Dutch is so beautiful! (Specific Languages) Language Learning Forum

Dutch is so beautiful!
Tags: Beauty \| Dutch
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Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages

34 messages over 5 pages: 1 2 3 4 5

sallen
Newbie
United States
Joined 5346 days ago
1 posts - 2 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: Spanish

Message 33 of 34

15 July 2010 at 5:32am | IP Logged

I'm definitely in the I Love Dutch camp. I love the sound of it. I love the way it looks on the page. I think it sounds sexy, too, but my wife's Dutch, so it would be pretty pathetic if I didn't, right? Great language. I love all the different accents, too. My wife thinks Belgian Dutch speakers sound like idiots, but I like the sound of that softer accent as well as the more edgy Netherlands variety.

One odd thing that's happened a couple of times to me recently is that English speakers who haven't studied Dutch will suggest that it's extremely close to English. They imply that if you know English you're just a step away from being fluent in Dutch. Bizarre. I'm not sure where they get this, but that isn't my experience at all. Dutch seems a lot closer to German than to English to my ears/eyes.
2 persons have voted this message useful

tracker465
Senior Member
United States
Joined 5355 days ago
355 posts - 496 votes

Speaks: English*
Studies: German, Spanish, Dutch

Message 34 of 34

15 July 2010 at 6:43am | IP Logged

sallen wrote:

One odd thing that's happened a couple of times to me recently is that English speakers who haven't studied Dutch will suggest that it's extremely close to English. They imply that if you know English you're just a step away from being fluent in Dutch. Bizarre. I'm not sure where they get this, but that isn't my experience at all. Dutch seems a lot closer to German than to English to my ears/eyes.

I had heard a quote one time from a famous author (I thought it was Twain, but a quick search does not yield the quote) that he felt that "Dutch sounds like English from afar, it is only later that you get close enough and realize that you don't understand a word of it." I personally agree with this idea, as I have sometimes heard Dutch without really paying attention only later to realize that the speakers were speaking Dutch.

Vocabulary wise, Dutch is very close to German, but I see it as a language between German and English. If I only spoke English and looked at some Dutch text, I am sure that I would be able to understand some things effortlessly, if I wanted to.

1 person has voted this message useful

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