On 22/06/2013 1:03 PM, andrel wrote:

>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Au contraire. ;-)
>>>
>>> Fabelhaft
>>>
>>
>> I am not going head to head with a Nederlander. It seems to me that you
>> are all born speaking six languages. ;-)
>>
>> I just meant that we use the French phrase instead of the Latin for that
>> thought.
>>
> sorry I didn't get that. I thought you meant that it was not uncommon.
> So that is why I was happy with the answer.
>

My fault, it was ambiguous with what I quoted. The subject was not obvious.

> We are not born with six, but most of us have in the education system
> some exposure to four languages Dutch, English, German and French. At
> least when I was young. Nowadays either German or French can apparently
> be replaced by Spanish, Russian, Turkish, Italian or Arab (why not
> chinese?) .

I've worked in Eindhoven and also for Royal Dutch Shell an have always 
been impressed by the general standard of Education in the Nederlands. 
The first time I encountered it was on a course in Paris. I remarked to 
my Dutch companion how bad the tourist soundtrack was in a lift. He 
replied that it was okay for me just hearing it one, in English. He had 
to listen to it in six languages. (Six might be an exaggeration.)

> I have to admit I also had Latin and some ancient Greek, so that makes
> indeed 6 for me I am afraid ;)
>
>

No! Six was not an exaggeration, then. ;-)

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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