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Edith Frank's Dutch lessons

Nothing is known about how Edith Frank-Holländer mastered the Dutch language.

Event

Unknown

52.373058 N 4.892596 E

Amsterdam

Nothing is known about how and to what extent Edith Frank-Holländer mastered the Dutch language.[1] Books belonging to her that have survived are in German and French. In letters to Gertrud Naumann, Edith did write about Margot and Anne's progress in the Dutch language, but not about her own.[2]

Edith did occasionally write in Dutch, as some documents show. Around August 1934, she wrote a reference for Renate Wolf: "We hereby confirm that Miss Renate Wolf is employed by us. Salary NLG 5 per week for ½ day. Mrs Otto Frank Merwedeplein 37 II".[3] And in 1935 she wrote extensive congratulations in Dutch on the occasion of the birth of a son of the Hofhuis family, friends of the family.[4]

According to Anne, her mother spoke very poor Dutch. In her diary, she writes:

"Please bear in mind, Kitty, that the two ladies here speak outrageous Dutch (I wouldn't dare say anything about the gentlemen, they would be very offended), if you heard that mess you would laugh; we don't even pay attention to it anymore, it doesn't help anyway. When I write about mother or Mrs v. P., I won't use the original language but proper Dutch."[5]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Zowel Rosa Hartog-Groenman als A.C.M. Huijsmans-Douwes hebben verklaard Nederlandse les aan Edith gegeven te hebben. Deze beweringen zijn omstreden en vinden geen steun in andere bronnen. Anne Frank Stichting (AFS) Getuigenarchief, Groenman-Hartog, Rosa & Huijsman-Douwes, A.C.M.
  2. ^ AFS, Anne Frank Collectie (AFS), reg. code A_Getuigen_I_087, 090-4: Edith Frank aan Gertud Naumann, "Donnerstag" (ongedateerd) en "Dienstag" (= 26 maart 1935).
  3. ^ Privébezit Judy Showers: handschrift Edith Frank op achterzijde van getuigschrift voor Renate Wolf op Opekta-papier, getekend door Victor Kugler, d.d. 7 augustus 1934. Judy Showers is de dochter van Renate Wolf.
  4. ^ Privécollectie: Edith Frank aan Bep Hofhuis, 30 juni 1935.
  5. ^ Anne Frank, Diary Version B, 2 September 1942, in: The Collected Works, transl. from the Dutch by Susan Massotty, London [etc.]: Bloomsbury Continuum, 2019.