h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

< <./>Welcome</.> > back I notice you have been away some time from this site.
I must say your dutch is rather good for what I have seen others do

Good to see you back.

Thanks for the reply!
I'm looking forward to entering the fray properly this time.

Mother tongue English speakers of Dutch are becoming an endangered species here in Arnhem but we do exist. Friday nights at our theatre with the proverbial Englishwoman, Irishmman and Scotsman manning the bar and all speaking Dutch together can be quite interesting and entertaining... especially for the public who are used to having to communicate with all and sundry in English.

I've been very lucky in that Dutch friends and colleaugues are under oath, on pain of death to speak only in Dutch, which is how I managed to pick it up fairly well. Speaking English in our lacal kroeg is also frowned upon (in a light hearted sort of way) so you can imagine that I learned how to order beers sharpish!

At home we"ve got to the stage that my wife (Dutch) speaks Dutch pretty much the whole time and I pick and choose as the mood takes me.

Most of my friends who have learned the language all agree that it takes about three years to get a good working basis, how far you want to go after that is up to you.

Tot de volgende keer! Groetjes, Ongewoon.

One question . . .
Have you managed to pronounce huurhuis (rented house) ?

yes!...but with difficulty!

I felt a bit of a prat at first because it sounds as though you have a speech impediment when you say it. I find the subtle difference betwwen V and W not only difficult to pronounce, but also difficult to pick out.

How do you manage with "verse worst" (uncooked sausage) and the ultimate test, Scheveningen?

groetjes, Ongewoon.

Simple, I just dont know any better

Well I am searching for sound equivalents to the dutch uu and ui sounds in english.

If you think of a scottish accent, "see you Jimmy" for example, then you have the "uu" sound in the you, but I can't think of anything to match the Dutch "ui". You can say as a rough guide the OU in couch but it only comes a bit close.
It always sounds much better if you attempt "ui" after a beer or two, then you are not so selfconscious.
One of my very first pronunciation problems was the place name "Uchelen" in nearby Aooeldoorn, it sounded as if I had bronchitis every time I said it!