> > > Yom-MAY-kuh, with the "kuh" sound very short.
> > >
> > >
> >
> > VERY GOOD! Its close to what it actually is. (read my explanation-post)
>
> Wonderful. :)
>
>
> > Well, ..., to make it more complicated. Belgium isnt only divided in Flanders with its different flemish' dialects; there's also a French-speaking part of Belgium. Like Canada has French and English/American.
> > And in school we all learnt French as our 2nd language, and for my job i speak french too, when i'm negociating with french-speaking belgians.
> > (too make it even more complicated, lol, yep, i'm having fun here, ...., there is also a small german speaking part in Belgium, so thats my 3rd language)
>
> Ah, languages. Gotta love the strident lengths of insecurity to which people will go in "encouraging and protecting their mother tongue". Part of the joy of posting here is that I'm committing a misdemeanor every time I write. Muahahahaha, it's true: where I live it's ILLEGAL to communicate at work, either by spoken or written English, if you are an employee of a company with more than 50 employees. French is the law of the land. Hence I must be a felon by now :)
>
> But I think l'Etat de l'Office de la Langue Française has had the last laugh, because they've got me so brainwashed that when I'm taking lab notes, I have to remind myself to write in English rather than français.



Wow, ILLEGAL? Thats sucks!
>
>
> > > I have a question: How do you pronounce the name "Rien Poortvliet" in Flemish? I keep trying to do it in French because "rien" means "nothing" to me, so that doesn't work.
> > >
> > >
> >
> > Hummm, i dont think the 'ie' as we pronounce it, exists in english or french...
> > Let me think about it!

Well, i must have been real tired yesterday-evening, that i couldnt come up with a prononciation-aid for that dutch name!
Its so obvious! Of course that 'ie' exists in english!!!!

Pronounce Rien Poortvliet as:
'ie' = the first 'i' in millennium, so a short 'e' (or the 'i' in mini ... )
and the 'ie' in Poortvliet is the same
but 'rtvl' is probably hard to pronounce for you (right, Issachar?)

So R-ien Pooooort-vl-iet should do the trick.


Jom"i'm-awaky-awaky-now!"meke