Dads stories

Platt, English then German.

Continuing on with language. Hedwig and I speak Platt (of course with some aberrations). Hedwig spoke German at home. My native tongue is Platt, with a very big capital “P”. That is my first language. My second language was English, as long as I was employed, and the third was German. I also started to learn Italian, and now and then I continue with this. (Most of the Operas here are sung in Italien). When we arrived in Australia I decided that at home we would all speak English. And this was mostly adhered to. But then in recent years, Hedwig went back to speaking German and between us now it is official. We speak Platt. With the kids I speak in English, with Hedwig, where possible, in German/Platt. Christmas Eve (very big family tradition) there is a big cuddle muddle, which I am sure you can imagine. What the various in-laws in the family think of it, I don’t know. Nobody has ever complained! Because of that they all get to take home a plate of yummies!
Sometimes it occurrs that one or the other of our children visit Germany, usually as part of a business trip. And somehow they get by with their little bit of German. Inge is the best at that. Gerd was only 4 when we migrated, and has remembered an amazing amount. Peter, our youngest, is closest to his mother, and so has managed to pick up quite a few things, and when he was a child he attended Sunday School to learn german. Robert, who with 15 spent half a year in Neuss working for my brotherinlaw in his workshop and garage, cobbled together whatever he could find in his vocabulary, and that was of course mainly Platt. Have you ever heard someone speak Platt with a very strong Austrlian accent? People couldn’t believe their ears!
I will introduce my family later. They are all individuals. Maybe not as eccentric as I am or as stately as their Mum, but they all have it in them!

posted by Inge @ 8:31 pm