There are two possible reasons why native English speakers (and I use that term loosely to include American and ‘strine colleagues) struggle so much with learning Dutch. Firstly there is English speakers famed incapacity to perform in other languages. This may stem from educational systems that make little effort inculcate other languages, a lack of interest in other cultures or geographic remoteness (few English speaking countries have direct land borders with countries with another language). That’s an argument for another day. Despite these factors there are some English speakers who do manage to conquer – or at least bridge - the language divide. Often this surprises others. I have sometimes been told that I speak good French, short pause, “for an Englishman”. It’s a strange back handed compliment.
Dutch though is another matter. I have lived here five years and while I can muster a few sentences and understand the gist of what is happening in the news I can’t in all honesty hold a conversation. Part of the problem is most Dutch people speak English and want to use it whenever they get the chance. When waiters or supermarket checkout girls detect a non-Dutch accent they are really keen to switch to English. It makes their day. And it makes us English speakers lazy. If we want to use our limited Dutch we really have to insist on doing so. So it is sometimes gratifying to conduct some transactions (beyond “a pound of cheese please”} in Dutch. This week I managed to cancel a magazine subscription on the phone and explain why I was returning a CD to the library three weeks after returning the empty box (having left the offending disc in my computer) and felt slightly proud of myself.
The best way to learn Dutch is to be around kids or older people. I had an DIY man do some work for me a few weeks ago who didn’t speak any English at all – so I learnt the basic vocabulary for tools, the things they do and degrees of straightness. (But don’t test me on these as I might have forgotten). That’s the thing with languages you have to use them every day and with my work it is sometimes possible to not use Dutch for a few days at a time. Most English speakers I know here said that they started picking up the language after five years –so there’s some hope for me yet.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Maybe Dutch people (and I am one) do not so much want to show off their knowledge of the english language, but rather they find it more important to try and understand the other person. In history, adapting has often be a succesful strategy.
Languages are considered very important and are easily available in schoolprogrammes, courses for adults etcetera.
"want to use it whenever they get the chance". I, as Dutchie, rather think that we are keen on understanding the other person. And what nicer gesture than to switch to the language of the other person.
Just another view ...
arlette - with respect I do not find that a nice gesture whatsover. In fact I find it incredibly rude and arrogant - it's like saying 'your Dutch isn't good enough for me so we will now speak in English'. This is a huge problem in the Netherlands and is, I believe, the single most difficulty in learning the language. The Dutch, in general, do not want to speak their language with learners.
I should clarify the above - I don't for a second think that anyone is intentionally disrespectful when changing the language of conversation into English but it can feel that way. I am sure it is all meant well. That doesn't make it right though. OK, end of rant :-)
Looks like I have opened a can of worms here. I hope I haven't started a flame war here. In fairness Arlette did ask me to remove the fisrt post (but I haven't worked out how to do thís). So I think she had second thoughts about how it was expressed (pouring oil on troubled waters).
I have also been guilty of switching a converstion from English to French if I felt that my French was better than the English of the person I was talking to. Of curse you can do this with friends but with strangers it can be a bit rude. It is partly a functional response but also a desire to use one one's foreign laguages skills (and show off too?) Waiters in Brussels and Paris are very prone to do this to my French (showing that it is not that good)
Non Dutch people do struggle with Dutch pronounciation - especially of multiple vowel sounds- I struggle when speaking in differentiating between say a boor sound and a boer sound - or huur and hoer. (This can be embarassing when you are enquiring about your rent subsidy!). Last month I struggled to order a Duval (a beer) because I pronounced it in a way that the waitress just could not understand. And I have a mortal fear of trying to order eggs or onions...
So i do understand why Dutch people often do this - as we mangle their language so much - but it makes a learner's job much harder.
LOL, I guess it's easier to learn English in America then, so far no Americans have tried to switch to Chinese when talking to me...
I agree with all of these points of view but I think a large part of it (which I find funny) is that the Dutch CANNOT seem to understand their own language when it is spoken with a foreign accent! I remeber trying to ask a couple of police officers where to find a good (cheap) rijstafel. I SWEAR I was pronouncing it correctly but it took several tries before they understood what I was saying and then said "Ohhh rijstafel!" in what I could have SWORN was the EXACT same pronunciation I had just used!
I think this is especially funny for English speakers because we can almost always decipher what a non-native speaker is saying no matter HOW badly they massacre the language. Of course, in most cases, we have to.
Post a Comment