All Things Holland

Dutch as it stands from a 2005 study is the native language of over 22 million people who reside mostly in the Netherlands and Belgium. (Sijs 348) Dutch as a language in America today is diminishing. (Sijs 107) It looks as if the Dutch language is losing ground it would seem. Apparently one can be proud of one’s Dutch background without being able to speak the Dutch language. A personal anecdote proves this the case. My last name is Dutch and I’m proud of it. Blauvelt means Blue Field in Dutch. I am the 13 th generation living in America since my first ancestor from Holland made the trek to America. I don’t speak Dutch however, I have been trying. I meet a girl whose last name was van Crae (Americanized) and she asked what percentage Dutch I was. I have no idea, probably very small if any. Her father is from Holland, making her 50%. This proves Sijs’ theory. I am proud to be ‘Dutch’ even though I don’t speak it, have never visited, and by now am most likely more a mix of other nat...

(One more part left for tomorrow) No borrowing takes place unless two cultures and their languages come into contact with each other. So who would use loanwords?   Those who come in contact with and acquire new knowledge from a foreign culture use foreign words in an attempt to disseminate their new knowledge (Higa 284).   One reason could be linguistic innovation. When new things or concepts are learned by one culture form another there arises a need to name them in the persons own language. Examples of this can be seen with English words spreading throughout the Earth. Words like Internet, Walkman, TV etc. new technologies that don’t have existing words in other languages so they are borrowed and used straight up with little change in the new language. Hence new words may be created or it may directly borrow from the ready-made foreign word. Visitors and immigrants to foreign countries tend to use borrowed words in their native languages to show their progress of accul...

....Dutch loanwords in American English fall into 13 different areas. Let’s take some of the words mentioned previous and break them down. Coleslaw, which is regarded as a typically American product and is exported to other countries under this American name, was recorded at one time as Cold Slaw which was most likely due to Americans not calling the plant cole; instead calling it cabbage. It was borrowed in the 17 th century from the Dutch koolsla or cabbage salad. Cookie, in Dutch koekje, is a small flat sweet cake. Cookie is one of the most frequently used Dutch loanwords in American English and has been used in many expressions that do not exist in Dutch. Spill your cookies, the way the cookie crumbles, have your cookie and eat it, etc. (Sijs 126) Waffle, or Dutch wafel, is a light flat pastry with a diamond shaped pattern. Derived from weven (to weave) and related to Wabe (honeycomb). Boss, or Dutch baas, meaning master foreman. This loanword has ‘conquered the world’ as it w...

A few weeks ago I hinted at a paper I had to write for my Language class about Dutch loanwords. Well I finished it and got a high grade. It's no work of art but I thought I'd post it piece by piece for you. All grammatical errors and whatnot are my fault. Dutch Loanwords - How They Shaped American English            What’s more American than booze, pickles, coleslaw, and a cookie? The answer is actually lots of things because all four of those words are not ‘English’ (in this case British) in origin. They originate across the sea yes, but from another nautical nation; the Netherlands or more readily known as Holland. But those are only a handful of many words that we can attribute to the Dutch. “Certainly no language was ever composed of such numerous and such diverse elements” quote by Walter W. Skeat 1892 (Speaking about the English Language). Questions arise then; Why do we have words in our everyday language that originate from H...

Ahhh, the most perfect place on earth.  Where else can you still have an interesting native culture, go bungee jumping, see a beautiful landscape, and have a national rugby team.  Yes, New Zealand is now very English; its ruler is officially Queen Elizabeth II herself.  But what about that name?  Wouldn't an English colony have the name New Essex or New Reading or even New Caledonia, hint hint.  We should have noticed in the first glance that this name is Dutch.  So, what is New Zealand's Dutch heritage? The first Europeans to "discover" New Zealand's islands were the Dutch, led by the explorer Abel Tasman in 1642.  He also discovered the island of Tasmania, look at his last name.  However this first encounter with Europeans was not peaceful.  Several of the Dutch crewmen died in this hustle with the indigenous people the Maori; aka the rugby and football stars of the world, you don't want to mess with them.  One beneficial outcome of ...