Why learn Dutch?
There seem to be two
stereotypes of the Netherlands. One is a pretty, jolly place
full of windmills and tulips, where everyone wears clogs
and a little boy has his finger in the dam to prevent a
flood. The other is a country renowned for its tolerance
and liberal attitudes, where drugs are embraced, prostitution
is practically encouraged and more or less anything goes.
The casual visitor to the country will observe a few windmills
and potentially an enormous number of tulips (if you know
when to go and where to look), as well as dams, Delft, cheese,
bicycles and the other clichés of happy Dutch life.
And, although not absolutely everybody wears clogs, some
people do.
The tourist also cannot
fail to notice the in-your-face sex shops and the "space
cake" sold in cafés.
As for tolerance and
liberal attitudes, they are clearly in evidence, though
beginning to show some cracks under the pressures of multi-culturalism.
The popularity and assassination by a left-wing idealist
of the anti-immigrationist politician Pim Fortuyn, along
with the subsequent murder of Theo van Gogh by a Muslim
for making a film about Islam, reveal the deep rifts that
are opening in Dutch society.
So what are we outsiders
to make of the Netherlands?
The best way to get
underneath the surface of Dutch culture is to speak Dutch.
It is true that almost everyone in the Netherlands speaks
English and, even if you know a few words of their language,
they tend to answer you in English. However, if you persevere,
away from the main tourist areas, you will connect with
people in Dutch - and the fact that few visitors bother
to learn this language will then be to your advantage because
people will be pleased that you have.
Besides, it's fun! Dutch
is full of guttural sounds that are very satisfying to make.
If you know some German, this will help you a great deal
with the vocabulary and grammar of Dutch. If you don't,
English is the next most useful language to help with understanding
Dutch.
There are many online
resources to give you an idea of what Dutch sounds like
and how it works, a good example being Dutch
Grammar. There is also this
thorough and detailed explanation of the history
of the Dutch language.
Recommended Reading
If you are interested
in learning Dutch, have a look at the Dutch
language books we recommend to accompany any course
you take or for maintaining/improving your Dutch by yourself.
If you are interested
in the life and culture of the Netherlands or Dutch-speaking
Belgium, have a look at our recommendations for books
about or set in the Netherlands and Belgium. These books
are in English, a range of fiction and non-fiction that
we have enjoyed and hope you will too.
If you are planning
a trip to the Netherlands, don't go without your Lonely
Planet Netherlands
Guide.
Some Quick Facts About The Netherlands
Languages:
Dutch
Frisian is also an official language (although it is spoken
only in Friesland)
Capital
city:
Amsterdam (although the government is in The Hague)
Regions:
The Netherlands is divided into 12 provinces:
Drenthe
Flevoland
Friesland (Fryslan)
Gelderland
Groningen
Limburg
Noord-Brabant
Noord-Holland
Overijssel
Utrecht
Zeeland
Zuid-Holland
The kingdom also includes
two self-governing overseas territories in the Caribbean
Sea, the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.
Population:
16,491,461 (July 2006 est.)
Currency:
Euro
Religion:
Roman Catholic approx 30%, Protestant approx 20%,
Muslim approx 5%, Other approx 2%, None approx 43% (2002)
Government:
Monarchy (Queen Beatrix). Bicameral parliamentary system.
Internet
domain:
.nl
Country
calling code:
+31
If you are interested
in learning more about the Netherlands, you might also like
to look at the following websites:
The
Holland Ring
Dutch
history in brief
Dutch
Royal House (the official Dutch royal family site, in
English)
Holland.com
(mainly for tourist information)