> Anyway, we have a lot of 'foreign' expressions and words too. Its also a fact that some people (they are called language-puritists) are fighting to get our language (=dutch) purified from all foreign influences. Therefor they 'translate' those expressions or words in a dutch word, which may be funny from time to time. Luckily they dont succeed all the time, cos i like those 'strange' influences. In France the language-puritists are even worse, they exband really every english-sounding expression or word in their language.

Yes, we have French language purists here, just like in France. They are an official government body (similar to France) called "l'Office de la language française", as I mentioned before. The anglo media calls them the "Tongue Troopers."


> Personally, i'm influenced a lot by english, its kinda weird. But since i was a kid i used to 'talk' english with my bro, and nowadays i still have that, with my friends, girlfriend, bro, ... Not with 'older' people, but only with the youngsters. Well, its not that we make whole conversations in english, but we drop a sentence or a word in english, just "because that sounds better and cooler".

Exactly the same raison d'être for fearing English that my provincial government uses... They don't want "us" as a "culture" and "people" to be "lost and overrun by the seductive tide of Americanism".


> Examples of english words commonly used in dutch? We all use a "CD-ROM"(which is a very english word, lol, they translated that in dutch as "leesschijfje" or "little-readable-plate", lol). I cant think of an expression right now...except the *bad* words, beginning with 'f' and ending on 'uck you', and so on....
> Actually its quite intrigueing. I went to Austria this summer with a family (related to a friend), and they have a kid of 10 years old. And he was also talking english all the time, words like "Damn" and "Fu...". A lot of the youngsters here, use english as a 'popular' language.

"little-readable-plate"? That's quite cute. I think I'll use leesschijfje from now on. :-)

What's interesting about local "bad words" in English is that the ones commonly used elsewhere are NOT true swear words in Joual (Quebec street French). "sh*-t" and "f*-ck" are mild colour intensifiers, nothing more... "C'est tout f*-cké" is perfectly acceptable usage in front of one's Grandmother. However if little garçon Jean-Marc Paquette swore "tabernacle" instead, he'd have his mouth washed out. :-)

Wolfspirit