Dunglish (or Dutch English) is the mistakes native Dutch speakers make when speaking English. It has been the source of much amusement and confusion. Errors occur mainly in pronunciation, word order and the meaning of words, and in the political environment it can create very awkward moments!
Former leader of the Dutch Liberal Party, Frits Bolkestein, repeatedly and innocently referred to economic prospects as "golden showers", completely unaware of the term's sexual connotation. Former prime-minister Joop den Uyl once enthused that "the Dutch are a nation of undertakers." The Dutch verb 'ondernemen' means entrepreneur, not funeral director.
During the Second World War, Churchill and Dutch prime-minister Gerbrandy were standing on a balcony. Churchill (making conversation) observed: "Spring is in the air." Gerbrandy responded: "Why should I?" Gerbrandy thought Churchill instructed him to "Spring 'ns in de lucht", which translates into English as "jump into the air!"
The funniest incident of Dunglish has to be the hilarious exchange between Kennedy and Dutch foreign minister Joseph Luns. Kennedy asked if Luns had any hobbies. Luns replied: "I fok horses" (the Dutch verb 'fokken' meaning breeding). Most likely taken aback by this obscene reply, Kennedy asked "Pardon?", Which Luns then mistook as the Dutch word for horses ("paarden") and enthusiastically responded "Yes, paarden!
