Translation of nu.nl's 'Nederlanders moeten volharden in eigen taal'

THE HAGUE: Dutch people mustn't undervalue their own language. This is what Eberhard van der Laan the minister for housing, communities and integration thinks, as was published on the ministry's website.

According to the Minister "As soon as they realise that they're speaking to someone who's Dutch isn't very good, Dutch people then have the tendency to change to a language that suits the other person. They mean well, but the other person doesn't learn anything from it. Encourage the other person, help them, but continue to speak your own language. Other countries do it and that encourages foreign residents to learn the language as quickly as possible."

One step ahead

What am I on about? This article was published today on nu.nl, a top Dutch online website. As I point out in my last post, it is very hard to practice the language as most people are very quick just to speak English with you. It's rather a generalisation, sorry about that (there are people I've met who will let you try, but these are people who are friends or who know me). On a whole though, most do just want to make life easier. Point is, you will never learn a language if you can't practice it.

Read the nu.nl article here


Maybe the problem is the most Dutch people as a nation just aren't very proud of their language. Maybe a campaign for the government, but lets not think about that, it's all getting a bit too political now, I need to go and lie down...

The biggest pain when learning Dutch

One last rant before I start work on the re-design of the site. It's now been a year since I moved to The Netherlands and I began learning Dutch in February. Learning a language is, of course always hard, but I have to say that I've not found actually learning the language that difficult, only actually getting to use it is the hardest. Then, you find yourself going round in circles, from the trying to converse, to then thinking why do I bother, to back to making the effort again.

Why? Today, it became apparant.

My problem is so it seems, that I either do a good job of fitting into this culture, or I look Dutch (whatever that is). People assume I'm Dutch and talk to me, then expecting a fluent response. I can respond, and do, in as best Dutch as possible. I have to say I am semi-fluent, but sometimes I'm missing a word, or my pronnounciation is too 'English'. Often then the reaction I get is then in English, but most annoyingly is mid-sentence of trying in Dutch the other person says, 'you can say it in English'. Fine, I can, it's my mother tongue after all, but why have I bothered then to learn Dutch, and how am I ever going to get better or learn to say what I want to say in all kinds of situations? Learning a language doesn't just come from learning grammer in a classroom, it comes from experience.

So at this point, I usually wonder why I bother, and give up. Not actually a good feeling anyway, this is then confirmed when I hear an advert on the radio to get people learning the language, or have a conversation with someone who is wondering if I have learn't any Dutch. So then I end up at square 1, trying to converse.

On the other hand, sometimes it does go ok, and I've spent a whole evening in a group never speaking a word of English. Of course everyone's different, but one word to anyone who meets someone trying to learn your langugage: be patient, let them have time to compose what they want to say, and then don't be scared to correct them in a tacktful way. You only learn from your mistakes, but part of that is also realising what was incorrect. Goes for all things in life I suppose.

So anyway, I'm caught up in this process, and a battle of wills. Or a loosing battle some might say.