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Re: [OM] Nathan's PAD 17/01/2009: it is a small world

Subject: Re: [OM] Nathan's PAD 17/01/2009: it is a small world
From: Jan Steinman <Jan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:13:15 -0800
> From: Nathan Wajsman <photo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> After moving through English, German and Dutch, it turned out
> that the best way to speak with them was Dutch to the man and Polish
> to the woman. We live in a wonderful world with open borders.

I'm envious.

I grew up in a country with just one language, now live in one with  
two. But I had several experiences like that while living in  
Switzerland. I guess my Swiss genes were showing, because local  
strangers would often approach me first with Sweissedeutsch, then try  
high German, and then sometimes French, before trying English. After  
six months of classes, I got up the courage to say (in Sweissedeutsch)  
"I only speak English." Made me feel like a three-year-old, saying  
they only understand small words...

It took six months because the project I worked on had Swiss-German,  
Swiss-French, Afrikaans, Swedish, German, and English native speakers  
on it, and English was the project official language, so I didn't get  
any practice.

I recall one Swiss-German chap who had wonderful technical English, so  
I just thought his English was good in general. But we went out to  
lunch together once, and I asked him about something on the menu, and  
he could only say, "It's some kind of meat, with some kind of  
vegetable, and some kind of potato." I guess technical English only  
goes so far.

:::: They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little  
temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -- Benjamin  
Franklin ::::
:::: Jan Steinman <http://www.Bytesmiths.com> ::::



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