Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-08-08
LEARNING OTHER TONGUES.
Amusing Mistakes In First Attempts
to Use Foreign Languages.

to Use Foreign Languages.
Proficiency in a foreign tongue Is
hardly to be attained without first
making your quota Of ludicrous mis-
takes says Queen. These are to be
expected when you launch yourself
upon the unknown sea Of foreign con-
versation, and one must treat them as
amusing incidents Of travel.
An elderly English lady, seldom al
lowed by her accomplished daughters
to air her German, broke from their
affectionate custody one day, sailed In
to a shop at Bonn and boldly asked the
astonished shopkeeper for a little
devil for boys school," The man re-
piled deprecatingly that he did not
stock the article in question.
1t appeared that what she desired
was a slate-tafel, not the other thing
teufel-which is certainly not requir-
ed in a boys school. Some people
might say there are usually too many
of them at those establishments as
1t Is.
OF course, one way to make your
self comprehended is, as everybody
knows, to talk your own language to
the natives in very loud and master
full manner. Appropos Of this method
which has it's drawbacks, girl was
going upstairs to her room at French
hotel when she heard her mother ask
ing the chambermaid for soap.
Some soap, please. Soap, my good
girl. Soap, 1 say" her voice rising
higher and higher. "Bring-me-some
-soap!" very distinctly. "S-o-a-p,'
spelling it as a final effort at the top OF
her voice.
A German girl who was learning
English was a constant source OF
entertainment to us. She translated
the sentence, mo man can serve two
masters" by mo one can oblige two
gentlemen" and wrote in letter that
she washed her corpse every day with
cold water and did not try to skate be-
cause she had two weak uncles!
"Unpack your trunk" became with
her pack up your chest" while she
calmly announced that her sister hao
gone to Carlsbad to get thin, and had
lost eighteen pounds Of meat.
Upon one occasion her teacher gave
her a dictation in English, the subject
of which was rather oddly, the making
Of apple jelly. The girl read aloud
what she had written, and presently
arrived at the lemons now add the
Jews Guice) and boil together!'
English as translated for the use OF
hotel, restaurants and shops abroad Is
frequently quaint and worthy OF notice
For example, such advertisements as
In this hotel the wines leave the trav-
eler nothing to hope for" highly re-
nominated breakfasts" fourteen
wainscoted rooms and forty-two beds
light included (sic), and dinner al
every o'clock Of the day." good. plain
second rate hotel. best entertainment
best keep"
Then, as you take your walks abroad
travelling keepsakes Of Alpine genre,
YOU may have, unless you are wary
pressed upon you. or mice things ir
edelweiss, as also brooches and needles
in Alpine execution and nice things OF
buttons"
At Milan we saw a notice In dra'
per's shop of Man and lady hosiery
while a furrier advertised, "Sealskir
confection. gentlemen's cloaks, rugs as
Royal tigers, bears, ice bears, etc.
Visitors were also invited to view the
battle of Weissenburg as being Co
lossal round panorama. curiosity o,
first rate"