Talk:Dutch

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Contents 1 Dutch Classes in Amsterdam 2 Duch pronunciation 3 Dutch abbreviations 4 Baby steps

[edit] Dutch Classes in Amsterdam

Hai, if you want to find a really good Dutch course in Amsterdam, then go to http://www.joostweethet.nl

It's a good old fashioned way to learn Dutch (no computers), very communicative and lessons are really funny. I had a great time and learned a lot.

[edit] Duch pronunciation

Er zijn honderden uitspraken te horen van Nederlandstalige woorden te vinden op Commons Deze woorden hebben bijna allemaal een woord in de nl:wiktionary .. GerardM 14:29, 19 Mar 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Dutch abbreviations

One topic for Advanced Students that ought to be covered are Dutch abbreviations whether for Dutch words (like a.s. for aanstaande, E.H.B.O.-post for Eeerste hulp bij ongelukken-post (First Aid Station) and bijv. or b.v. for bijvoorbeeld), Latin words (like c.q. for casus quo (in that case) or L.S. for Lectore Salutem (To Whom It May Concern on Notices) or for French words (like SVP for S'íl vous plaît (Als 't u blieft) . What makes these abbreviations hard for English and Romance-language natives, at least, are:

1. There are more of them than in English. (I have an 18 1/2 page list, which does include quite a number of English-language commercial abbreviations like CIF or FOB.)
2. They are more commonly used and reach into critical situations such as EHBO.
3. You have to master them if you want to be fully functional in Dutch.
4. When the Dutch read out text with abbreviations, they don't say the letters of the abbreviation but the equivalent full text. For example when reading a text with c.q. in it, they will say casus quo instead, unlike English where people will say i.e. as I then E or the equivalent in English.Albertde 15:31, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Now this isn't entirely true. c.q., for instance, is mostly pronounced as C followed by Q in my experience! Sbashi (talk) 17:36, 13 August 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Baby steps

Baby steps for Dutch learning would be helpful, this wikibook is not very educational. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Ricardoramalho (talk • contribs) 0:52, 8 March 2009 (UTC)

Are you suggesting that it would help if the book explained things better? It would similarly help if you were more explicit in your critisisms.

Also, keep in mind that Wikibooks is a forum for people to collaborate on authoring books, that language textbooks are particularly difficult and that the vast majority of contributors are doing so on a voluntary basis. If you see something that needs fixing, be bold. --Swift (talk) 13:40, 8 March 2009 (UTC)

Hello, thanks for the quick reply... We can all be bold, and assume good faith. I think my comment was quite explicit, and useful for editors (as a user feedback). I am a volunteer in other wikiprojects also, so, I am on your side. I understand that this Dutch wikibook is a type of (spartan) grammar book, for consultation, not really designed for a learning process. (although your answer seems a little defensive... or maybe it´s just my imagination) I can help with some (spartan) learning ideas, (any method is better than no method at all), but I don´t speak any Dutch. My suggestion would be to start a "Learn Dutch Book" from scratch. The Wikilibrary could have many Dutch books! And not just the book. This one first Dutch book can stay as a second reference book, for the new one. What do you think? I really want to learn Dutch. Sincerely yours, Ricardoramalho (talk) 19:08, 8 March 2009 (UTC)

I'm not sure where you're going with the reference to assuming good faith. I don't think and didn't say or imply that you have any bad intentions for this book. "Baby steps" isn't very explicit as it doesn't really point out specific weak points or suggest any particular improvements.

I have no stake in the current state of this book and my comment was not intended for a defense either the contents or the approach, but to solicit a clarification and note that you are free to join in contributing to the book. That you find this book overly grammatical was, for instance, not clear.

Yes, there is plenty of space for other approaches to learning Dutch. Sorry we don't have a book that caters more to your learning style. Good luck with your studies. --Swift (talk) 03:15, 9 March 2009 (UTC)