Archive for 'Dutch Language'
What Are Polders? Posted by Sten on Jul 21, 2016
Does it get more Dutch than a polder? Yes, kaas (cheese) maybe… But the great difference is that polder does not even know an English translation! Pretty Dutch then, right? One great example of a polder has already been highlighted before: the Dutch province Flevoland is a huge Polder. Even though polders are explained there shortly, a lot is left unexplained, and therefore this post…
The EU, de Globalisering, and the Dutch Language Posted by Jakob Gibbons on Jul 19, 2016
The summer is off to a shaky start for the European project. For the 27 remaining member states, it’s not only politics and public life that stands to change, but also language, languages, and the balance between them. In the midst of it all, the Netherlands and the Dutch language have front row seats, right in the…
This Dutch Treat is Racist Posted by Sten on Jun 6, 2016
At least, so they say! Today, I have a rather controversial post for you. It is about “chocolate-coated marshmallow treats”, as Wikipedia likes to call them. I am talking about these things: Negerzoen and its origins What is controversial about them? In the Netherlands and Germany, they are known as Negerzoenen or Negerküsse, which literally translates to “Nigger Kisses”…
4 Ways to Get Dutch People to Actually Speak Dutch with You Posted by Jakob Gibbons on May 31, 2016
Every Dutch learner learns this real fast: the hardest thing about learning Dutch is getting Dutch speakers to speak Dutch with you. Welcome to the linguistic conundrum that is Northern Europe, those wealthy countries along the North Sea where English fluency is upward of 90% and people tend to automatically speak English to foreigners. I…
Can You Say This Correctly? – 4: Tony’s Chocolonely Puur – Samenstellingen Posted by Sten on May 30, 2016
One of the hardest things about learning Dutch is pronunciation. Whether it is about the ui-klank (the “ui” sound), the G-klank (the “G” sound) or other sounds you might have a hard time with. This series, called “Can You Say This Correctly?”, is about providing a speech example that I recorded. I will give the Dutch text, a translation…
3 Things You Have To Know About Broodjeaapverhalen! Posted by Sten on May 23, 2016
You may have heard of them – Broodjeaapverhalen (Bread with monkey stories)! But maybe you haven’t! What is a broodjeaapverhaal? And why this weird name? What about a famous story? 1. What is a broodjeaapverhaal? Broodje means a roll, or a bread, with something on it. This is the word that comes right after. So, a broodje kaas, like in…
Can You Say This Correctly? – 3: Tony’s Chocolonely Melk Passievrucht Yoghurt – C: [s] or [k]? Posted by Sten on May 20, 2016
One of the hardest things about learning Dutch is pronunciation. Whether it is about the ui-klank (the “ui” sound), the G-klank (the “G” sound) or other sounds you might have a hard time with. This series, called “Can You Say This Correctly?”, is about providing a speech example that I recorded. I will give the Dutch text, a translation…