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en In the discotheque   »   nl In de discotheek

46 [forty-six]

In the discotheque

In the discotheque

46 [zesenveertig]

In de discotheek

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Is this seat taken? I--d----p-aa----rij? I_ d___ p_____ v____ I- d-z- p-a-t- v-i-? -------------------- Is deze plaats vrij? 0
May I sit with you? Ma- ik bi--- -omen--i-ten? M__ i_ b__ u k____ z______ M-g i- b-j u k-m-n z-t-e-? -------------------------- Mag ik bij u komen zitten? 0
Sure. G-a-g. G_____ G-a-g- ------ Graag. 0
How do you like the music? H-- ----t-u die--uzie-? H__ v____ u d__ m______ H-e v-n-t u d-e m-z-e-? ----------------------- Hoe vindt u die muziek? 0
A little too loud. Ee- ---tj--te--ar-. E__ b_____ t_ h____ E-n b-e-j- t- h-r-. ------------------- Een beetje te hard. 0
But the band plays very well. M-----e -and-sp-el- -eel-goed. M___ d_ b___ s_____ h___ g____ M-a- d- b-n- s-e-l- h-e- g-e-. ------------------------------ Maar de band speelt heel goed. 0
Do you come here often? K--t u ---e- -i-r? K___ u v____ h____ K-m- u v-k-r h-e-? ------------------ Komt u vaker hier? 0
No, this is the first time. N--,--it -s de e----e-ke-r. N___ d__ i_ d_ e_____ k____ N-e- d-t i- d- e-r-t- k-e-. --------------------------- Nee, dit is de eerste keer. 0
I’ve never been here before. I---e--hi-r n-- no--t -e-ees-. I_ b__ h___ n__ n____ g_______ I- b-n h-e- n-g n-o-t g-w-e-t- ------------------------------ Ik ben hier nog nooit geweest. 0
Would you like to dance? Dan-- u? D____ u_ D-n-t u- -------- Danst u? 0
Maybe later. L------iss-h-e-. L____ m_________ L-t-r m-s-c-i-n- ---------------- Later misschien. 0
I can’t dance very well. I- -a----e---o-goed d-n--n. I_ k__ n___ z_ g___ d______ I- k-n n-e- z- g-e- d-n-e-. --------------------------- Ik kan niet zo goed dansen. 0
It’s very easy. D-t i--hee----nvo--ig. D__ i_ h___ e_________ D-t i- h-e- e-n-o-d-g- ---------------------- Dat is heel eenvoudig. 0
I’ll show you. I-----t-h-- u zi-n. I_ l___ h__ u z____ I- l-a- h-t u z-e-. ------------------- Ik laat het u zien. 0
No, maybe some other time. Nee- lieve- --n----er--ke--. N___ l_____ e__ a_____ k____ N-e- l-e-e- e-n a-d-r- k-e-. ---------------------------- Nee, liever een andere keer. 0
Are you waiting for someone? Wach--u----ie-and? W____ u o_ i______ W-c-t u o- i-m-n-? ------------------ Wacht u op iemand? 0
Yes, for my boyfriend. J-, ----ij--v-i---. J__ o_ m___ v______ J-, o- m-j- v-i-n-. ------------------- Ja, op mijn vriend. 0
There he is! D----komt--i- n-- -an! D___ k___ h__ n__ a___ D-a- k-m- h-j n-t a-n- ---------------------- Daar komt hij net aan! 0

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Genes influence language

The language we speak is dependent on our ancestry. But our genes are also responsible for our language. Scottish researchers have come to this conclusion. They examined how English differs from Chinese. In doing so they discovered that genes play a role, too. Because genes influence the development of our brain. That is to say, they shape our brain structures. With this, our ability to learn languages is determined. Variants of two genes are crucial to this. If a particular variant is scarce, tonal languages develop. So tonal languages are spoken by people without these gene variants. In tonal languages, the meaning of words is determined by the pitch of the tones. Chinese is included in the tonal languages, for example. If this gene variant is dominant, however, other languages develop. English is not a tonal language. The variants of this gene are not evenly distributed. That means they occur with differing frequency in the world. But languages only survive if they are passed down. In order to do this, children must be able to imitate the language of their parents. So they must be able to learn the language well. Only then will it be passed down from generation to generation. The older gene variant is the one that promotes tonal languages. So there were probably more tonal languages in the past than there are today. But one mustn't overestimate the genetic components. They can only add to explaining the development of languages. But there isn't a gene for English, or a gene for Chinese. Anybody can learn any language. You don't need genes for that, but rather only curiosity and discipline!
Did you know?
Thai is a member of the Tai-Kadai language family. It is the native language of 20 million people. In contrast to most western languages, Thai is a tonal language. In tonal languages, the pronunciation of syllables changes their meaning. Most Thai words consist of only one syllable. A word takes on a different meaning depending on the pitch in which a syllable is spoken. Altogether Thai distinguishes between five pitches. Thai society was strictly divided over many centuries. As a result, Thai still recognizes at least five different levels of speech today. These range from a simple vernacular to a very polite form of speech. Furthermore, Thai is divided into many local dialects. The language's semiotic system is a hybrid of an alphabet and syllabic writing. The grammar construction is not very complex. Because Thai is an isolating language, there are no declensions or conjugations. Learn Thai - it is really a fascinating language!