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04-29-2012, 09:55 AM
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Courtier
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Berlin, Germany
Posts: 594
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Prince Henrik speaking Danish from 1:14 to 4:55
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04-30-2012, 08:49 PM
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Newbie
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Frederick, United States
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Interesting thread.
I'm not surprised that there is some friendly disagreement about how much a certain royal speaks a certain language. There are different standards as to what 'fluency' in a language is. Sometimes people say that someone else 'speaks' a language if they are functional (basics such as 'hello',' how are you', 'how much does this cost' can be said so that native speakers understand them) while others feel that you don't 'speak' a language until you can hold an intellectual conversation. For royals the question can get quite muddy as a person can be coached to give a speech competently in a foreign language, who would be lost in a real conversation and can then be called 'fluent' forever after on the basis of that one speech. Also, people gain and lose language fluency with practice and lack of practice. Someone who came to a foreign country in their adult years can actually forget how to speak their mother tongue if no one is there to speak it with and people can also brush up on languages. I would bet that information on the websites of the different countries list all the languages that the person in question EVER spoke. And someone who met them when they were in practice and expecting to be spoken to might call them fluent, while someone who met the same person at another time might say 'no way.' Which would truly be right?
Also, some (I know Americans have this tendency and I believe the French do too) tend to feel that a person cannot really speak their language if they have a thick foreign accent even if they can understand everything the person says and can be understood by them. While others are more forgiving. And a good or even great accent accent actually can little to do with true fluency. I myself am a parrot and have been like this since I was a small a child--I can repeat anything that is said to me two or three times with the same accent, whether I actually know what I'm saying or not! This is a gift when learning languages obviously--when I have learned to speak a language I sound like a native. However, I also sound like a native BEFORE I can really speak the language. So if I stick to two or three set phrases, someone could (it has happened before) believe that I speak a language when I actually do not. This has happened to me with incredibly difficult languages. Once a gentleman was teaching a class of us children a few phrases in Xhosa (this is one of the click languages from the southern part of Africa). I was about twelve. He was completely convinced from my perfect accent that I was a Xhosa speaker though confused by this because of my appearance. I was never able to quite convince him that I had no idea what he was saying and had never even heard of the language before. I am not the only person in the world who has the ability--in fact, I believe that it is not rare at all in situations where children are in a multi-lingual environment before the age of five and have to speak several languages. Other languages are later easier for them and many of them keep the ability to pronounce the hundreds of different possible sounds humans can make to communicate, which most people lose once the critical language learning years are done. Many of the royals were brought up in such environments and so I am sure there are those among who can 'parrot' like I can--and that people are then happy to attribute another language to the 'polyglot'--who does know many languages but not that particular one.
Just some thoughts.
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07-11-2012, 04:22 PM
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Heir Presumptive
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Somewhere, United Kingdom
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Letizia's English is pretty good. I was a bit surprised that she didn't speak English before marrying Felipe, given her education and career, but she's obviously put a lot of effort into it.
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07-11-2012, 07:34 PM
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Heir Apparent
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: N/A, United States
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Her English sounds good. I understood her clearly.
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07-11-2012, 08:25 PM
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Majesty
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: New England, United States
Posts: 6,415
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I understood Letitzia but assumed her English would be much more fluent somehow. Her husband's is wonderful.
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07-11-2012, 09:34 PM
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Heir Apparent
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Toronto (ON) & London (UK), Canada
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Frelinghighness
I understood Letitzia but assumed her English would be much more fluent somehow. Her husband's is wonderful.
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Well Felipe was at boarding school in Canada and did graduate studies at Georgetown in the US so speaking English well should not be a surprise. Letitzia was educated entirely in Spain and Mexico.
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08-27-2012, 05:56 PM
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Newbie
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: genzano di lucania, Italy
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About languages
is there anyone who could write what the Danish royal say in some videos in danish language?
help me!!
thanks!
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08-27-2012, 06:01 PM
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Imperial Majesty
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Eastern Jutland, Denmark
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Quote:
Originally Posted by donina605
About languages
is there anyone who could write what the Danish royal say in some videos in danish language?
help me!!
thanks!
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What video? Perhaps, if it isn't too long. 
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08-27-2012, 06:09 PM
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Newbie
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: genzano di lucania, Italy
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Oh! thank you very much
is a video of the speech of the prince henrik for the 25 years of their marriage.
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08-27-2012, 06:15 PM
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Majesty
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: My own head, United States
Posts: 8,101
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I know that she's not a royal yet, but Countess Stephanie de Lannoy speaks Russian.
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08-27-2012, 06:49 PM
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Imperial Majesty
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Eastern Jutland, Denmark
Posts: 16,432
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Quote:
Originally Posted by donina605
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An entire speech? 
Sorry, no. It takes me about five times as long to translate what is said on a video than to translate a written text.
Here is the speech: Prins Henriks tale - Nationalt | www.b.dk You can put it through Google translate.
I'd estimate it would take me about 45 minutes to translate that text, and as it doesn't contain anything new.... Google translate, okay? 
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08-27-2012, 08:08 PM
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Newbie
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: genzano di lucania, Italy
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okay thanks a lot!
although this was not the speech that I asked you, but this is also interesting ...
thanks for giving me your time!
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09-11-2012, 07:30 AM
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Nobility
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Mumbai, Lebanon
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this is such a lovely thread! is it true that Leonor is learning Chinese?
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09-11-2012, 09:32 AM
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Wiltshire, United Kingdom
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Do we know if the Duchess of Cambridge can speak any other languages other than English?
I believe she has learnt abit of Welsh but anything else?
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This is the stuff of fairytales
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10-21-2012, 03:29 PM
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Courtier
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Berlin, Germany
Posts: 594
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A pre-wedding interview with HGD Guillaume and Stéphanie from ZDF, in German.
ZDF Mediathek
Their German is very good, both speak fluently and have a cute (noticeable but not strong) accent.
I was surprised how confident and likeable Stéphanie comes across in this video. From the pictures I always thought she was shy and maybe even a little naive, but not at all. She seems like a really confident young woman and I think she's had an interesting career/development, speaking several languages and all.
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10-24-2012, 05:54 AM
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Courtier
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Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Berlin, Germany
Posts: 594
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CP Victoria speaking English at Catharina-Amalia's christening from 10:17 to 10:38.
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10-24-2012, 06:25 AM
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Heir Apparent
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Posts: 3,117
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King Hussein knew little french, His brother Prince Hassan speaks 8 languages.
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10-24-2012, 07:04 AM
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Heir Apparent
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Posts: 3,117
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Prinsessan
CP Victoria speaking English at Catharina-Amalia's christening from 10:17 to 10:38.
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Very cute baby girl 
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