The joys of knowing the local language

[gusl]

Coming back from giving a math lesson, there were two little girls (around age 6) staring at me, giggling, as I unlocked my bike.

Dialogue in Dutch with the two 6-year old girls:

Me- zo grappig ben ik, eh?
- ik dacht dat je Engels was.
Me- dat ik *Engels* was?
- ja.
- We hebben je net Engels zien spreken.

- wij willen dat je Engels spreekt.
Me- jullie willen Engels horen? Spreken jullie Engels?
- ik wel, zij niet
Me- how did you learn English?
- from my father.
Me- is he English?
- ja.

- Waarom spreek je Engels?? Je bent toch Nederlands!
Me- nee hoor, ik ben niet Nederlands.
Me- ik geef bijlessen wiskunde.
- he???


Anyway, their childish energy lifted my mood for half an hour or so.

I noticed something unusual: this little girl had a distinct Dutch accent when speaking English. I guess I'm just not around children much, especially not multilingual children. It's not common to hear children speaking with an accent, in any case.

I was also amused by the fact that they thought I was Dutch.

My English is much much better than by Dutch, but my English sounds foreign everywhere, because my accent is somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean (maybe because I spent 4 years in England, followed by 5 years in America, followed by an English girlfriend).

Yet, in Dutch, my accent is convincing. So, before my "advanced Dutch" (grammar, vocabulary, fluency) gets tested, I can keep the appearances. (although this could easily change if I go live in Belgium)

So in Holland, I can pass for English (or American, depending on the person) and I can pass for Dutch (but only for a while).