Comments on Congres Frans beginsTypePad2007-03-16T09:27:06ZEwan McIntoshhttps://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/tag:typepad.com,2003:https://edu.blogs.com/edublogs/2007/03/congres_frans_b/comments/atom.xml/Karyn Romeis commented on 'Congres Frans begins'tag:typepad.com,2003:6a00d83451f00f69e200d834eddd9553ef2007-03-16T10:19:28Z2007-04-30T05:16:46ZKaryn Romeishttp://karynromeis.blogspot.comI can't resist sharing this anecdote about a Dutch language learner not quite so extraordinaire. My step-grandfather emigrated from Holland...<p>I can't resist sharing this anecdote about a Dutch language learner not quite so extraordinaire.</p>
<p>My step-grandfather emigrated from Holland to South Africa with is wife and three year old son in about 1933. When I met him about 50 years later, he claimed to be trilingual: fluent in English, Afrikaans as well as his native Dutch. The trouble was, no matter which of the three languages he claimed to be speaking, he sounded exactly the same. He seemed to have developed a way of speaking all three languages simultaneously. For example, he related to me - supposedly in English - the following information about his dog (reproduced more or less phonetically): "He ron opp an off opp an off an he bloff an he bloff an he bloff". Apparently, this meant "He (the dog was actually female!) runs up and down and up and down and barks and barks and barks". Thank goodness my soon-to-be-stepdad was on hand to translate!</p>