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Dunglish is a combination of Dutch and English, a name for Dutch English, the Dutch speaker's version of the English language. The languages are closely related Germanic languages, and the Dutch are taught English in elementary school. In addition, English spoken movies are not post-synchronized (dubbed) on Dutch television, giving most people the impression that the Dutch are fluent in English. However, listening to a Dutch politician speaking English will reveal this is not always the case. The Dutch word for the poorest form of Dunglish is Steenkolenengels ("Coal English"). This term goes back to the early twentieth century when Dutch port workers used a rudimentary form of English to communicate with the personnel of English coal ships. Errors occur mainly in pronunciation, word order and the meaning of words. Former Dutch ambassador and Prime minister Dries van Agt once is supposed to have said "I can stand my little man" (ik kan mijn mannetje staan, a Dutch saying meaning roughly "I can stand up for myself"). Another example of inappropriate English was phrased by the former leader of the Dutch liberal party, Frits Bolkestein. When talking about economic prospects he kept referring to them as "Golden showers". In Dutch this phrase does not have this second, more dubious connotation. Two American counterparts to Dunglish were once common: Jersey or Bergen County Dutch, a pidgin Dutch spoken in parts of New Jersey and a remnant of the days of Dutch possession of the area in the mid 17th century. In the Midwest, a separate pidgin Dutch was used by immigrants who came from the Netherlands in the 19th century, primarily in Western Michigan where the largest group of Dutch immigrants in the U.S. lived. Jersey Dutch (meaning New Jersey, not Jersey) apparently had quite a long life despite the Dutch disappearing as colonizers early on, and was reputed to have lasted into the 20th century. Yankee Dutch persists to this day, with a few speakers still living, although the likelihood of the pidgin surviving much past the next five to ten years is unlikely. The persistence of both pidgins was attributed to the use of Dutch in church services. It was the anti-German sentiment of World War I that was probably the biggest force in the demise of both pidgins, as the language was mistaken for German by those from outside the communities where the pidgins were spoken.
Incorrect meaning of words Errors often occur because of the faux ami (false cognate) possibility: words are incorrectly translated for understandable reasons. Examples are: Word order Dutch is a partly SVO and partly SOV language whilst English is a complete SVO language. However, many Dutch people assume English has exactly the same word order as Dutch. This creates errors such as: Verb conjugation English and Dutch are both Germanic languages, some words/verbs are very similar and sometimes cause Dutch people to conjugate English verbs using Dutch grammar. Errors in pronunciation Other examples "Welcome in Amsterdam" Should be: "Welcome to Amsterdam" (in Dutch: "Welkom in Amsterdam") "That can" Instead of: "that's possible", "sure" or "of course" (in Dutch: "Dat kan") "Thank you for your reaction" Instead of: "Thank you for your reply" (in Dutch: "Bedankt voor uw reactie") "I hate you all very welcome" Instead of: "I welcome you all" (in Dutch: "Ik heet U allen zeer welkom") "They hardly worked...." Should be: "They have been working very well" (in Dutch: "Ze hebben hard gewerkt") "Gas out of our bottom" Should be: "Gas from our soil/ground" (in Dutch: "Gas uit onze bodem") "I learn you..." Should be "I will teach you..." (in Dutch: "Ik leer je...") "I fok horses" Should be "I breed horses" (in Dutch: "Ik fok paarden") "I first have to look the cat out of the tree." Should be "I have to wait and see which way the cat jumps" (in Dutch: "Ik moet eerst de kat uit de boom kijken") Arthur Numan to the British press after his transfer from PSV to Glasgow Rangers. (Supposedly) "How late is it?" Should be "What time is it?" (in Dutch: "Hoe laat is het?"). "What is there on the hand?" Should be "What is going on?" (in Dutch: "Wat is er aan de hand?"). "Go your gang." Should be "Do your thing" (in Dutch: "Ga je gang"). Jocular reverse use One can also observe the opposite of Dunglish: the pseudo-stupid litteral borrowing of English terms in Dutch. Usually, the speaker doing this will be well aware of his error and wanting to achieve a comical effect. The most famous example of this may be: "Worst-Kaas scenario" Refers to "worst case scenario" (literally: "sausage-cheese scenario"). This expression uses the Dutch words that most closely resemble their English counterparts. Amusingly, they are snacks, often served together alongside drinks (at a "borrel"), so that the term worst-kaas scenario may well be used to describe a situation in which snacks are or will have to be served. E.g. "If we continue to drink beers at this rate, this may well develop into a worst-kaas scenario..." - at which the addressed person should normally respond by ordering snacks without further ado. Worst Teacher Award There is an ongoing debate in many Dutch universities on whether, given the increasing number of foreign exchange students, classes should be taught in English rather than Dutch. A common counterargument is that a significant number of professors are not fluent enough to teach classes in English at a university level. In this light, the Student Union (VSSD) of Delft University of Technology has instated the "Worst Teacher Award", given yearly to the most heinous mistake in English made by a professor. Since 'worst' is the Dutch word for 'sausage', the prize awarded is a large sausage. Some examples: Don't let them eat the cheese off your bread. (Jacques Berenbak) Dutch: Laat je de kaas niet van het brood eten. Meaning: Don't lose your competitive edge. You have to screw up the number. Dutch: Je moet de waarde opschroeven. Meaning: You have to increase the number. This college goes over ramps. Dutch: Dit college gaat over rampen. Meaning: This lecture is about disasters. I tried to lead you around the garden. Dutch: Ik probeerde je om de tuin te leiden. Meaning: I tried to deceive you. I have an equation picked from the sky Dutch: Ik heb een vergelijking uit de lucht gegrepen. Meaning: I took a random equation. You have to meet this with your lat Dutch: Je moet dit meten met je lat. MeaningYou have to measure this with your ruler. See also | ||||||||
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