Languages, Dialects, Accents (page 12)

Gorbatchov

Even in out tiny country Kingdom of the Netherlands (aka Holland) every city and region has dialects).

What I find special is that if I watch a Scandinavian TV serie (Danish, Swedish, Norwegian etc) I can understand a lot of words, that are the same or similar to us.

German we understand because Dutch is a "low German" language.

English is very similar to the Frisian language, the language of our region Friesland.

Most Dutch speak and understand English because we have many English TV series and subtitled to Dutch.

G.

What I find special is that if I watch a Scandinavian TV serie (Danish, Swedish, Norwegian etc) I can understand a lot of words, that are the same or similar to us - that's interesting. I once did voluntary work with a Dutch girl (originally from Surinam) and she said similar. She could understand Swedish.

(She spoke English, Dutch, German & Spanish.)

German we understand because Dutch is a "low German" language - yes, I've read a little about this. Dutch and Deutsch share similar origins.

In the US, 'Pennsylvanian Dutch' is actually a German dialect.

In addition to Nederlands, the language of The Netherlands and Flanders, isn't there also a dialect called Low Saxon, spoken in parts of Germany and The Netherlands?

I know there is a Low German variety in Northern Germany (Niederdeutsch/Nedderduutsch).

English is very similar to the Frisian language, the language of our region Friesland - yeah, I've read a little about this, too. This is West Frisian (there are also Saterland Frisian and North Frisian).

Most Dutch speak and understand English because we have many English TV series and subtitled to Dutch - which aspects, if any, of English do Dutch people find difficult?

I find it easier to make some sense of written Dutch as opposed to the spoken language, on account of the similarities with German (e.g. quite a bit of shared or similar vocabulary, similar/same word order).

Dutch pronunciation, especially vowels - deary me! XD

LoveUniHateExams

I also find Dutch to be in some way between English and German, e.g.

Can I help you? - Kan ik u helpen? - Kann ich Ihnen helfen?

I get Dutch word order at least some of the time because it's often similar or identical to German.

And look at the Dutch word for help. It's more similar to English than the German word and helfen is pretty similar to English as it is!

Gorbatchov

Loveunieetcetera, the problem with English spoken by Dutch people is that it is too direct.

Like "I thank you from the bottom of my heart".

And misjudge replies like "that's interesting" for real.

And we give our real opinion.

If you ask a dutchmen his opinion, you get a real answer. "Do you like my new shoes" can be replied with "No, I prefer an other model".

See:

G.https://dutchreview.com/culture/living-in-the-netherlands/guide-to-dutch-directness/

And we like it 😂😂😂

G.

LoveUniHateExams

@G - interesting link!

Although I think Australians can be direct, too!

Maybe today they may be more refined but a couple of generations ago Aussies were pretty direct. XD

Again, I can understand some of the Dutch words because I know some German.

Slecht must mean bad because schlecht means bad in German.

Lekker must be a positive word because lecker means delicious or tasty in German.

Met = mit.

And gaat is similar to geht and means the same, I take it.

Hoe gaat 't? = wie geht's?

In English we have "how goes it?" but it's archaic, people don't talk like that today. Centuries ago, maybe ...

Diogenesister

In English we have "how goes it?" but it's archaic, people don't talk like that today. Centuries ago, maybe ...

Thats why I think GSE English literature would be fairly easy for a dutchmen or a German as the kids typically get Chaucer to study. Its like a mixture of english and german (being that english is a germanic language) - such as "eye" Chaucer writes as "augen"

waton

english is a germanic language) -

with an addition of refinements in french.

anything complicated is of french origin.

slimboyfat

https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5994237225074688/american-accents-bette-midler-clinton-rick-fearon-strathclyde-morningside

LoveUniHateExams

@Diogenesister - I wish I got to study Chaucer at school.

I studied Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo & Juliet (not really my thing!)

The type of English in Chaucer's work is Middle English of the 15th century, i.e. late ME.

Many words look similar or identical but were pronounced differently. E.g. time was two syllables, pronounced something like 'teemuh', so yes a bit like German.

If you go back further, the language becomes more Germanic, with less French and Latin vocabulary ...

Svmer is icumen in
Lhude sing cuccu
Groweþ sed
and bloweþ med
and springþ þe wde nu
Sing cuccu

Awe bleteþ after lomb
lhouþ after calue cu
Bulluc sterteþ
bucke uerteþ
murie sing cuccu

Cuccu cuccu
Wel singes þu cuccu
ne swik þu nauer nu

Sing cuccu nu • Sing cuccu.

Middle English lyrics from c. 1225 - 1250.

LoveUniHateExams

And, going back further to c. 1130 - 1150, here are some excerpts from The Peterborough Chronicle (a continuation of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle). This was roughly when Old English transitioned into Middle English. There are translations into Modern English to aid understanding.

"Þa the suikes undergæton ðat he milde man was and softe and god, and na iustise ne dide, þa diden hi alle wunder" (1137)

("When the traitors understood that he (Stephen) was a gentle man, and soft and good, and did not execute justice, they committed all manner of atrocity.")

and

"æuric rice man his castles makede and agænes him heolden; and fylden þe land ful of castles. Hi suencten suyðe þe uurecce men of þe land mid castelweorces; þa þe castles uuaren maked, þa fylden hi mid deoules and yuele men. Þa namen hi þa men þe hi wendan ðat ani god hefden, bathe be nihtes and be dæies, carlmen and wimmen, and diden heom in prisun and pined heom efter gold and syluer untellendlice pining; for ne uuaeren naeure nan martyrs swa pined alse hi waeron."

("Every chieftain made castles and held them against the king; and they filled the land full of castles. They viciously oppressed the poor men of the land with castle-building work; when the castles were made, then they filled the land with devils and evil men. Then they seized those who had any goods, both by night and day, working men and women, and threw them into prison and tortured them for gold and silver with uncountable tortures, for never was there a martyr so tortured as these men were.")

and

"Me henged up bi the fet and smoked heom mid ful smoke. Me henged bi the þumbes other bi the hefed and hengen bryniges on her fet. Me dide cnotted strenges abuton here hæued and uurythen it ðat it gæde to þe haernes… I ne can ne I ne mai tellen alle þe wunder ne all þe pines ðat he diden wrecce men on þis land."

("One they hung by his feet and filled his lungs with smoke. One was hung up by the thumbs and another by the head and had coats of mail hung on his feet. One they put a knotted cord about his head and twisted it so that it went into the brains… I neither can nor may recount all the atrocities nor all the tortures that they did on the wretched men of this land.")

Languages, Dialects, Accents

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