[lit-ideas] Re: "I said it in Dutch, I said it in German"
- From: Donal McEvoy <donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:17:20 +0000 (GMT)
--- On Thu, 18/6/09, Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx <Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> I never met ANYONE who spoke TWO languages correctly.
This thesis is different from the original claim the Dutch do not speak two
languages, even if they speak one in- or less correctly.
But even here, as many English will admit, an educated Dutch will often speak
and understand English more "correctly" than most English. This seems to refute
even the second claim.
What is perhaps of interest is what happens when people are bi-lingual: do they
somehow 'translate' from one prioritised language to the other or do they
simply switch without need to 'translate', for example? I suggest that both
happen and that perhaps the second occurs when a certain level of
mastery/fluency/absorption happens. In a way it is a matter of what language we
naturally reach for in our circumstance, and we reach often instinctively and
without reflection.
There is a true story of a (German?) spy interrogated by the Belgians(?). Not
only had the spy to show mastery of the Belgian language so his interrogators
could have no scintilla of evidence that he was not Belgian but also master the
idiom and manner of a Belgian peasant, since being one was his cover story. For
days he was severly interrogated, and despite all suspicions not a scintilla of
evidence to confirm those suspicions emerged from his linguistic behaviour.
Finally his weary interrogator pushed his papers across the table and looked
with an exasperated smile, saying the alleged spy was now free to go. The spy
collected his papers and went to the door and as he got there the interrogator
called out 'Viel Gluck!'. 'Danke' said the spy, who was executed.
(Nationalities may have been altered to protect the innocent, or because memory
fails).
Actually that story is not the one, I must have been thinking of 'The Great
Escape': the true story involves the spy being smoked out by calling out
'Feuer!' so that his response showed he immediately understood. But given JLS's
points about cognate languages, and how we might understand meaning by the
situation, this might seem a dubious kind of test by which to deem someone
worthy of execution.
For clarifcation only:
>McEvoy from Eire
He's from Northern Ireland (Eire usually only denotes the Republic).
> I was told there is a crazy man in Ireland who was taught Gaelic as a
> first-language and almost died in the attempt.
This would doubtless be because of the ruthless and murderous suppression of
Gaelic learning by the English. (Or perhaps the learning was accompanied by
murderous drinking sessions).
Donal
Glad to see Mike enjoyed Across the Green Mountain
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