Dutch Difficulties with English Dialects.

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Dutch Difficulties with English Dialects

Knowledge of the Dutch language is not sufficient to be understood all over the world. Therefore, many Dutch people have taken the effort to acquire a level of near-native proficiency of the English language. However, there are several varieties of English, for example Irish and Scottish dialects. Nevertheless, the majority of the Dutch have learnt British English instead of Scottish, Irish. Why would this be the case? Although the Irish and Scottish dialects are closely related to the British English language, it remains more difficult for Dutch people to acquire this language. This can be explained by the fact that British tradition is more integrated in the Dutch culture, and RP is more often heard in the media than Scottish and Irish pronunciation. Also, the use of Scottish and Irish is diminishing, because an international pressure to create uniformity in the English language forces dialects to disappear gradually. Dutch learners have better opportunities to acquire British English instead of Scottish or Irish dialects.

The British tradition is more integrated in the Dutch culture than Scottish. Of all the major modern Germanic languages, Dutch is the closest relative of English. The Dutch language contains many French loanwords, though not as many as the English. The German language contains less French loanwords than English or Dutch. For example, the word ‘boulevard’, a French word integrated in both Dutch and English language, is in German called a ‘Prachtstraβe’. The word ‘saint’, a French loanword integrated in English, can be translated by ‘sint’ in Dutch, which is comparable to the English word. On the contrary, the German word for ‘saint’ is ‘Heiliger’, a word completely deviated from English language. This proves that English vocabulary is deeply enrooted in Dutch vocabulary. Many English words have been integrated in Dutch language so profoundly that nowadays, hardly anyone recognizes them as being ´English loanwords´. Some examples of words of English origines that have been integrated in Dutch language are: manager,  computer,  flat and ticket. There are no typically Scottish of Irish words embedded in the Dutch language, which follows from the fact that there are more speakers of Standard English than Scottisch and Irish. The British culture is more familiar to Dutch people than the Irish or Scottish culture. British English is spoken in the Southern areas of Great Britain, which is geographically closer to the Netherlands in comparison to Northern Ireland and Scotland. Therefore it is easier for Dutch people to speak British English in their near surroundings. Many people from Holland are not able to mention any other characteristics apart from ‘Irish pubs’ and ‘Scottish kilts and bagpipes’. Of course, this is relative, but in general, the Dutch knowledge of English people is broader. Some famous items: the English breakfast, the Royal Family, and the prejudices of British being conservative and distant. British culture is more embedded in Dutch culture than the Irish or Scottish culture.

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British English is often heard on Dutch television and radio, whereas Irish and Scottish pronunciation does hardly appear. Received Pronunciation (RP), the pronunciation used by educated people in the southeast of England, for example the Queen. Also, it is the accent spoken by BBC newsreaders. Many British programmes have been broadcasted on Dutch national television, for example: Fawlty Towers, The Muppet Show and Monty Python's Flying Circus. These programmes expose the Dutch spectator to British English. Also, BBC programmes, famous for their use of the British accent, are broadcasted in the Netherlands. There are rarely programmes on Dutch television in which ...

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