The present study investigates whether form differences between Dutch and Hungarian influence the interpretations that speakers have. The Dutch plural suffix –en, for example erwt-en (‘pea-s’), is often homographic and homophonous with the linking element in noun-noun compounds, for example erwtensoep (‘pea + en + soup’). Hungarian, in contrast, has no such form correspondence. The interpretation of Dutch and Hungarian compounds was investigated. We found a difference between Hungarian speakers rating Hungarian modifiers and Dutch speakers rating Dutch modifiers: the plurality ratings for the number of peas in erwtensoep, was higher than those for the number of peas in of borsóleves. In addition, when rating Dutch compounds, native Hungarian speakers seem to rely more on form than native Dutch speakers.

What is the best method to map out spelling competence and development? That question will be answered by means of consonant duplication at the primary school in grades 3 to 8 (Dutch system). According to previous research, describing spelling competence on the basis of global category 4.2 (‘inheemse verdubbelingswoorden’) in the Van Dale Basisspellinggids does not give enough information. Spelling development, on the other hand, seems to be described quite well with this global distinction as regardless of the possible differences in development of the ‘inheemse verdubbelingswoorden’, the ‘goedpercentage’ in the 8th grade almost reaches 100%. The more detailed breakdown in subcategories 4.2a, 4.2b, 4.2c and 4.2d show that ‘puddingwords’ (subcategory 4.2c: words ending in -ing, -ig, -lijk, a schwa that is not written as ) and ‘herrie-words’ (subcategory 4.2d: native ‘verdubbelingswoorden’ that look like other categories, but differ from them because they have more than one ‘volle vocaal’) hardly occur in the corpus. The ‘tamme words’ (subcategory 4.2a: words with a suffix which contain a schwa, written as ) and ‘korrel words’ (subcategory 4.2b: words ending in ‒el, -er which are part of the base, no flectional suffixes, schwa written as ) give a valuable description of the spelling competence and development. The detailed 38 Carine Eskes distinction in triplet clusters gives a clear picture and that is mainly because of the limited number of observations made in these categories

This article offers an insight into useful methods of evaluating language proficiency in students. It focusses on a couple of essential principles for valid and fair testing. Starting from three basic questions a teacher must consider before drawing up a test (why, what and how), the article discusses the different reasons for testing. Finally three criteria for quality (validity, consistence and achievability) are taken into account, as well as possible distortions created by different tests in different contexts. The article concludes with a statement about the importance of variation and the critical approach of tests as good testing is important for both teachers and students.

This article considers the examination methods for L2 learners in Hungary. A short history of past and current methods of examination for Dutch learners is covered in order to attest to the evolution in complexity and effectiveness that has taken place over the course of the years. The theoretical, statutory side of L2 examination is briefly taken into account, but the focus is on the practical aspect of L2 examination. The different elements of an ideal exam (reading, listening, writing and speaking proficiency, and correctness) are discussed with attention to detail and with the use of examples.

In the course of the acquisition of a second language, students are often advised to read extensively in order to improve their skills. However, reading can be a challenging task for L2 learners as they can come across many obstacles and do not adopt certain reading strategies that are deemed crucial for developing literacy skills and a level of proficiency within that language. Verrote suggests that alternative text-based assignments that focus on interaction rather than reading offer students encouraging methods to improve their literacy skills. She concludes her statements with a series of examples of interactive textbased tasks that are stimulating to students.

If we look at language course books for beginners we see that a lot of cultural aspects emerge even from these low-level texts. I analysed a Dutch course book (B. de Boer, M. van der Kamp, B. Lijmbach (2010). Nederlands in gang. Coutinho) and tried to find the matches with Hofstede’s five dimensions, with special attention to the elements of dimensions which can be related to education and foreign language teaching. I found that three dimensions which are typical of Dutch society and which are different in Hungarian society, may influence foreign language learners’ perception of the target language and culture . These are 1. Small power distance (especially at school and at home) which can foster or impede creativity; it also has far-reaching consequences for the degree of directness/indirectness in communication in teacher-learner interaction and also on societal level; and its effect on dealing with guests and privacy. 2. Individualism: influences our contacts in the family, but also our rights to freedom of opinion and expression in social interaction, and it also influences the space, the houses where we live and how we deal with guests. 3. Femininity: this dimension plays an important role in negotiations and discussions. Working on reaching mutual understanding and the willingness to listen to each others’ opinion are also characteristic features of femininity. This dimension influences also our ideas about the past, the history of our country and how important this national history is for our country at present. We also wittness some kind of shift towards masculinity in the Netherlands in the past years which again lets us think further how we can incorporate teaching culture in our language curriculum, without being stereotypical. 118 Eszter Zelenka In my paper I discuss the different possible ways of drawing beginners’ attention to cultural values, hidden in texts; and the choices that a foreign language teacher has to make in this process.

The aim of this paper is to take the first step in providing a systematic analysis of the pronunciation problems of adult Hungarian learners of Dutch. The paper focuses on the specific difficulties and needs of students on the three university departments of Dutch in Hungary. In order to make pronunciation teaching as effective as possible for this – in several important respects – homogeneous group of students, it is essential to define their specific goals and most potential problems. Although the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) provides a detailed description of the pronunciation skills to be attained at the different output levels (from A1 to C2), the optimal target of pronunciation teaching on the Hungarian university departments of Dutch is defined here in terms of prettig verstaanbaarheid (≈pleasant comprehensibility), i.e. neither as mere comprehensibility, or as native-likeness. The main arguments in favour of this objective are based on a short overview of the relevant literature and of the specific needs of these students. Special emphasis is laid on the importance of the comparative analysis in this particular educational environment. In the second part of the paper, some of the most conspicuous segmental pronunciation errors of Hungarian university students of Dutch are analysed in a contrastive framework with reference to both phonetic and phonological aspects. The errors are categorised in terms of a simple hierarchical system of the elements of pronunciation based on the CEFR.