Saturday 14 November 2009

Language etc.

I changed my mind: I don't want to learn the art of mating with Europeans. I'm getting old now, and I remembered that normally mid-way through an evening out I find myself making uncomfortable small talk and wishing I were at home watching Strictly Come Dancing with an enormous gin and tonic.

Instead, let's learn some Dutch. Namely from the Belgacom advert.



I don't really understand this, but whenever I'm in Antwerp I feel like the guy speaking 'English'...
My friend wrote a funny post about how Dutch is English spoken by LOLcats.
My interpretation is that it's more like Yorkshire English spoken with a Somerset accent by Sean Connery. Anyway. That is all for today.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Why don't you want to learn the art of mating with Europeans?

What happened?

To give up trying is to fail! :-(

Anonymous said...

I feel very bad for you, :-( To give up looking for love in life is tragic especially for someone who seems to be so nice and deserving of love.

1st comment is mine also.

pinolona said...

come on, it's just a blog, lighten up! :)
What I meant was: enough whingeing about being lonely, let's do something constructive (like learn another language)!

katy said...

My favorite new Dutch word: onderzeeër

Three "e"s in a row! And it means submarine.

But it's still not as great as "de man met de hamer" :)

pinolona said...

you get three-e words in French too e.g. créée (feminine past participle of 'créer', to create)

oooh talk geeky to me :p

my favourite word is toiletzitting, only because I bought a new loo seat for the flat and the packaging is still in the bathroom. It makes me giggle to see it when I'm zitten on the potten.
This is getting silly now. Must get out more...

pinolona said...

I just realised what the accent reminds me of: damn, it's not Somerset, it's Welsh!!

Anonymous said...

What I meant was: enough whingeing about being lonely, let's do something constructive (like learn another language)!

ahem!!!!!!!!

I tend to channel pent-up - ahem - physical energy into feverish yet futile mental activity.

I have two degrees, speak Polish and play the organ and can't believe it's taken me this long to work that one out.

Learning new languages is fun anyway, seriously and kind of essential if you are going to live in a country.(i have a sense of humour malfunction, everything is serious! Proof is in this comment that I am taking you up on your contradictory statements :-))

Take care anyway :-)

pinolona said...

anon: I know, I'm doing what I do best :) sort of laughing at myself too...
The thing about Dutch is it's not essential: I can get by on French in Brussels and English everywhere else. It's just funny, I like the way it sounds :D
You have a sense of humour malfunction? no come on... I don't think so.
Are you Polish?
thanks for the support anyway. It's not that I've 'given up' on all that sort of thing but more that I think maybe it's not the big priority at the moment :)

Anonymous said...

No I am not Polish. Good luck with the Dutch. It must be hard not to get all the languages mixed up.

pinolona said...

thank you! no, weirdly the only mix up is that sometimes Polish words creep into my Italian...