CROSS CULTURAL UNDERSTANDINGNETHERLANDS CULTURES

Iegayanti WulandariNIM. 110210401056

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAMLANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION DEPARTMENTFACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATIONTHE UNIVERSITY OF JEMBER2014INTRODUCTION

There are many cultures in this world. Culture makes each country has its own unique characteristic. Culture creates so many products, such as language, food, appearance, music, etc. Each product of the culture has important role in ways to make the country become easily recognized. Not all countries in this world have strong culture to make them more conspicuous and captivate than other country.Netherland is one from many countries that succeed bring out their culture to the world. Netherland have conspicuous cultures, such as cloth, language, behavior, etiquette, social classification, and etc. Some of their cultures are similar with ours because our country was colonized for 350 years. However, there are still some different cultures with ours that make misunderstanding and culture shocks.This paper intended to explain about some Netherland cultures in details. Some of them are about the history of Dutch language, belief and value, etiquette and behavior, social stratification, and their National Dutch Cloth. By the explanation of this paper, the writer expectation is to make people understand about Netherland culture to avoid cultural misunderstanding.

NETHERLAND

General OverviewThe English word Dutch comes from German deutsch which means German. Dutch originally referred to both Germany and Netherlands but became restricted to the people and language of Netherlands when its independence came in the seventeenth century. Holland and Netherlands are considered as synonyms although Holland refers only to the provinces North and South Holland. The Netherlands is located in northwestern Europe and borders on Germany to the East, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the west and north. The name Netherlands means Low Lands because the topography of its land is an alluvial plain. The Netherlands is also a relatively small country (13,297 square miles [34,425 square kilometers]) without surface water. The Netherlands is divided in twelve provinces. Amsterdam (730,000 inhabitants) is the capital, but the government meets in The Hague (440,000 inhabitants). Utrecht (235,000 inhabitants) is the transportation hub, while the port city of Rotterdam (590,000 inhabitants) constitutes the economic heartland. These four cities together with a string of interconnected towns form the Randstad, which has a population of 6,100,000.The Netherlands had a population of 15,898,331 in 2000. There are 2,700,000 foreign residents. The majority, approximately 780,000, originate from the European Union, including 432,000 Germans. Other sizable groups are Surinamese (297,000), Turks (300,000), Moroccans (252,000), and Antilleans (99,000).

Cultural Aspects of Netherlands1. LanguageThe official language of the Netherlands is Standard Dutch. This language is used in all official matters, by the media, and at schools and universities. Dutch closely resembles German in both syntax and spelling. It freely borrows words and technical terms from French and especially English.Dutch is also the official language in Flandres, Belgium, where it is called Flemish. Friesian is the second official language of the Netherlands; it is spoken by a half million Friesians. In addition, there are about twenty-five major dialects of Dutch.The history of Dutch Language (Source: The Low Countries. Jaargang 4. Stichting Ons Erfdeel, Rekkem 1996-1997) Old DutchThe story of Indo-European languages can be traced back to around 3000 BC, but at that time there was no separate Dutch language, there was a separate English or German language. Germanic split itself off from Indo-European in the period 1000-500 BC. Then English, Dutch and German each began to go their own separate way in the period of 600 AD. The language of the period 600-1200 is mostly referred to as Old Dutch.

Middle DutchFrom the thirteenth century onwards a wealth of material has been handed down. Great cities grew up in the south, such as Bruges, Ghent, Brussels, Mechelen and Antwerp. With the appearance of the cities a new population group came as the townspeople. It was these townsfolk who first began to use the native language, Dutch, also as a written language on a large scale.In the beginning there was no standard language. People used the dialect of their own city or region as the written language. In the fourteenth and fifteenth century, due to changes in political and economic circumstances, Ghent, Brussels and Antwerp took over the role of linguistic model. The need for a standard language increased. Not until the sixteenth century we can state that there was a standard written language in the Low Lands.

The sixteenth and seventeenth centuriesThe sixteenth and seventeenth centuries are without doubt the period during which the Dutch language underwent the greatest changes. After the fall of Antwerp in 1585 there was a great stream of emigrants from the south, especially to the cities of Holland (Amsterdam, Haarlem, Leiden etc.). In the north the process of standardization of the language continued. From the seventeenth century onwards the standard language has been based on the dialect of the province of Holland. The other (northern) provinces turned increasingly to the language of Holland. From the sixteenth century onwards dictionaries, grammars and spelling books appeared. Dutch was used for all areas of life, including scholarly circles and the (Protestant) church. In the seventeenth century, under the leadership of Jan van Riebeeck, Dutch colonists established themselves in South Africa. Their language developed there in a totally distinctive way, and over the centuries has become increasingly differentiated from Dutch, both in vocabulary and grammar. The eighteenth and nineteenth centuriesThe period of prosperity that the Netherlands enjoyed in the seventeenth century was clearly past its peak in the eighteenth. In the Netherlands the process of standardization continued. Around 1600 it is true that there was a standard written language (mainly because a more or less uniform spelling was used in the various provinces), but there was still no standard pronunciation to go with it. On the other hand the standardization of Dutch is certainly far stronger than the standardization of German, where even among the educated sectors of the nation there is still considerable variation in dialect. The twentieth centuryIt was not until the twentieth century that Belgian Dutch and the Dutch of the Netherlands began to develop equally and together. Nowadays circumstances are less unequal, and contact is intensifying all the time. Radio, television and education, and considerable mobility on the part of the population, all work to the advantage of a standard language, and to the further suppression of the dialects. Around 1900 the standard pronunciation of Dutch was the exclusive characteristic of a small upper social layer, but today the ABN pronunciation can be heard not only in all the provinces but also among all social classes.

2. Beliefs and valueDutch colonies were a melting pot for religions in the 1600s. People fled to the colonies from overseas to escape religious persecution. Many people and faiths followed. The colonies saw the arrival of Irish, Scots, Dutch and French. The colonies had many denominations, including Protestants, Catholics, Calvinists and Humanists.Religion has played a major role in the history of the Netherlands, which was created as an alliance of provinces following the 16th century Calvinist uprising against the Catholic Philip II, King of Spain, who previously ruled the lands which now form the Netherlands.Since then, the Netherlands has increasingly become a secularized country, and it has been estimated (2002) that 41% of the population are not affiliated with any religion and that only around a fifth of people in Holland attend religious services regularly. Just under a third of the population (31%) are recorded as being Catholic and about 20% as belong to Protestant denominations, mainly the Dutch Reformed Church and the Calvinists (2002). Catholicism is strongest in the south of the country and Protestantism in the north. Within the Catholic Church in Holland, there are large variations between parishes in the extent to which the teachings and practices of the church have been modernized or remain very traditional.The Netherlands also now has an estimated 500,000 or more practicing Muslims, or around 5.5% of the population (2002). There is a fairly large Jewish community, and significant numbers of people practicing other religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism. A number of non-religious organized groups which follow particular philosophies, such as the Humanists, are also represented in Holland.Religious practitioners (priests, ministers, and imams) belong to the major religions in the Netherlands. The Roman Catholic ecclesiastical authority is represented by bishops who try to influence national debates about the family, social welfare, abortion, and euthanasia. Marriage and FamilyDutch people are free to choose their spouses. The common basis for marriage is most often love. This does not mean that people marry independently of the constraints of class, ethnicity, and religion. The choice of a partner is often class-based. Monogamy is the only marriage form allowed. Many Dutch couples live in a consensual arrangement. Same-sex couples can marry and have the same rights as heterosexual couples. A civil wedding ceremony, usually conducted in the town hall, is required in Holland to give marriage legality; so many couples have both a religious and civil ceremony on the same day. The wedding ceremony is usually followed by a series of celebrations consisting of a reception, a formal dinner and a party, and it is common practice for family and friends to be invited to either all or just part of the celebrations, depending on their closeness to the couple. Wedding anniversaries are not always celebrated, but the 12th, 25th and 50th anniversaries are considered significant and often marked with a party. Almost 45 percent of the Dutch population is married; about eighty thousand marriages are registered each year, while on average thirty thousand couples file for divorce.The nuclear family is the most common household unit, although it is increasingly losing ground to single-parent families, couples without children, and single-person households. The principal authority in the household is generally the man, although there is a trend toward more equality of marriage partners. Extended family households are rare. Dutch couples have a neolocal postmarital residence pattern, as couples are free to choose where they live.The Dutch make a distinction between relatives by marriage and relatives by blood. Consanguineal relatives are considered more important than are affinal relatives. Solidarity and support (financial and emotional) are usually directed at the closest kin (parents, children, and siblings). This is also illustrated by prevailing inheritance patterns. Disinheritance is not permitted by law. Every child receives an equal share.After the birth of a baby, friends and relatives usually make arrangements to visit the new parents and child, and will take a gift such as clothing or a baby toy. Traditional cookies decorated in little blue or pink sweets are usually served to visitors at this time, along with tea and coffee.Beliefs about death and the afterlife correspond to the doctrines of the major religions. The deceased is either buried at a cemetery or cremated at a cremation center. All burials and cremations are arranged by professional undertakers.

3. Etiquette and BehaviorMost traits of Dutch etiquette resemble those of the rest of the Western world, but there are several distinguishing national codes of behavior. The Dutch either shake hands when they meet and depart or, in the case of women and closely acquainted men and women, kiss each other three times on the cheek. Most Dutch only use first names with family and close friends. If invited to a Dutch home bring a box of good quality chocolates, a potted plant, a book, or flowers to the hostess. Flowers should be given in odd numbers, but not 13, which is unlucky. Avoid giving white lilies or chrysanthemums, as these are associated with funerals. Gifts should be wrapped nicely. Wine is not a good gift if invited for dinner, as the host may already have selected the wines for dinner. Do not give pointed items such as knives or scissors as they are considered unlucky. Gifts are usually opened when received.The Dutch have a strong desire to order their time in agendas and on calendars. Dutch children are given their first agenda at primary school to write down scheduled lessons and homework. A full agenda signifies a full life. The Dutch are very punctual, and showing up even five minutes late is considered inappropriate. As a result, everything has to be done at fixed times: There is a time to work, a time to clean the house, a time to drink coffee, and a time to visit friends.The Dutch do not line up and show almost no consideration in public for a persons status, gender, or age. The use of the formal you (U) to address a person is becoming less common, whereas the growing importance of the informal you ( jij) is meant to illustrate a commitment to equality.The Dutch are reserved and don't touch in public or display anger or extreme exuberance. The Dutch value privacy and seldom speak to strangers. It is more likely that they will wait for you to make the first move. Don't be afraid to do so. The Dutch expect eye contact while speaking with someone.Moving your index finger around your ear means you have a telephone call, not "you're crazy." The crazy sign is to tap the center of your forehead with your index finger. This gesture is very rude.Dutch society is egalitarian, individualistic, and modern. The people tend to view themselves as modest, independent and self-reliant. They will appreciate ability rather than dependency. They dont like an arrogant and a show-off behavior. A high lifestyle is considered wasteful by most people and sometimes met with suspicion.The Dutch are proud of their cultural heritage, rich history in art and involvement in international affairs. Dutch are straight to the point when they are talking and they combine informality with loyalty. This might be perceived as impersonal and patronizing by other cultures, but is the norm in Dutch culture. A well-known more serious source for Dutch etiquette is "Dealing with the Dutch" from Jacob Vossestein: Dutch egalitarianism is the idea that people are equal, especially from a moral point of view, and accordingly, causes the somewhat ambiguous stance the Dutch have towards hierarchy and status.

4. Social Stratification Classes and castesDifferences in wealth are relatively small in comparison to many other countries because of progressive taxation and the redistribution of fiscal funds to the unemployed and occupationally inactive. This equality of income is clearly shown when Dutch households are subdivided into four separate income categories. The lowest quartile has an average income of 8,730 euros ($10,105) after taxes, whereas the highest quartile has an average income of 38,365 euros ($44,420). An open discussion of class, income, and status differences is more or less taboo in a society that strongly emphasizes equality. Although Dutch society in general is firmly middle class, an estimated 5 to 10 percent of the population lives at a subsistence level. This income polarization and the ensuing social segmentation began in the 1980s. Low-skilled workers, the unemployed, the disabled, the aged, and single-parent households have been hit hardest. Low-income households are concentrated in the Randstad cities and the two most northern provinces, Friesland and Groningen. Symbols of Social StratificationClass differences entail few visible signs of cultural differentiation, but those minor differences have a great symbolic value in creating social distinction. The most obvious differences can be observed in housing, consumption patterns, and community participation. Lower-class homes are small and tend to hold a large amount of furniture and decorative articles. Higher-class homes are more spacious and tend to hold less and often more sober furniture. The social participation of Dutch people does not depend entirely on class background, but higher-income households tend to have less involvement in community life than do low-income households. Lower class people are in general more rooted in community life and less restrained in contacts with neighbors and relatives.Differences in clothing are relatively slight but important class markers. The Dutch dress with little eye for flamboyance. Even corporate dress codes are informal. Only the very rich and young urban professionals have a dress style that adheres to international clothing standards.Speech patterns also may vary with class. Lower class people tend to speak in a local dialect, while the middle and upper classes speak Standard Dutch.

Cultural Product of Netherlands CLOTHESIn the seventeenth century the Netherlands played a prominent role in fashion, transforming Spanish Catholic court fashion into sober, monochrome clothing symbolizing Calvinist Dutch burgher culture. Before 1850, most Dutch provincial citizens and villagers wore regional dress, which sometimes even differed according to village. In the eighteenth century, the Netherlands ceased to be a leading nation when the regents failed to initiate new developments. Changes started around 1850. The first fashion house, Maison Hirsch & Cie, opened in Amsterdam in 1882. In the early twentieth century Gerzon was the first Dutch shop to concentrate on inexpensive manufactured garments. French fashion remained influential until 1960, although always adapted, the assumption being that sober Dutch women dislike frivolity. Many Dutch people found the 1960s liberating; suddenly casual clothes were acceptable. The Netherlands became increasingly sophisticated in the 1980s, keenly following developments in Paris. Japanese designers made a strong impression, and new Dutch stores specialized in these designs. Today, Dutch fashion designers have made their mark. The Dutch are much more open to international fashion, although most clearly prefer informal clothing.Dutch clothing and costumes originated in the country now called the Netherlands, which has 14 provinces, and each province has its own traditional costumes. The most well-known type of dress, considered the national costume, came from the southern province of Volendam and is still wore by Dutch women for the tourists.

A. Head CoveringIn all but one province, Dutch ladies wore some type of head covering made of either lace or stiff fabric. Some of them wore small lacy caps, a few had long lace coverings that came down passed their shoulders, while others wore the larger white-peaked ones. Some caps tied under the chin and some did not.The men also wore hats, though mostly when outdoors; some had wide-brimmed hats while others sported a traditional fishermans hat or flat cap. Childrens apparel mirrored the adult clothing.

B. Bodices and ShirtsThe upper part of the womens clothing consisted of at least two layers. The first layer always had sleeve (cap sleeves, elbow-length sleeves or wrist-length sleeves) usually a dark color, but sometimes this bottom garment was white with the outer tier having color.The outer tier of most dresses attached to the waist of the skirt but one or two had colorful tunics that were worn over darker skirts. Some women had embroidered close-fitting vests.Men wore loose-fitting shirts, some white, some the conventional navy blue with the traditional double rows of brass buttons up the front. Many men sported a vest or suspenders.

C. Skirts and TrousersDutch women had modest skirts, usually in somber colors. Some were gathered at the waist while some of the ankle-length ones had pleats. Men had dark, loose-fitting trousers that either came to their knees or their ankles. Long socks accompanied the shorter pants. In the province of Twente, the men donned wrist-length double-breasted black coats.

D. FootwearAlthough town and city people wore European-style leather shoes, the rural folk put on the famous wooden shoes that they called klompen, which were also worn in many European countries such as Spain, Belgium and Germany. Traditionally hand-carved, plain and unpainted, they were perfect for the pervasive marshy lowlands that comprised the surrounding fields. Even today they are used by farmers and others who live in the rural wet areas. The secret to wearing the hard wooden klompen lies in the thick woolen socks that Dutch women know how to knit that keep feet warm, dry and free from chafing.

E. AccessoriesThe most visible accessory was the apron worn by most Dutch women. Whether short and flowered or floor-length and plain, in a subdued color or white, with or without lace, these items defined the Dutch woman and the province in which she lived. Some women carried knitted pouches at their waists, and some had short shawls that attached at the waist. In some provinces, both men and women wore suspenders. For the rich, diamonds, gold and silver jewelry had been available in Amsterdam since the 1500s.

There are three variants of the costume. There is the everyday costume, and the young girl's costume which resembles it, the Sunday go to Market costume, and the costume for special occasions, which is the one you most often see these days. For the 'Bruiloftsgast' or 'Wedding Guest' costume, the foundation is a chemise, which has no sleeves, and a petticoat. The traditional costume is about ankle length. The chemise does not show when the costume is completed. Over the chemise is worn a 'kraplap', also called 'koplap', ' kralap' or 'kroplap', a type of double bib, similar to the overcollar found in some German costumes. It fastens at the neck and is secured on the bottom by ribbons on the front panel which thread through loops attached to the back panel. The kraplap is found in many Dutch costumes, and is often decorated. Mevrouw Kil will be showing us how to put on the costume.They are made in two pieces, front and back, one shoulder is sewn closed, and the other has a fastening. There is a piece of ribbon or lace around the neck opening. Today, the kraplap usually has a design of machine-embroidered satin stitch flowers, usually roses. Here is an example of a contemporary kraplap.

Around 1930 a family named Tol developed a way to mechanically spray paint Rose designs on a silk background using a series of templates. This appears to be the precursor to the machine embroidered ones of today. When dressing up, an 'Edelkraal' is placed around the neck, made of several strands of coral beads and an ornamental buckle.The skirt is then put on, the white and red striped skirt for the 'Wedding Guest' costume, otherwise a long full skirt in a plain dark color, most commonly black or navy. The women in Marken, just a few kilometers away, wear a very similar striped skirt, but always under the topskirt. They make fun of Volendamers for walking around in their 'underwear'. Over this is put on the 'kletje', a blouse or jacket of black wool with a bit of a peplum in back, and a couple of wide lappets in front. It has a square-cut neckline both front and back, which are edged with trim. The front closes with hooks.Then the apron is put on over the kletje. The apron should be long and full. You can see cheap versions which are sometimes not made long or full enough. The apron has a tie which is usually made of an ornamentally woven band. For the 'Wedding Guest' costume, the apron is black, or perhaps another dark color, and the top part of the apron matches the kraplap.

When worn properly, the 'Wedding Guest' costumes incudes a white kerchief worn over the shoulders and tucked into the front neckline of the kletje

For the Sunday and Market-day costumes, they wear a dark or black skirt, a striped apron, and a scarf woven or knitted from colorful yarn instead of the white kerchief. The Market day apron is often decorated over the gathers at the top with colorful smocking.

Some women like the everyday shirt so much they wear it with their market day costume, sometimes with the full lace cap. When it starts to show signs of wear, then it becomes an everyday shirt.The famous peaked lace caps are supported by the black under caps. The caps themselves are made of two symmetrical pieces for the body of the cap, derived from the round back of the standard bonnet, and two wings, derived from the rectangular piece that makes up the top and sides of a bonnet. I do not have an exact cut, but the good ones are made of very fine and beautifully made lace, and the wings are gathered and pleated to shape. This high peaked cap is a relatively modern innovation, from around the turn of the 20th cent, in much the same way as the lace cap of Bigouden, in Brittany. Here is a famous painting of the Volendam costume made in 1865, showing a much more modest cap, albeit with similar wings. No other Dutch costume has a similar cap, although some are just as impressive.

CONCLUSION

Netherlands has so many unique cultures. Some of their cultures are acceptable for other countries, but there are also many cultures that are unacceptable for the others. Based on the interview of some foreign students in Netherlands by a certain website, there are many things that they do not like about the Low Land cultures. For example, a student really appreciates the Dutch politeness and their tolerance with racial and ethnical issues. On the other hand, a Spanish student said that the Dutch dont appreciate when people visit them unexpectedly. If you get invited to enter the house while the family is eating, most likely they offer you a chair to sit with them at the table but they wont offer you anything to eat. If you get lucky you may be offered some dessert. It is in contrary with Spanish culture that everybody loves company. The Spanish like to go and visit friends and relatives at every time of the day. And when dinner is served, it is considered a bad manner if you leave, you would insult the hostess.However, we really cannot be generic about a whole country. There are many sub cultures in the Netherlands. Most of it is based on geographic location. It really depends where we are. It also depends on who we meet, but the most important thing is ourselves. We need to realize that there are differences which will not go away. So live with it or leave, keep in mind that each human is an individual. Do not expect that everything is the same as at home. And would it not be a boring world when it was everywhere the same? Maybe there are some generic bad habits but again, an individual might be different!

REFERENCES

Alpers, Svetlana. The Art of Describing: Dutch Art in the Seventeenth Century, 1983.Besamusca, Emmeline & Jaap Verheul. Discovering the Dutch: On Cultures and Society of Netherlands. Amsterdam University Press, 2010.Craver, Jackie and Phyllis Zylstra. Dutch Costumes: A Look Into the Past'. Pella, Iowa: 2007.Traditional Dutch Wear (online). Available: http://klwear.com/traditional-dutch-wear/. Retrieved on 25th April 2014.Wikipedia. Cultures of Netherlands. (online) Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_the_Netherlands. Retrieved on 24th April 2014.