A Dutch learner in Brussels' View

Here is an interesting article about one woman's attempts to learn Dutch in Brussels.

It's the same old problem unfortunately: nobody with whom to practice with some good old red-tape thrown in for good measure. Check it out here:

Clutch that Dutch
"Learning Dutch is proving much harder than I expected."

http://www.fansofflanders.be/Categories/Blogs/14_October_2013/04102013_Ana_Elisa_Miranda 

by Ana Elisa Miranda

Basic Dutch Phrases

By gum you could cut that Dutch accent with a knife, but it's a nice introduction video to some basic phrases used in the Netherlands and Belgium.

The boss!

From your supervisor to Bruce Springsteen we're used to the word 'boss' in English. It's the person in charge. The chief. The order giver…and such an English word!

Such an English word that I was intrigued to learn that 'baas' in Dutch has a similar meaning. They sound similar, but surely they can't be related? Let me check.

boss = baas

In fact I learned it in the context of huisbaas (lit. house boss) or landlord in English. So after a quick internet search found that, yes indeed, they are related. Not only that but etymologically speaking Dutch is the baas over boss…

Boss,n.
"overseer," 1640s, Amer.Eng., from Du. baas "a master," M.Du. baes, of obscure origin.


Further digging found this article which tells of baas as a great Dutch export.


"Variations on the Dutch word baas can be found in 57 other world languages, making it the most widely adopted Dutch word, according to Leiden researcher Nicoline van der Sijs.

'We have to conclude that the Dutch and Flemish were happy to be the boss, on ships and plantations and the like,’ Van der Sijs says"

Bezig : Busy

Although these two words don't on the surface look very similar they do sound linked.


Bezig is pronounced /ˈbeː.zɪx/ and busy is pronounced: /ˈbɪzi/


So not exaclty the same but happily similar to help in remembering the link between them.


You won't be surprised to learn that they have the same root and that busy is "cognate with Old Dutch bezich, and Lower German besig." Reference.


I'd be happy to hear some of the subtle differences between the words 'busy', 'bezig' and 'druk'...

D becomes TH

Another useful brain bookmark I've made which does help a little in making sense of this new language I've decided to take up is that sometimes we can seek clues in the letter D.

Dutch uses 'D' sometimes where English uses 'TH' in a word of a similar meaning.

If you look at the following examples, you'll see what I mean:

Nederland : The Netherlands
Beneden : Beneath
Dief : Thief
De : The
Dit : This (sometimes!)

I find it not only useful for these words but as a marker for the language as a whole, giving me some ideas as to the structure of words.

See how close Beneath and Benedan are in their linguistic heritage:
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=beneath

From Old English: beneoðan "beneath, under, below,"

Gooien : to throw

This is intriguing for me as a Northerner. When I was told how this curious-looking word was pronounced and what it meant I couldn't help but see a link with Geordie. Gooien is pronounced as "Hoyen" (hear it here) which is very similar to the word used in the North East for throw: "hoy". Although Geordie differs from Standard English mostly in it's accent there are some old words that exist with deep roots into Nordic languages and this might be one of them.

Gooien : to throw (or hoy in the North East).

Reference: http://www.englandsnortheast.co.uk/GeordieDictionary.html (Scroll down to 'hoy')