Maybe someone can help me. I know, once upon a time, there was a dutch poet who wrote english poetry that can only be properly understood by dutch people. (I was thinking about the translation discussion we're having). Unfortunately I can't find it. Anyone?

No clue. Perhaps one of these?:

[en.wikipedia.org] />
The only other Dutch poet that comes immediately to mind is that dude who wrote the "Dearest creature in creation" one:

[www.mipmip.dsl.pipex.com]

thanks. The first ones are all famous dutch poets, and they wrote in Dutch, surprisingly enough.

The second one would be a good candidate, but I can't find any other poems by him.

I think it might be Hans Breitmann.

thanks, but he spoke Deutsch (german) :-)

The Silver Skates guy?

The plot thickens! Was looking up Hans Breitmann and the Encyclopaedia Britannica says that he wrote in a Philadelphia-Germanic dialect, also known as Pennsylvania Dutch! And then I found out that he is actually an American humourist called Charles Godfrey Leland, 1824-1903!!

[en.wikipedia.org]

[en.wikipedia.org]

According to Wikipedia, it was a combination of German and English, and not Pennsylvania German...i've posted the relevant links

""Dutch" here is left over from an archaic sense of the English word, which once referred to all people speaking a West Germanic language on the European mainland."

yeah, yeah, nice way of putting it. The English just thought it all sounded alike and called our language German!

Note: German in German is called "Deutch"
Dutch is Dutch is called: Nederlands.

You see the problem here? The Germans were just one of the many, eh, German tribes. Ok, they were a big one, but to call the language just after one tribe, and to mess up others, well, they should have gotten out more! ;-)

Thanks for the links, it's very interesting!

I thought it was called Hollandaise

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/2006 06:00PM by JohnnySansCulo.

ah, that's what the french make of it! Actually Holland is the west part of Nederland (the Netherlands), and Hollands the RP of the Netherlands. (Especially the dialect around Haarlem). Probably because it was the richest part. It's still the part where most people live and work.

There's still loads of place names in the New York area that reflect the Dutch presence....

Haarlem -> Harlem
Vlissingen -> Flushing
Breukelen -> Brooklyn
Staten Land -> Staten Island
Kromme Zee -> Gramercy
De Bouwerij -> The Bowery

They didn't make it way too far out to Lange Eylandt though

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/2006 06:06PM by JohnnySansCulo.

[international.loc.gov] />
Staten Eylandt!

And you know that Santa Claus is probably derived from Sinterklaas?

Yes......one of my favorite scenes in Miracle on 34th Street (the 1947 version, the rest are terrible) is when Kris Kringle sings with the little Dutch girl interklaas kapoentje, gooi wat in mijn schoentje, gooi wat in mijn laarsje, dank u Sinterklaasje

[www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/2006 08:05PM by JohnnySansCulo.

huh. probably the modern version, we always sing "Dank U sinterklaasje". (vous/Sie instead of tu/du). My son celebrated his first st. Nicolas (Sinterklaas) here in Lyon with Dutch colleagues. He was not impressed, and tried to pull of Sinterklaas his beard.

I never heard of that film. Is it worth trying to locate a copy?

Yes it is, in my opinion. But it has to be the 1947 version - all subsequent remakes are terrible...whether on purpose or not, they ignore what I consider a key element of the story.

[imdb.com]