I thought I'd answer her question here, because I have a funny story related to this and it's too long to put in a comment...
I speak Dutch and after living in Leuven for 25 years I understand words that come from local dialect. You don't really come across people who only speak dialect; most people here (and in other areas of Flanders) mix their general Dutch with dialect words and a local accent. There is a cultural organization that seeks to keep local dialect alive by producing publications and presentations in it, but generally you'd never really hear it in daily life, except perhaps from elderly long-time inhabitants.
The funny thing is, when we were first married and lived in the center of town, we lived on a very narrow street with tiny houses, and we had an elderly neighbor lady, Hermine, who did speak dialect. She was always out walking her dog, it seemed, and we would say hello and exchange a few words when we bumped into her. Half the time I had no clue what she was saying but after a while I got used to the way she spoke and understood her better and better. She must have noticed this improvement because one day she said to me, "You understand me much better now, don't you?"
I nodded and smiled. Then she added, "So you're not from Leuven?"
10 comments:
Aww, that is too cute! And funny that she teased you like that! I mean, she was teasing, to ask that!
That is interesting how they mix the dialect in. Do the boys all know most of it, too?
Ha, that is funny! I think it is the same with me and Dutch. Being Afrikaans I understand most Dutch but have to get used to the way people speak to fully understand them. I understand Dutch when I read it quite well.
No, the boys don't speak dialect either, but use some words/expressions. I think you really need to grow up in a family where dialect is spoken to really master it. My husband speaks the dialect from where he grew up, but doesn't use it with the boys, since we don't live in that area, I guess.
I had the same problem with my neighbour but she was speaking English all along. It was her thick Dutch accent that made her difficult to understand so I'd try to avoid speaking with her. Now I understand her fine but I try to avoid her still because she likes to talk too much.
I was trying to explain to my students that just because someone speaks English doesn't mean you can understand them. They don't understand what dialects are. After all we are the ones speaking correctly.
You do know I am joking right?
Yes - ;-)
She was a smart lady.....
That is a funny story.
Where I live now they speak dialect too and it took me some years to understand it. I don't speak it because I'm not from here and it's an ugly dialect, not nice to hear.
What a beautiful picture of your local street sign! As you know, I am so curious. Thanks for posting it, Amy.
I Completely agree on keeping local dialects alive. According to this aim, the "Rosetta Project" website contains an open public collection of the world's nearly 7,000 human languages. http://rosettaproject.org/get-involved/
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