Re: The Linguo-Racial Complex

27 Oct 2005 10:00:43 -0700: larrysulky@xxxxxxxxx: in sci.lang:

>2) At Schiphol airport, I thank a rental car agent, in Dutch, for her
>help (the preceding conversation was in English). She stares at me. I
>thank her again. With much consternation, she stammers, in English
>(which she speaks beautifully), "You're welcome, Sir."

I think that's a switching problem. The mind is so focused on
expecting English, that if it happens to be Dutch they hear, it just
doesn't get interpreted as anything.

>I suspect that the Dutch speakers I interacted with were so unprepared
>to hear Dutch in a foreign accent, even a very slight one, that they
>literally couldn't understand me.

Right. But once they know you, and know you are that guy who always
tries to speak Dutch, or not only tries but in fact does, they will
understand you.

--
Ruud Harmsen - http://rudhar.com

.

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