That's right, I said it. The Danes hate consonants. So many are softened to the point of being unrecognizable or just forgotten altogether that it's making me feel like I'm speaking like a drunk.
And not only do they hate consonants, but they love vowels so much that they have nine of them. I'm still working on remembering the new ones, and trying to hear the differences between the long and short vowels... which generally sound the same to me.
I will say this, though... Language learning books for adults are much more realistic. For example, in the first conversation in lesson #2, Hans tells George (who has just arrived from England), "Du trænger til en gin og tonic, George. Det gør vi alle tre."
Translation? Well, of course he's saying "You need a gin and tonic, George. All three of us do."
Amen to that Hans. Amen to that.
I concur! Hans teaches a great bit and even if you don't get the number right whenever you apply it to real life...at least you'll wind up with three gin and tonics.
ReplyDelete