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Cookies, Coleslaw, and Stoops: The Influence of Dutch on the North American Languages
In 1609, the first Dutch settlers arrived in America and established trading posts, small towns, and forts up and down what we now call the Hudson River. To this day, American children are taught the thrilling history of the transformation of this settlement, New Netherland, and its capital, New Amsterdam, from landmark port into present-day New York State and the island of Manhattan. But, the Dutch legacy extended far beyond New York, as Cookies, Coleslaw and Stoops reveals.
From Santa Claus (after the Dutch folklore saint Sinterklaas) and his sleigh (the pronunciation of the Dutch slee is almost identical) to a dumbhead talking poppycock, the contributions of the Dutch language to American English are indelibly embedded to some of our most vernacular terms and expressions. The menu in most of our restaurants sports some originally Dutch names, and even our dollar is named after a Dutch coin (daalder). In this captivating volume, the renowned linguist Nicoline van der Sijs glosses over 300 Dutch loan words like these that travelled to the New World on board the Dutch ship the Halve Maan, captained by Henry Hudson, which dropped anchor in Manhattan more than 400 years ago. Surprisingly, the Dutch also gave several Native American languages words for everyday things like “pants”, “cat” and “turkey”. Lively and accessible, the information presented in this volume charts the journey of these words into the American territory and languages, from more obscure uses which maybe have survived in only regional dialects to such ubiquitous contributions to our language like Yankee, cookie, and dope. Each entry marks the original arrival of its term into American English and adds up-to-date information on its evolving meaning, etymology, and regional spread. Not to be missed by anyone with a passion for the history behind our everyday expressions, Cookies, Coleslaw and Stoops is the perfect gift for the linguistic adventurer in us all.
From Santa Claus (after the Dutch folklore saint Sinterklaas) and his sleigh (the pronunciation of the Dutch slee is almost identical) to a dumbhead talking poppycock, the contributions of the Dutch language to American English are indelibly embedded to some of our most vernacular terms and expressions. The menu in most of our restaurants sports some originally Dutch names, and even our dollar is named after a Dutch coin (daalder). In this captivating volume, the renowned linguist Nicoline van der Sijs glosses over 300 Dutch loan words like these that travelled to the New World on board the Dutch ship the Halve Maan, captained by Henry Hudson, which dropped anchor in Manhattan more than 400 years ago. Surprisingly, the Dutch also gave several Native American languages words for everyday things like “pants”, “cat” and “turkey”. Lively and accessible, the information presented in this volume charts the journey of these words into the American territory and languages, from more obscure uses which maybe have survived in only regional dialects to such ubiquitous contributions to our language like Yankee, cookie, and dope. Each entry marks the original arrival of its term into American English and adds up-to-date information on its evolving meaning, etymology, and regional spread. Not to be missed by anyone with a passion for the history behind our everyday expressions, Cookies, Coleslaw and Stoops is the perfect gift for the linguistic adventurer in us all.
320 pages, Bound, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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About the author
Nicoline van der Sijs
33 books4 followersNicoline van der Sijs is professor Historische Taalkunde aan de Radbout Universiteit Nijmegen en senior-onderzoeker bij het Meertens Instituut. Ze is oprichter van etymologiebank dot nl, vaste medewerker van Onze Taal. Zij schreef al heel wat boeken over taal en ontving o.a. de Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds Prijs voor de Geesteswetenschappen.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 25, 2009
This etymological work, released practically simultaneously in Dutch and English is a more than adequate overview of the influence of Dutch (and a bit of Frisian) on the various languages of North America (Northeast US, actually). The story is chiefly about Engligh, but a shorter section about Dutch influences on Native American languages is also added.
The book starts with an introduction, describing the process of colonisation and immigration that had led to the presence of Dutch and Frisian in the US in the first place, as well as the story of the investigation and (pseudo-)scholarship concerning this history. At the same time, it is also a brief history of Dutch (mostly religious) communities in the States, and how they slowly assimilated into a broader American culture. For most readers, this part will be the most fascinating and relevant.
The larger part of the book is an actual etymological dictionary, charting most if not all words that the American languages have borrowed from Dutch and/or Frisian. I must say, even as a linguist with etymological interests, that this part could be a bit hum-drum at times, at least when read as a book rather than a dictionary, a tendency which one inherits from reading the storyform of the first part of the book. However, some lemmata are not to be missed, such as the extensive and fascinating long entries on "Santa Claus" and "Yankee"; words that hold in themselves a history of cultural exchange and development.
The book starts with an introduction, describing the process of colonisation and immigration that had led to the presence of Dutch and Frisian in the US in the first place, as well as the story of the investigation and (pseudo-)scholarship concerning this history. At the same time, it is also a brief history of Dutch (mostly religious) communities in the States, and how they slowly assimilated into a broader American culture. For most readers, this part will be the most fascinating and relevant.
The larger part of the book is an actual etymological dictionary, charting most if not all words that the American languages have borrowed from Dutch and/or Frisian. I must say, even as a linguist with etymological interests, that this part could be a bit hum-drum at times, at least when read as a book rather than a dictionary, a tendency which one inherits from reading the storyform of the first part of the book. However, some lemmata are not to be missed, such as the extensive and fascinating long entries on "Santa Claus" and "Yankee"; words that hold in themselves a history of cultural exchange and development.
November 19, 2017
Van der Sijs, Nicoline, Cookies, Coleslaw, and Stoops: The Influence of Dutch on the North American Languages (Amsterdam University Press, 2009). Boek vol wetenswaardigheden over de invloed van de Nederlandse taal (en ook cultuur) in Noord-Amerika.
Van de drie 'Nederlandse' migratiegolven naar de Verenigde Staten -- zeventiende eeuw (tot 1666), negentiende eeuw (vanaf ca. 1870), na de Tweede Wereldoorlog -- oefende de eerste verreweg de meeste invloed uit op de Amerikaanse taal en cultuur. Na de Amerikaanse revolutie groeide het aantal sprekers aan tot enkele honderdduizenden, vooral als gevolg van natuurlijke aanwas in de Hudson-vallei en New Jersey, en het Nederlands -- eigenlijk 'Nederdiets' -- werd er nog generaties lang gesproken. De druk van het Engels nam onvermijdelijk echter hand over hand toe.
Als gevolg van de tweede immigratiegolf was negentig procent van de bevolking van Michigan in 1870 Nederlands.
De Eerste Wereldoorlog was niet goed voor het Nederlands in de VS, want werd op een hoop gegooid met het Duits.
Het behoud van de Nederlandse taal was nauw verbonden met protestantse kerkgenootschappen op het platteland van het Amerikaanse middenwesten (statenbijbel).
In 1960 verklaarden 322.000 Amerikanen dat het Nederlands hun moedertaal is. In 2005 is dit aantal gedaald naar 150.000. Ongeveer 4,5 miljoen Amerikanen hebben Nederlandse wortels (geheel of gedeeltelijk) -- zo'n 1,6 procent van de bevolking.
Het Fries werd in Wisconsin nog tot het einde van de twintigste eeuw gesproken.
Belangrijke woorden (en gebruiken) van Nederlandse oorsprong die in het Amerikaanse vocabulaire zijn opgenomen:
- boss (baas)
- dollar (daler)
- pinkie swear
- Santa Claus (popularised by Washington Irving)
- knickerbocker (New York Knicks)
Cijfer: 7. Gelezen: juli 2015.
Van de drie 'Nederlandse' migratiegolven naar de Verenigde Staten -- zeventiende eeuw (tot 1666), negentiende eeuw (vanaf ca. 1870), na de Tweede Wereldoorlog -- oefende de eerste verreweg de meeste invloed uit op de Amerikaanse taal en cultuur. Na de Amerikaanse revolutie groeide het aantal sprekers aan tot enkele honderdduizenden, vooral als gevolg van natuurlijke aanwas in de Hudson-vallei en New Jersey, en het Nederlands -- eigenlijk 'Nederdiets' -- werd er nog generaties lang gesproken. De druk van het Engels nam onvermijdelijk echter hand over hand toe.
Als gevolg van de tweede immigratiegolf was negentig procent van de bevolking van Michigan in 1870 Nederlands.
De Eerste Wereldoorlog was niet goed voor het Nederlands in de VS, want werd op een hoop gegooid met het Duits.
Het behoud van de Nederlandse taal was nauw verbonden met protestantse kerkgenootschappen op het platteland van het Amerikaanse middenwesten (statenbijbel).
In 1960 verklaarden 322.000 Amerikanen dat het Nederlands hun moedertaal is. In 2005 is dit aantal gedaald naar 150.000. Ongeveer 4,5 miljoen Amerikanen hebben Nederlandse wortels (geheel of gedeeltelijk) -- zo'n 1,6 procent van de bevolking.
Het Fries werd in Wisconsin nog tot het einde van de twintigste eeuw gesproken.
Belangrijke woorden (en gebruiken) van Nederlandse oorsprong die in het Amerikaanse vocabulaire zijn opgenomen:
- boss (baas)
- dollar (daler)
- pinkie swear
- Santa Claus (popularised by Washington Irving)
- knickerbocker (New York Knicks)
Cijfer: 7. Gelezen: juli 2015.
August 23, 2025
Erg interessant boek over de Nederlandse leenwoorden in het Amerikaans Engels en een stukje geschiedenis van de eerste Nederlanders die in Amerika aankwamen. Als je een taalliefhebber bent, is het zeker aan te raden!
May 17, 2018
Interessant onderwerp, zeer gedetailleerd uitgewerkt. Voor de echte liefhebber
August 22, 2012
This book was interesting--especially the first part about the early history of the Dutch in North America--but there were some historical inaccuracies (the Declaration of Independence did not take place in 1781!) and on the whole it was not written very well. I wonder if Nicoline van der Sijs is an actual linguistics professor, a graduate student, or something else entirely--the back cover simply says she is a "linguist". Why the mystery? I did like reading about the different terms that came from Dutch (cookies, Santa Claus, sleigh, etc.), but the majority of them were very local/regional words or expressions that do not seem to have made it into widespread American English. But at least now I know where to go if I ever want to hear these expressions (or learn Dutch at a university): New York, Michigan, and Iowa.
May 22, 2012
Very interesting read, mainly the first chapter on the migration of the Dutch and Flemish to the New Country. In the part that discusses the Dutch words that made it to American English, there are some very interesting etymological stories (especially on Yankee, Santa Claus, Dollar), but here and there I might have skipped a few examples of their use in their new language though, because they were a bit too specific for my non-scientific purposes.
July 12, 2013
Thanks to Dutch for Santa Claus, poppycock, and hunky-dory.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews