OMG have you guys just heard......

No it doesn't! Trust me, I have the proper hard Dutch G on my tongue and it's a lot different.

 

I agree with Roel that the Dutch and Arab sounds are different, although I wouldn't call them very different...

 

Ok I bow to your greater judgement.

To my English ear though it does sound similar, but there again I cannot pronounce sch the Dutch way either.



I am just a dumb Englishman.

 

Don't feel bad, GP - speaking Dutch isn't something you learn - it's a speaking disorder that some are born with

Christian

 

I didn't mean to make you feel like a stupid Englishman, GP! I was just applying my just about 15 years of experience speaking Dutch. It's a horrible throat disease, can someone provide me with a cure?

Christian, do you speak Dutch btw?

 

Roel
I don't speak Dutch (yet - but it's on my to-do list), but I've been to The Netherlands a couple of times, one time staying with some Dutch friend, who has also come here to Denmark. I also had a Dutch girl in my class during college, so I've been 'exposed' a bit.
I'm usually able to read Dutch without too many problems, but understanding spoken Dutch is a bit over my head... :?

 

Funny. When I see Danish written I don't understand a word, but when I hear it spoken it sounds terribly familiar. As does Swedish by the way.

It seems though that you've been exposed quite enough to understand some of it, what I can't say of Danish. So I'll see you as my ally in defending that the Arabic hhR is not the Dutch G. :lol: What's this all about, anyway? :roll:

 

I guess I have a natural flair for languages, even though I prefer math.

Written Dutch is quite easy when you know English, German and Danish, though. Some sentences I've seen are exactly identical in Danish and Dutch, aside from a few letters.
Danish and Dutch have roughly the same gramatical composition (Dutch grammar is closer to Danish grammar than any other language), so if you take up learning Danish it shouldn't be so difficult

I think that Dutch have more sharp sounds than Scandinavian languages, though.

 

It has more sharp sounds than just about any language. There are very few people who can make a decent Dutch G or R. None of our neighbouring countries have the same pronunciation of these letters, and the Dutch-speaking Belgians use a softened version.

I might try learning Danish. At least it will get me into Norway, too.

 

I'd imagine it's quite easy - you just have to make coughing sounds for every second word.

That depends - Bokmål is quite different from Danish (and Norwegian). Fortunately, noone uses it aside form the Norwegian gouvernment

Christian

 

Just come back from Billund, and while watching a news program, I am sure the news reader never said a single word fully. It was like the mic was broken.

Enjoyed it very much, so did the wife and kids. That is the holiday in Denmark not the news.

 

Ah yes, Legoland. Expensive, but fun