Living in the Netherlands means conducting life in two languages – Dutch and English. Mine is essentially a bilingual life. My three sons are being raised bilingually and our home conversations and discussions are a mixture of both languages. Yes, Dunglish is alive and well in our home. A life lived in more than one language is not just interesting, it is enriching too.
Dutch is Not German, In Case You’re Wondering
At school I did French, German and dabbled a little with Italian. At university my degree comprised to a large extent French and meant I had to “study” (*smirk*) in Toulouse for a year. So when I knew I was moving to the Netherlands, I embraced the challenge of learning another language. Easy I thought, it’s like German.
Dutch is not like German.
Let me set the record straight: two very different languages dear reader.
I am going to go out on a limb here and say that Dutch is harder to learn than German, and prior knowledge of German actually put me at a disadvantage when it came to beginner’s level Dutch – all I could think of was eins, zwei, drei and ich bin……
How I Learnt Dutch
However, despite my disadvantage I had enthusiasm on my side. I started learning Dutch before I had even packed my bags for my move to the Netherlands, with help from Hugo: “Learn Dutch in Three Months”.
I was on a roll, or so I thought, but then I had a telephone call with my then to-be future mother-in-law. She asked,
“Hoe is het?”
and unfortunately for me this is pronounced like “Who is it?” Strange I thought, how many English sounding girls call her house…..?
“Er, it’s me, Amanda,” I explained.
Fits of laughter on the other end of the telephone, and a conversation I never really lived down.
Self-confidence. Smashed. To smithereens.
Of course, the standard question ‘hoe is het?’ in Dutch means how are you. My first Dutch test and I failed miserably. One of many, I hasten to add.
The Difficulties of Learning Dutch
Admittedly, Dutch is not the easiest language in the world to learn.
There are sounds that are very unnatural to a native English speaker, or just anyone that can speak full-stop.
It took me some years to master the correct pronunciation of Scheveningen and Voorschoten, the latter being where I lived for the first few months of my Dutch adventure. Not being able to pronounce where you live sure makes it hard telling others where you live. Mumbling “near Leiden,” became my get out clause.
The “g” is even harder – it is a sound made half in the throat and half in the mouth and is an abominable sound for unpracticed linguists. It sounds a bit like the tail end of a bad cold. But after years of strange looks and sympathy, I think I have cracked it.
On top of this, there is the problem for students of Dutch that many grammatical constructions exist “because they do” and not because they comply to any particular language rules or logic. The number of times I have asked my husband why something is said or spelt a certain way and I have been met with a blank stare or a smirk as he explains,
“That’s Dutch. I don’t know why. It just is.”
The Joys of Raising Bilingual Children
Thankfully, things got easier. With many practiced years under my belt I can now just about hold my own in any given Dutch conversation (unless it is in Achterhoeks, then you’ve lost me).
Fast forward nearly two decades and I have three bilingual children thrown into the language mix.
And let me tell you that a two year old that speaks Dutch and English can be highly entertaining.
Like the Bert and Ernie incident at the hospital. A doctor was entertaining my son with an Ernie knuffel (stuffed toy).
Doctor: “Waar is Bert?”
My son: “Bert’s at home.”
Little did she know my son actually owned a Bert knuffel, who was at that moment tucked up in his bed. She was obviously expecting a Dutch response, and not his English utterances, and she looked questioningly at us.
She burst into laughter when we clarified that he’d said “Bert’s at home” (‘Bert is thuis’).
The doctor thought my son was casting aspersions on Bert’s sexuality by telling her that “Bert is een homo.”
My eldest just started secondary school, choosing a TTO English/Dutch study. That’s a choice I am certain he would not have made had he not been raised bilingually (though many do opt for TTO without a bilingual background).
A bilingual life is colourful and fun for sure. And learning Dutch? That’s a life long process.
Over to You and Your Bilingual Life
Which languages are spoken in your home? Are you leading a bilingual life?
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