Five Brothers and a War

The Dutch Language—Double Vowels

DUTCH

SOUND

COMMENT

aa

Apple

(lengthen the “a” sound)

ee

Lane

The name “Leendert” is pronounced Lane dirt The name “Kees” is pronounced Case

oo

own

Long “o” sound lengthened. Boot in Dutch is then pronounced like its English equivalent, “boat”. School (from the Greek σχολή) is the same word in both Dutch and English, but the Dutch add the guttural “g” sound after the “s” and pronounce the “oo” as described. Similarly, the English borrowed and transliterated the term “cole slaw” from the Dutch “kool-sla”, meaning cabbage salad. In Dutch, the “sla” part is pronounced with the “a” sound of “apple”, not with the “w” sound added in English.

uu

skewer

holland

Five Brothers and a War

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