The high quality of the Dutch-speaking schools is an explanation for the growing success of the Dutch-speaking educational network in Brussels. Article 4 divides the country into linguistic areas, which form the basis of the federal structure: "Belgium has four linguistic areas: The French-speaking area, the Dutch-speaking area, the bilingual area of Brussels Capital, and the German-speaking area.". Flanders too has a number of dialects, but linguists regard these as varieties of Dutch rather than a separate Flemish language, with the exception of Limburgish and West Flemish. [8] Flemish is also used to refer to one of the historical languages spoken in the former County of Flanders. What sort of a dumb question is this? German is spoken in an eastern enclave. The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German. [19], "Belgium Bickering Over French and Dutch, Its Dual Languages", "Dubbel zoveel Franstalige rechtszaken dan Nederlandstalige in BHV", "Deux fois plus d'affaires inscrites au rôle en français qu'en néerlandais à BHV", "Verfransing en ontnederlandsing van faciliteitengemeenten gaat nog steeds verder", "7,6 % du personnel médical à Bruxelles est néerlandophone", "93,7% des immatriculations enregistrées en français à Bruxelles", "De gesproken standaardtaal: het Algemeen Beschaafd Nederlands", "Geeraerts, Dirk. Here we also list online French, Dutch and … Belgium is a country with an interesting albeit divided history. In 1940, Nazi Germany re-annexed the region following its invasion of Belgium during World War II; after the war it was returned to Belgium. It is used mainly in rural regions, which have a slower rate of change. Flemish people speak (Belgian) Dutch in Flanders, the Flemish part of Belgium. It would be a step closer towards integrating into an international world and more opportunities would open up, even in the employment sector. Much like English, Flemish dialects have adopted more French and other Romance vocabulary through mutual cultural exchange throughout history when compared with other Dutch dialects. In the Netherlands the official language is only Dutch. There are literary traditions in both the East Flemish and West Flemish dialects. All these are spoken across the border in the Netherlands as well. The knowledge of French as a second language among Dutch speakers in Flanders decreases, especially for the benefit of English. Alongside French, it is also an official language of Brussels. Belgium knows 3 official languages: Dutch, French and German. 2001. The combined region, culture, and people of Dutch-speaking Belgium has come to be known as "Flemish". In 2006, the Université catholique de Louvain, the country's largest French-speaking university, published a report with the introduction (translated): This issue regarding economies is devoted to the demand for knowledge of languages in Belgium and in its three regions (Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia). Like LSFB, Flemish Sign Language, or VGT, is a Francosign language descended from Old Belgian Sign Language. anon. [citation needed] Low Dietsch is practically identical to the German dialect in the northern part of the neighbouring official German-speaking region of Belgium. In turn, the Belgian parliament provides simultaneous interpretation for those who require it to assist in communication. All the different connotations of considering on… Oldest Documents. Belgium has 3 official languages: Dutch, French and German. Picard has been historically based in France, with speakers also in the western part of Wallonia. Official languages. What not to say and do. This means that Dutch should be on an equal footing with French, which is often not the case at local Brussels level: in many municipal and regional services, hospitals, public transport, and also in shops and offices, Dutch is little used. Dutch is the most spoken primary language of Belgium and the official language of the Flemish Community and the... French. Oct 24, 2018 16:23 . However, in the Brussels Capital Region and in the adjacent Flemish-Brabant municipalities, Dutch has been largely displaced by French as an everyday language.[4][5]. Belgium’s three official languages are Dutch, French and German. On the other hand, Dutch in Brussels is important because the Flemish government resides there, alongside the federal government services, and especially because many Flemish people work in Brussels, but do not live there. [This particular 2006–2009 'Marshall Plan' was devised in 2004 and published in 2005 to uplift the Walloon economy. ][6], Within the report, professors in economics Ginsburgh and Weber further show that of Brussels' residents, 95% declared they can speak French, 59% Dutch, and 41% know the non-local English. It is also used theatre productions and other forms of literature, though not in schools. Over time, the Dutch language has been known under a variety of names. There is a wide choice of language courses to learn French, Dutch, or German in the numerous language schools in Belgium, with the largest concentration of language schools in Brussels. These developments do not yet lead to legal facilities for Dutch speakers. In both Belgium and the Netherlands, the native official name for Dutch is Nederlands. The German-speaking Community of Belgium numbers 77,000, residing in an area of Belgium that was ceded by the former German Empire as part of the Treaty of Versailles, which concluded World War I. All these are spoken across the border in the Netherlands as well, and West Flemish is also spoken in French Flanders. There are also more Flemish families now living across the language border because it is cheaper to build, buy or rent. Since the late 20th century, Belgium has received immigrants from different areas of Europe, the Mediterranean, and North Africa. A number of non-official, minority languages and dialects are spoken as well. The dialect was named after the Marollen, a neighborhood in Brussels. In schools in Wallonia, Dutch is often taught as an elective, and as such it must compete against English. Another language related to French, and also a historic language of the region, Picard, was recognized in 1990 by the government of the French Community. It is spoken as a primary language by around 6.5 million residents, most of them located in the northern region of Flanders. Nowadays, it is used in at least five ways, depending on the context. In the Netherlands the official language is only Dutch. Since 1992 Low Dietsch has been acknowledged as an internal regional language by the Walloon authority. Article 30 specifies that "the use of languages spoken in Belgium is optional; only the law can rule on this matter, and only for acts of the public authorities and for legal matters." For example, the Dutch version of the Constitution has enjoyed equal status to the original French one only since 1967, and the German version since 1991. Dutch is mainly spoken in Flanders (Vlaanderen), the Dutch speaking part of Belgium. East Flemish forms a continuum with both Brabantic and West Flemish. Actually, Belgium has three official languages: French, Dutch and German. It is one of the few Jewish communities worldwide in which Yiddish remains the dominant language[citation needed] (others include Kiryas Joel, New York, and predominately Orthodox Ashkenazi neighborhoods in the United States, Montreal, London, Paris, and Israel). There has also been a considerable linguistic deviation of Flemish workers with their families to the Borinage and the Liège industrial areas. The Belgian Constitution guarantees, since the country's independence, freedom of language in the private sphere. It has been defined as either varieties of Dutch or of German. must be in the official language of the region or community. Only the Brussels-Capital Region is bilingual. The Belgian Constitution guarantees, since the country's independence, freedom of language in the private sphere. Almost all of the inhabitants of the Capital region speak French as either their primary language (50%) or as a lingua franca (45%). It is used primarily around the German-speaking communities of Belgium, although German and DGS are unrelated. J. Belgium has three official languages, Dutch, French and German, but the country itself is neither bilingual nor trilingual. The Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual French–Dutch. A large French-speaking population lives around Brussels, in Flanders, and by geography are considered part of the Flemish Community. Flemish Dutch is the most spoken of Belgium’s three official languages and is enshrined in law, along with French and German, though the country’s constitution does not explicitly mention specific languages. Low Dietsch was the favorite foreign language in the 19th century of American President Andrew Jackson for its sound and eloquence. It is mostly a mixture of French and Dutch influences. Champenois was also legally recognized in 1990. English is widely spoken in Flanders, but less so in Wallonia. Dutch is the majority language in northern Belgium, being spoken natively by three-fifths of the population of Belgium. [4][5] Many Flemish people also speak French as a second language. For a long time a Flemish standard has existed as a close variant of Standard Dutch existence, the so-called Schoonvlaams. The various Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium contain a number of lexical and a few grammatical features which distinguish them from Standard Dutch. It is closely related to Dutch but has more German influences. In 2012, 35% of the higher education institutions in Brussels were Dutch-speaking. Inhabitants of a few municipalities are granted an exception to these rules. The Flemish dialect is almost identical to the Dutch spoken across the border in the Netherlands, but some differences in vocabulary have led some to refer to the language colloquially as "Flemish". It is mainly spoken in Gaume, a part of Belgian Lorraine. The French-speaking community lives in the... German. importantly, over 200 indigenous languages remains and some are endangered. [9] Linguistically and formally, "Flemish" refers to the region, culture and people of (North) Belgium or Flanders. The position of Standard Dutch as a general language has been reinforced at the expense of the previously almost exclusive use of the dialects as spoken languages. In case you didn’t know, Flemish is the language spoken in the Northern provinces of Belgium,an official language that shares so many characteristics in common with Dutch that some may say it is the same language. Why isn't English being made an official language in Belgium along with Dutch and French? Dutch is an official language in Belgium, but it’s not spoken throughout the whole country. At that time, the proportions were 24.24% Dutch-speaking and 70.61% French-speaking. Russian, German, French, Italian, and English are the official languages of many European countries. The term does not refer to a language nor a dialect but to the region, culture and people of (West) Belgium or Flanders. Dutch is one of the three official languages of Belgium other than French and German. In Flemish education, French is no longer a compulsory second language. This video is all about the languages of Belgium, and the fascinating linguistic situation in the country. Some may be aware What Languages Do They Speak In Belgium? 8th c. CE. For the same reason as Urdu isn't being made an official language in the UK. "Réformer sans tabous - Question 1: les langues — La connaissance des langues en Belgique: "La connaissance des langues en Belgique – Reactions", Ethnologue, Languages of the World: Belgium, Langue des signes Francophone de Belgique, LSFB, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Languages_of_Belgium&oldid=1018352386, Articles with French-language sources (fr), Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2019, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the World Factbook, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 17 April 2021, at 16:36. The spoken standard was also under the influence of Antwerp for a long time as a dialect with high status, which also applied outside this city. Belgium is a multilingual country, counting Dutch, French, and German as its official languages. As such, they are not always readily intelligible for Dutch speakers outside Flanders. Annotations (known as Malberg Glosses) in a Latin text, the Lex Salica or Salic Law of the Franks. Legally they all are equal, but have powers and responsibilities for different fields. For contacts with the authorities three official languages can be used: Dutch, French and German. In the years after the Second World War, many Flemish farmers also moved to Wallonia, often because of the size of the farms and the attractive price of agricultural land. Brussels is, together with Lux… The main Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium are Brabantian, West Flemish, East Flemish, and Limburgish. These were mostly dialect speakers who had little or no knowledge of Standard Dutch and became French-speaking quite quickly. It is also the official language of administration in Suriname and in the Dutch Antilles. It is one of the three national languages of Belgium, together with French and German, and is the only official language of the Flemish Region. Since then no official census have been carried out. Some younger Walloons may claim some knowledge. [citation needed], "Belgian languages" redirects here. There are beginner, intermediate, and advanced language courses for French, Dutch, and German, with prices varying between schools and course level intensity. Though the standard form of Dutch used in Belgium is almost identical to that spoken in the Netherlands, and the different dialects across the border, it is often colloquially called "Flemish". It has significant German influence and is not mutually intelligible with other Romani languages. Linguists classify this dialect as a transition between Limburgish and Ripuarian. All Dutch dialect groups spoken in Belgium are spoken in adjacent areas of the Netherlands as well. The residents of Belgium enjoy the freedom of language in their private lives. Walloon is the historical language of southern Belgium, and most of the areas where French is now spoken were Walloon-speaking. It is also the traditional national language of the Walloons. Dutch is the most spoken primary language of Belgium and the official language of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region (merged to Flanders). The original Brabantian dialect of Brussels has been very much influenced by French. The main Dutch dialects in Belgium are Brabantian and East Flemish. [12][13][14][15], The number of people in Flanders who submitted their vehicle registration in French in 2010 is six times higher than the number of Dutch-language applications in Wallonia.[16]. DGS is related to PJM and Shassi. [1][2][3] It is the only official language in Flanders, that is to say the provinces of Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, Limburg, and East Flanders and West Flanders. Brusselsis a bilingual area where both Dutch and French have an official status. Before the federal structure and the language legislation were gradually introduced in the later 20th century, French was generally the only language used by public authorities. The main Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium are Brabantian, West Flemish, East Flemish, Antwerp and Limburgish. Instruction in other languages is prohibited in government-funded schools except for foreign language subjects. And if you’re looking for a job in Belgium you’ll soon notice that a lot of the vacancies ask some knowledge of one of these three. In Middle Dutch Dietsc, Duutsc, or Duitsc was used. The term Flemishitself has become ambiguous. These figures relating to official Belgian languages include unknown numbers of immigrants and their children, who may speak a foreign language as primary language, and of Belgian regional migrants, who likely largely balance one another for native French and Dutch speakers. The position of Dutch in Belgium has improved considerably over the past 50 years at the expense of French, which once dominated strongly in political, economic and cultural life. English is also widely spoken throughout this cosmopolitan country and many courses at its prestigious universities are taught in English. It is used primarily in Flanders, with five major regional dialects: West Flanders, East Flanders, Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, and Limburg. The Dutch language used in Belgium can also be referred to as Flemish Dutch or Belgian Dutch. Since 1990 this language has been recognised by the Walloon authorities as Francique (Franconian). Decision-making powers are not centralised, but divided between 3 levels of government: the federal government, 3 language-based communities (Flemish, French and German-speaking) and 3 regions (Flanders, Brussels Capital and Wallonia). Dutch is spoken in Flanders, the northern half of the country, and French is spoken in the southern Wallonia region. The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German. The last official census count in Brussels dates from 1947. Words which are unique to Belgian Dutch are called belgicisms (as are words used primarily in Belgian French). Among foreign inhabitants of Brussels, there is also a clear increase in both the number and percentage of children and adults choosing Dutch-speaking education. From my perspective of a linguist, if all the varieties of Spanish spoken in the over 20 countries in Europe, Latin America and North America are considered to be only one language, then Dutch and Flemish should also consider to be the same language. A history that still influences its modern-day culture. tax papers, local politics, ID/passport requests, building permits etc.) These languages are not spoken everywhere, because Belgium is subdivided into federated states. There are three official languages in Belgium, Dutch, French and German. Education is provided by the Communities, Dutch in the Flemish Community (Flanders and Brussels), French in the French Community (Wallonia and Brussels), German in the German-speaking community. Dutch has also become more important in tourism, especially in the Ardennes. Dutch language, a West Germanic language that is the national language of the Netherlands and, with French and German, one of the three official languages of Belgium. Also all official correspondence and communication with the government (e.g. Such a situation already existed in French-speaking Belgium with regard to Dutch. Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French and German. Like the other indigenous languages closely related to French, Lorrain was recognized in 1990. Dutch is almost identical to Dutch, except for some local terms and expressions, but some Dutch areas of Belgium have local dialects that may not be understood by Dutch-speakers at times. These were abolished under Flemish political pressure because they were often performed unreliable and could not be an argument for further 'minorizing' Dutch. [6][7] Although the Brabant dialect of the Brussels working-class neighborhoods, in particular the Marolles, with their population has virtually disappeared, linguistic variants exist in a diminishing degree in which an influence of the Brabant can be discerned. LSFB, or French Belgian Sign Language, is used primarily in Wallonia and Brussels and is related to LSF and other Francosign languages. The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German.A number of non-official, minority languages and dialects are spoken as well. Languages spoken at home as determined by a 2013 survey are:[10], In the last decade Dutch seems to be used more, both in education, where this development has been going on for some time, and in economic and social life. This regional language is closely related to that of Dutch South Limburgish, the dialect of Eupen and of the adjacent Aachen. Practicality plays a huge part in that decision. Dutch is the majority language in northern Belgium, being spoken natively by three-fifths of the population of Belgium. [9][10] But there have been no significant measures to support usage of those varieties. In each region, Belgium's third official language, German, is notably less known than those.[4][7][8]. Official languages of Belgium:   Dutch,   French, and   German. A common misconception is that Flemish is a completely different language. In addition to the three official languages, others are spoken in Belgium, for instance in Wallonia, where French became dominant only relatively recently. First off, there’s the Dutch-speaking Flemish community mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. Sometimes Vlaams (" Flemish ") is used as well to describe Standard Dutch in Flanders. Official languages Legal status. To secure citizenship in Belgium, you must speak one of the country’s free official languages – French, Dutch and German. This immigration took place from the 19th to the middle of the 20th century. ‘regional native languages’) since 1990. Low Dietsch is a Germanic language or dialect in the north-east of the Belgian province of Liege, in the kernel area of the historical (and linguistically mixed) Duchy of Limburg. Flemish people speak BelgianDutch in Flanders, which is the Flemish part of Belgium. [11], Dutch is the official language in Flanders, but there are a number of Flemish municipalities in the Brussels Periphery with a French-speaking majority, which are officially Dutch-speaking with French-language facilities. The language and people are often called "Gypsies" by outsiders, a term considered to be pejorative due to its connotations of illegality and irregularity. In national politics, politicians can freely choose to speak in any of the three official languages. The surveys show that Flanders is clearly more multilingual, which is without doubt a well-known fact, but the difference is considerable: whereas 59% and 53% of the Flemings know French or English respectively, only 19% and 17% of the Walloons know Dutch or English. The Dutch course offered is NT2 (Nederlands als Tweede Taal) which means “Dutch as a Second Language”. They and their descendants speak languages including Berber (Riffian), Arabic (Maghrebi), Spanish, Turkish, Portuguese, Italian, Greek, Polish, and English. Although speakers of English usually call the language of the Netherlands ‘Dutch’ and that of Belgium ‘Flemish,’ they are actually the same language. Het Nederlands in Vlaanderen: gedrag, beleid, attitudes". To the east of the Flemish counties Voeren, in the Low Dietsch region in the Liège province, where a transitional dialect between Dutch and German is still being spoken. The different definition is due to the fact that the German-speaking region was annexed by Belgium in 1919, whereas the "Low Dietsch" area has been part of Belgium since 1830. The primary language in Belgium is Dutch, spoken by approximately 60% of the population. The supra-regional, semi-standardized colloquial form of Dutch spoken in Belgium uses the vocabulary and the sound inventory of the Brabantic dialects. English is widely spoken throughout Belgium as a foreign language. 2. Belgian Dutch differs from Standard Dutch in terms of accent and vocabulary. It was the only non-Romance language recognized in the 1990 decree.[11]. A number of non-official, minority languages and dialects are spoken as well. Standard Dutch, as spoken in Belgium, is mostly influenced by Brabantian. [3] It is the official language of the French Community (which, like the Flemish Community, is a political entity), the dominant language in Wallonia (having also a small German-speaking Community), as well as the Brussels-Capital Region. Marols, also known as Brusseleir, is a nearly extinct dialect spoken in Brussels, and used primarily in informal contexts. Status: Dutch is the official language of the Netherlands and one of the official languages of Belgium. It developed from Old Belgian Sign Language, which developed as a result of contact between Lyons Sign Language and LSF. 1. It is mainly spoken in Champagne, France, and a small part of Wallonia. Malta has two official languages, they are English and Maltese. We’ve made a list of organisations and schools where you can learn Dutch. French. A number of non-official, minority languages and dialects are spoken as well. German is the least prevalent official language in Belgium, spoken natively by less than 1% of the population. For those public authorities, there is extensive language legislation concerning Dutch, French and German, even though the Belgian Constitution does not explicitly mention which languages enjoy official status. Dutch speakers tend to congregate in the city's northern municipalities. Along with French, it is an official language of the Brussels-Capital Region. For the hypothetical extinct language, see, Overview of the languages spoken in the Kingdom of Belgium. Since then, it has been necessary to rely on other sources to get an idea of the number of Dutch and French speakers in Brussels. Luckily there are a lot of institutions and organisations that offer courses for those wanting to learn. Of those under the age of forty, 59% in Flanders declared that they could speak all three, along with 10% in Wallonia and 28% in Brussels. It is spoken by the northern part of Belgium which is the Flanders region. Switzerland has four official languages, German, French, Italian, Romansh. Belgium is a federal constitutional monarchy in which the king is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government in a multi-party system. The language belongs to the Northwestern Romani dialect group. Unlike VGT and LSFB, DGS, or German Sign Language, is unrelated to LSF and comprises its own language family. If Belgium is so language-rich, why are there only three government-recognized languages? It is spoken in towns and villages such as Plombières (Bleiberg), Gemmenich, Hombourg, Montzen and Welkenraedt. There is dialectal variation between men and women speakers due to historical developments of the language. The ‘Belgian Dutch’ is called Flemish (Vlaams). Dutch is the official language in Belgium Dutch is the official language in Belgium. Since the late 20th century, it has largely been replaced by Belgian French in recent decades, in contrast to its flourishing on the other side of the border, in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The Yiddish community there is among the strongest in Europe. Incidentally, the status of the spoken Dutch standard is floating, which means that they are used at the socially higher level according to the rules that are also applicable in the Netherlands, but at the lower levels and especially in the local communication in many gradations to a dialect. The official languages of Belgium are French, Dutch and German. The measures advocated by the Marshall Plan are heading towards the proper direction, but are doubtlessly quite insufficient to fully overcome the lag. The Belgian Constitution guarantees, since the country's independence, freedom of language in the private... Dutch. Modern Standard Dutch is based on the dialect of Amsterdam. It is one of the three national languages of Belgium, together with French and German, and is the only official language of the Flemish Region. Footnote: Of the inhabitants of Belgium, roughly 59% belong to the Flemish Community, 40% to the French Community and 1% to the German-speaking Community, though these figures relating to official Belgian languages include unknown numbers of immigrants and their children speaking a foreign language as primary language, and of Belgian regional migrants which may be assumed to largely balance one another for natively French and Dutch speakers. Dutch is the mother tongue of about 60% of the population in Belgium, spoken by approximately 6.5 million out of a population of 11 million people. The country does have 3 languages that are typically spoken in public affairs: French, German, and Dutch. There are also Walloon educational institutions where several subjects are taught in Dutch as a form of Language immersion. Flemish (Dutch). Dialects of Dutch: East Flemish, Brabantian, Low Dietsch. Limburgish is a language spoken mainly in north-eastern Belgium and the south-eastern Netherlands, in the Belgian and Dutch provinces of Limburg. Just as theEnglish language spoken in Australia, Canada, UK, USA, South-Africa; and French spoken in Belgium, Canada, France, and Switzerland, Belgian differ, s… They do not reinforce the Dutch language but a German language element. Despite its name, Brabantian is the dominant contributor to the Flemish Dutch tussentaal. On the other hand, French-speaking education has lacked to status due to the massive influx of non-French-speaking children. The main reasons for this are the strengthened economic position of Flanders and the problematic situation of heavy industry in Wallonia since the 1960s. [17] As in the Netherlands, the pronunciation of Standard Dutch is affected by the native dialect of the speaker. These rural municipalities, which have been able to preserve their 'Platdietse' character despite two centuries of French-speaking administration, remained officially monolingual French after the establishment of the language border in 1963, although there is a legal possibility for facilities for Dutch or German. Though it has been recognized since 1990, like other vernaculars in Belgium, it is spoken mainly by older people. English language has been defined as either varieties of Dutch or of German different connotations of considering on…,... 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