CHAT: R: Re: CHAT: Blandness (was: Uusisuom's influences)

Roger Mills wrote:

> Dirk Elzinga wrote:
>
> >Anecdote time.
> >Another one. While I was in the Netherlands, Nelson Mandela was
> >released from prison in South Africa (now I've dated myself :-).
> >Since this was a significant story, there were some Dutch
> >reporters covering it in South Africa. They spoke Dutch to their
> >interviewees, who responded in Afrikaans; these exchanges
> >apparently took place without too much trouble. What I found
> >amusing was that they subtitled all of the Afrikaner dialogue on
> >Dutch television.>
>
>
> One day in Indonesia, while waiting at the bank for a transaction to
happen
> (talk about "bureaucrats with a little power"!!) an elderly westerner sat
> down beside me and spoke to me in Dutch, which I read but do not really
> speak.  So with apologies I answered back in my Lotte-Lenya German, and we
> had a quite coherent conversation for 10 minutes or so.
>
> Watched a British TV detective drama the other night-- subtitles would
> certainly have helped.
OTOH I hear every day the BBC world service and I don't have any
understanding problem, while, when I watch an American movie, I can catch
only the 30%... That's a bit sad!

Luca