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The Dutch are known for their proficiency in English. Why is that? All foreign TV shows are broadcasted with original sound, and subtitled (except those for you

by raarts 9y ago

The Dutch are known for their proficiency in English. Why is that? All foreign TV shows are broadcasted with original sound, and subtitled (except those for young children).

ascorbic 9y ago
Also Dutch is probably the major language that's most closely related to English.
- raarts 9y ago
  Supposedly Frisian is linguistically closest to English, but Dutch is second yes. Others following close are Danish, Swedish and German.
  - ascorbic 9y ago
    Hence why I said "major" language. Scots is very closely related too, among languages without an army.
ntauthority 9y ago
I happened to have had the luck to grow up at just the right time to have some subset of foreign children's television in NL be subtitled still - and combined with the ability to read early, ended up remarkably fluent in English at a pretty early age. I'd imagine the same goes for other people who grew up with subtitled children's television shows during this brief phase.