Re: CHAT: Dutch dictionary recommendations?

 --- Herman Miller skrzypszy:

> Eventually I'm going to want one with the current spelling, but that
> doesn't seem to be a problem yet.
Not at all. Don't overestimate the importance of the new spelling: you can
easily find long texts for which there wouldn't be any difference between the
old and the new spelling. After all, differences exist only in a few particular
situations; in cases where two different spellings used to be valid, only one
remains (usually the one that was used by the majority anyway).
Besides, many people (including some editors) still refuse to use the new
spelling. And again, only very few people are able to write correctly,
especially according to the new spelling.
My whole point is: don't worry about old/new spelling. It will only be a matter
of some importance if you intend to become a certified translator. Before that,
hardly anybody will consider it a mistake when you write "produktie" instead of
"productie".

> >In the case of words ending with -r, -l, -n, or -m you may expect a plural
> >ending -s when the last syllable of the word is unstressed. Otherwise -en
> would
> >be default. Hence:
> >WINnaar -> winnaars, but
> >barBAAR -> barbaren.
>
> Does that also apply to vowels? That would explain "schilderijen", which I
> was wondering about (expecting it to be "schilderijs").
I don't have my Dutch grammar at hand here, but yes, my intuition tells me this
applies also to vowels. AFAIK all words ending with -ij have stress on their
final syllable, except compounds and perhaps a single exception that I can't
think of right now.

Hehe. If I would ever encounter the word "schilderijs", my first impuls would
be to translate it as "painting ice" ;)

Jan

=====
"Originality is the art of concealing your source." - Franklin P. Jones

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