User:Bessel Dekker

I am a retired lecturer in English and used to teach at a Polytechnic for would-be publishers and booksellers (in Amsterdam, the Netherlands). I hold an MA (English Language and Literature) from Utrecht University. Latterly my interests have shifted from English towards Dutch and general linguistics, with a slight bias towards historical linguistics. I am fairly conversant with Indonesian (which I speak at home), can understand French and German and have a smattering of Classical Latin and Greek as well as Javanese.

Apart from having taught English for Special Purposes, I am experienced in adult education, in communication skills and in (publishers') list building.

For a number of years I served as a member (and chairman) of joint consultative committees, and sat on my Polytechnic's Students Appeals Committee.

An apology

I know next to nothing about computers (my own PC is still wood-fired) or automation, and the ins and outs of article mechanics are a mystery to me. So I am likely to make spates of mistakes, and while I am aware that this may cause trouble and even offence to colleagues, I assure you that none of my blunders are intentional. I hope to learn as I go along — but please do scold me if anything goes pear-shaped.

Working on

Joost van den Vondel

Work done

Tall tale —