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So who's made an effort ...



 
 
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  #21  
Old April 12th, 2013, 01:54 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
David Horne[_2_]
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Posts: 890
Default So who's made an effort ...

Frank Hucklenbroich wrote:

Am Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:31:56 +0200 schrieb Tim C.:

On Fri, 12 Apr 2013 07:44:51 +0100, David Horne wrote in post :
:

I would like to learn Arabic at the moment, as I do like to visit Arabic
speaking countries and wonder if the experience wouldn't be enhanced by
a little understanding of the language...


Understanding what all the local beggars are calling out to you in the
street may not enhance your holiday :-)


But imagine their surprise when they realize that you understand them...
Could be well worth it ;-)


It would be a great turn of the tables, certainly. Contemplating a
purchase from a young girl in Jordan my partner and I exchanged a few
comments in Spanish- to which she said in English (but we believed her!)
"Don't think I can't understand what you're saying!"



D

--
(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
www.davidhorne.net (email address on website)
"[Do you think the world learned anything from the first
world war?] No. They never learn." -Harry Patch (1898-2009)
  #22  
Old April 12th, 2013, 02:19 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Erilar
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Posts: 599
Default So who's made an effort ...

Frank Hucklenbroich wrote:
Am Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:21:36 +0000 (UTC) schrieb Bert:

I studied French and German in school, and have had little opportunity
to use either. I was able to read signs, menus and the like when I
traveled in Austria and Germany, but neither language was of much use in
The Netherlands or Norway.


In the Netherlands you can get around with German, the two languages are
not so different from each other and most dutch people understand basic
German. You will also be able to read menus or roadsigns.

Norway is a different story, but most of the people there speak pretty good
english (like in most of Scandinavia).

I can figure out a little of the Scandinavian languages between my German
and study of their ancestor Old Norse, but it seems most Scandinavians
speak really good English.


--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist with iPad
  #23  
Old April 12th, 2013, 04:14 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Bert[_2_]
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Posts: 45
Default So who's made an effort ...

In Frank Hucklenbroich
wrote:

Norway is a different story, but most of the people there speak pretty
good english (like in most of Scandinavia).


I was startled by the fact that the Norwegians I had a chance to talk to
spoke what was essentially American idiomatic English, often with very
little accent.

--
St. Paul, MN
  #24  
Old April 12th, 2013, 05:28 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
David Horne[_2_]
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Posts: 890
Default So who's made an effort ...

Bert wrote:

In Frank Hucklenbroich
wrote:

Norway is a different story, but most of the people there speak pretty
good english (like in most of Scandinavia).


I was startled by the fact that the Norwegians I had a chance to talk to
spoke what was essentially American idiomatic English, often with very
little accent.


Your Norwegian accent might be pretty smooth if you had exposure to
Norwegian language media daily (including popular music), with
subtitles... and had it backed up with lessons from an early age at
school.

D

--
(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
www.davidhorne.net (email address on website)
"[Do you think the world learned anything from the first
world war?] No. They never learn." -Harry Patch (1898-2009)
  #25  
Old April 12th, 2013, 05:38 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Dave Smith
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Posts: 655
Default So who's made an effort ...

On 12/04/2013 2:46 AM, Frank Hucklenbroich wrote:
Am Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:21:36 +0000 (UTC) schrieb Bert:

I studied French and German in school, and have had little opportunity
to use either. I was able to read signs, menus and the like when I
traveled in Austria and Germany, but neither language was of much use in
The Netherlands or Norway.


In the Netherlands you can get around with German, the two languages are
not so different from each other and most dutch people understand basic
German. You will also be able to read menus or roadsigns.

Norway is a different story, but most of the people there speak pretty good
english (like in most of Scandinavia).



I learned French and German in high school and brushed up on them before
making a trip to Europe. Both were, and still are very rusty, but I was
able to get buy. In most cases when I spoke the local language they
responded in English.


Before travelling to Sweden a few years ago I got a CD of Swedish
lessons and transferred them to an MP3 player. As it turned out, I
didn't need. Our host and hostess and all their family and friends all
spoke excellent English. I only ran into one Swede who did not speak
English.

From my experiences, Belgium and Italy were the only places where it
was hard to get service in English.


  #26  
Old April 12th, 2013, 05:45 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
David Horne[_2_]
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Posts: 890
Default So who's made an effort ...

Dave Smith wrote:

[]
From my experiences, Belgium and Italy were the only places where it
was hard to get service in English.


Do you recall which part of Belgium? I would be really shocked with any
problems in the Flemish speaking part, based on recent experiences.
Brussels too, but I don't think I've travelled in the Francophone areas.

D

--
(*) of the royal duchy of city south and deansgate
www.davidhorne.net (email address on website)
"[Do you think the world learned anything from the first
world war?] No. They never learn." -Harry Patch (1898-2009)
  #27  
Old April 12th, 2013, 10:01 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Dave Smith
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Posts: 655
Default So who's made an effort ...

On 12/04/2013 12:45 PM, David Horne wrote:
Dave Smith wrote:

[]
From my experiences, Belgium and Italy were the only places where it
was hard to get service in English.


Do you recall which part of Belgium? I would be really shocked with any
problems in the Flemish speaking part, based on recent experiences.
Brussels too, but I don't think I've travelled in the Francophone areas.


It was in Ypres. That surprised me, considering the large number of
Commonwealth tourists.




  #28  
Old April 12th, 2013, 11:14 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Király[_1_]
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Posts: 276
Default So who's made an effort ...

poldy wrote:
to learn the language of the countries they visit?


I married a Hungarian and have made great effort in trying to learn some
of the language for when we visit. It is quite difficult but I can get
by with the basics, and since I have a keen ear for pronunciation, I'm
told that what I can speak is nearly accentless.

All the guidebooks say that Hungarians tend to be impressed with
tourists who speak it, owing to the fact that few attempt it. But that
hasn't been my experience. I find that people I meet tend to get
annoyed with me when I don't understand when they speak back to me.

I suspect that when I speak Hungarian with no accent I get mistaken for
a native simpleton rather than a foreign tourist. Maybe I'll work on
worstening my pronunciation and see if that makes a difference.

--
K.

Lang may your lum reek.
  #29  
Old April 12th, 2013, 11:25 PM posted to rec.travel.europe
Király[_1_]
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Posts: 276
Default So who's made an effort ...

David Horne wrote:
Assuming the waiter is Hungarian, the waiter might understand a Finn
speaking Finnish :-) There are similarities between the languages.


I believe they're mutually unintelligible (for practical purposes)
despite being part of the same group...


Hungarian and Finnish are distantly related and the degree of
similarity between them is very small; comparable to that between
English and Russian or Hindi.

--
K.

Lang may your lum reek.
 




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