A Dutch Lesson: Using Phonetics to Understand the Pronunciation of a New Language

On Wednesday, we had the pleasure of joining former WKU SLP student Sarah Depaepe for a dialogue on the Dutch language and the options for studying the language as new Dutch speaker. Sarah was extremely thorough and thought provoking as we delved into the various vowel and consonant sounds in the Flemish language. Sarah explained how her training as a speech language therapist has aided in her current role. She now teaches newcomers to Flanders the Dutch lesson with intensive daily instruction and rigorous coursework at the University of Ghent. Using phonetics, verbal and visual cuing, and repetition, Sarah took us through several phrases used in Belgium daily including greetings, farewells, daily activities, like ordering food or asking questions, and providing pertinent information as a response to those questions. While none of us are remotely close to saying we can speak Dutch, Sarah took us into the world where she teaches proficiency in a language in under 5 months.

In our closing conversations, Sarah spoke of her time at WKU and her initial reaction to finding out she’d be studying abroad in Kentucky. She recounted the cultural differences she noticed both in daily life and in clinical practice. We had a great conversation on how to handle cultural differences when faced with them in the treatment room, as well as the importance of following the client’s lead but also setting boundaries. Overall, we had a great day of applying our phonetic skills, learning of possibilities of work locations as a SLP, and picking up tips on future clinical practice.