Unit CGD - A Sample
Peculiar to Dutch
Phonologically Dutch has developed a number of distinctive
features:
- /g/ became /x/ e.g. German Gold v. Dutch goud
- /ft/ became /xt/ e.g. German Luft, Kraft v. Dutch
lucht, kracht
- /ks/ became /s/ e.g. German Fuchs, sechs v. Dutch
vos, zes
- ald / old became oud e.g. German Gold v. Dutch
goud
- alt / olt became out e.g. German Salz v. Dutch
zout
Dutch has less fronting of vowels, less ‘umlaut’, than
German and English:
| German |
Käse |
hören |
| English |
cheese |
to hear |
| Dutch |
kaas |
horen |
‘Faux amis’
As with any pair of closely related languages, there are
semantic differences between cognates:
German |
Dutch |
| wie |
how |
wie |
who |
| versuchen |
to try |
verzoeken |
to request |
| Ausfahrt |
exit |
uitvaart |
funeral |
[Write the following on the board]
We weten dat de vos in de oude woonboot is.
Finally, let’s see what your Dutch is now like. How much
sense can you make of this Dutch sentence? |