Old English and Dutch

Lucid Lounge
1

Apparently Old English and Dutch are so similar that if I were to learn old English i would be able to have a conversation with a Dutch person.

I’m going to try it :tongue:

2

Well, let’s take a test. Do I understand this Old English text, “Bede’s Death Song”:

Nope, I speak Dutch but I don’t understand this text at all… So I’m afraid you still have to learn Dutch if you want to have a conversation with Dutch speaking people :tongue:

3

:tongue:

Some of the basic concepts that Old English uses are also used in modern Dutch. Although it is easier just to learn Dutch.

4

That text you quoted… is that even a language? :eek:

5

It sounds like Dutch, according to Technodreamer, so it must be a language :tongue:

6

Lol in that case I won’t even try to pronounce it :tongue:

7

Try picking something easier and see if it works.

8

Well there are a lot of similarities between all germanian languages…

I bet you dutch speakers can understand at least the basic meaning of this swedish translation of the beginning of one of Q’s texts:

9

Yes Hallstrom, I understand it completely while I never learnt Swedish! However, I know the original Dutch version so that may have helped :wink:

German is also quite easy to understand. But Old English remains a mystery to me…

10

I don’t think you can class old English as “English”

I recognise more Dutch words than Old English words.

11

After reading the Swedish text four times, I think I understand it. But in general I find it easier to understand Dutch, because many words are a bit like German.
I can’t understand the Bede’s Death Song at all. From which century is that?

12

735, that’s 8th century. There are different versions, I don’t know if this the earliest.

Translation in Modern English:

13

Now can we have a modern translation of that? :tongue:

14

My freshman history teacher (who speaks fluent German and also teaches it) says that Dutch looks like poorly spelled German, and having wandered around the Dutch section some, I kind of agree… :grin: Not quite close enough to understand all of it, but a lot of it.

Swedish is Germanic? …I didn’t know that.

15

Yes, he’s a freshman, he should learn German is poorly spelled Dutch, like every language! :tongue:

16

Heehee! :cool:

Evidently modern English is poorly spelled Dutch too!

17

I’m Norwegian.

I had a guest from the Netherlands this summer, and I understood more or less everything she said in her own language…

18

Thw words sound the same, the spelling is very different.

I have to agree.

19

Dutch is so similar to Norwegian spelled in the weirdest possible way, that I can understand more than half of what is written on the dutch site. :cool: (I guess it helps to be a florist, too…) I have heard that the Vikings and the old englishmen could easily understand each other. I couldnt understand much of that sonf though.