutes, 91 00:11:53,125 --> 00:11:58,791 so that we can really warm up and satisfy the buyers and the judges. 92 00:12:00,125 --> 00:12:02,912 And which of you gentlemen is going to win? 93 00:12:03,625 --> 00:12:05,991 The best. That guy over there. 94 00:12:14,542 --> 00:12:17,955 How do you find out who is going to bid? 95 00:12:20,500 --> 00:12:22,832 No idea, you can just tell. 96 00:12:22,957 --> 00:12:26,951 They wink, signal with a piece of card, 97 00:12:27,082 --> 00:12:29,074 or do this with their fingers. 98 00:12:36,125 --> 00:12:39,197 How do you pick them out from the crowd? 99 00:12:39,332 --> 00:12:42,166 just find them. It's a gift. 100 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:44,706 We were curious to seel 101 00:12:44,832 --> 00:12:48,451 if the Amish could understand us when we spoke German. 102 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:54,663 What kind of work do you do here during the auction? 103 00:13:16,207 --> 00:13:20,531 I open the door and let the stock off the scales. 104 00:13:26,167 --> 00:13:31,207 What is telling, is that their dialect has no way of saying "world championship". 105 00:14:39,625 --> 00:14:44,665 Before the auction, which sold cattle worth two million marks, 106 00:14:45,375 --> 00:14:50,415 you could inspect the produce in stalls behind the auction room. 107 00:14:59,957 --> 00:15:05,749 This contest is sponsored by the "Livestock Market Digest", 108 00:15:05,875 --> 00:15:09,072 a trade magazine published in the US each week. 109 00:15:10,500 --> 00:15:15,199 This is the 13th annual World Livestock Auctioneering Championship. 110 00:15:21,500 --> 00:15:24,412 I must point out one thing about the jury. 111 00:15:26,707 --> 00:15:30,621 Their decisions are based on professional criteria. 112 00:15:33,457 --> 00:15:35,744 They are organizers and buyers. 113 00:15:35,875 --> 00:15:40,869 They select the contestant they would most like to work for them. 114 00:16:07,417 --> 00:16:10,124 We'll start by showing a scene from above 115 00:16:10,250 --> 00:16:12,707 to make it clear how proceedings work. 116 00:16:14,250 --> 00:16:18,914 The stalls are behind the auctioneers, who take it in turns to lead. 117 00:16:19,042 --> 00:16:22,534 The cattle enter the arena from the right, over the scales, 118 00:16:22,667 --> 00:16:24,703 and leave to the left. 119 00:16:26,417 --> 00:16:29,489 The buyers are dotted about in the crowd. 120 00:16:29,625 --> 00:16:33,072 The most interested buyers sit in the front row. 121 00:16:37,417 --> 00:16:40,830 The auctioneer is handed a note stating the weight. 122 00:16:40,957 --> 00:16:44,029 Buyers bid per 100 pounds] of live weight 123 00:16:44,167 --> 00:16:48,615 and for all cattle in the arena at that particular point in time. 124 00:16:51,082 --> 00:16:54,496 When a bid is accepted, it is written on the note 125 00:16:54,625 --> 00:16:58,914 and then sent via a conveyor belt to the main office. 126 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:24,582 The competition is underway. 127 00:17:26,208 --> 00:17:30,076 Needless to say, we were unable to film all 53 competitors, 128 00:17:30,208 --> 00:17:34,121 but we were lucky enough to catch the overall winner. 129 00:17:36,166 --> 00:17:39,000 Look out for slight hand movements. 130 00:17:39,125 --> 00:17:41,707 This is how you spot buyers. 131 00:17:41,833 --> 00:17:45,405 They too are competing against each other, 132 00:17:45,541 --> 00:17:47,783 just not as openly as the others. 133 00:24:36,166 --> 00:24:39,580 This is the first time that a woman has ever competed. 134 00:27:29,958 --> 00:27:32,995 The cattle have ground to a halt on the scales. 135 00:27:33,125 --> 00:27:37,539 The auctioneer says that all this waiting has made him nervous. 136 00:30:50,458 --> 00:30:53,905 This is Ralph Wade from Miami in Oklahoma. 137 00:30:54,041 --> 00:30:56,124 He came in second.[ 138 00:35:39,125 --> 00:35:42,083 The next auctioneer adds a little variety. 139 00:35:42,208 --> 00:35:45,405 He's been working for 50 years. 140 00:35:45,541 --> 00:35:49,285 He starts by miscounting the number of cattle. 141 00:37:32,708 --> 00:37:35,825 He announces Canadian Steve Liptay, 142 00:37:35,958 --> 00:37:38,916 who later goes on to win this World Championship. 143 00:41:06,708 --> 00:41:09,620 This type of language is somewhat frightening, 144 00:41:09,750 --> 00:41:12,537 but fascinating at the same time. 145 00:41:12,666 --> 00:41:15,124 What frightens me personally 146 00:41:15,250 --> 00:41:20,995 is the idea that our system has managed to produce a language 147 00:41:21,125 --> 00:41:24,663 that almost surpasses the boundaries of extremity. 148 00:41:25,958 --> 00:41:27,994 Sometimes I ask myself, 149 00:41:28,125 --> 00:41:30,992 "Where did church liturgy come from? 150 00:41:31,125 --> 00:41:34,743 "Where did the language of propaganda come from? 151 00:41:34,875 --> 00:41:39,289 "And how did our economic system spawn this language?" 152 00:41:41,208 --> 00:41:45,281 But at the same time, it exerts a deep, musical fascination. 153 00:41:45,416 --> 00:41:51,788 Sometimes I think that this here could be the last remaining lyrical form. 154 00:42:50,250 --> 00:42:54,698 This auctioneer was the final contestant after only three hours. 155 00:42:54,833 --> 00:42:59,827 From this we can work out that each slot lasted no more than three minutes. 156 00:43:01,458 --> 00:43:05,701 The afternoon ended with buyers paying and loading up their cattle, 157 00:43:05,833 --> 00:43:09,280 while bystanders bid for cakes. 158 00:43:11,458 --> 00:43:14,370 The awards ceremony took place in the evening 159 00:43:14,500 --> 00:43:18,072 in the town of Herschey, an hour's drive away. 160 00:43:19,666 --> 00:43:24,206 Leon Wallace from West Monroe, Louisiana, came third. 161 00:43:39,291 --> 00:43:43,080 Ralph Wade from Miami, Oklahoma, came second. 162 00:44:01,041 --> 00:44:04,284 And here is the new world champion, Steve Liptay. 163 00:44:04,416 --> 00:44:09,036 It took him a long time to grasp that he had really done it. 164 00:44:37,208 --> 00:44:39,324 Steve thanks everyone, 165 00:44:39,458 --> 00:44:42,370 and says he knows of no other profession 166 00:44:42,500 --> 00:44:46,698 where the best come together and compete against each other 167 00:44:46,833 --> 00:44:49,540 for the title of World Champion.