Is Flemish a dialect or a language?

The question whether Flemish is a language or a dialect is as interesting, and as futile, as asking if Mancunian, Texan or Appalachian are languages or dialects of English. In the Netherlands as well as in Flanders the official language is Dutch, as spoken and written in the media.

Is the Flemish language the same as Dutch?

After all, Flemish is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as the “Dutch language spoken in Northern Belgium”. So, the terms ‘Flemish’ and ‘Belgian Dutch’ actually refer to the same language. Whatever you do with this new-found knowledge, please do not head to Flanders to tell the locals they speak a dialect of Dutch.

Why is Dutch called Flemish?

“Flemish” was historically a geographical term, as all inhabitants of the medieval County of Flanders in modern-day Belgium, France, and the Netherlands were referred to as “Flemings”, irrespective of their ethnicity or language.

Is Flemish its own language?

Official languages of Belgium: Dutch, French, and German. Brussels is a bilingual area where both Dutch and French have an official status….

Flemish
Native to	Belgium, Netherlands, France
Region	Flanders, Zeelandic Flanders, French Flanders
Ethnicity	Flemings
Native speakers	6.5 million (2016)

Is Flemish language used in Belgium as a separate language Why?

Flemish is related to the Dutch dialect, and it is mostly spoken in the northern part of Belgium. It is regarded as a separate language so as to reduce the conflict between the French and Dutch communities.

What is the difference between Flemish and Walloon?

Unlike countries that are ripped apart from within by religious or ethnic differences, Belgium’s division rests mostly upon the fact that its Walloon inhabitants mostly speak dialects of French and its Flemish inhabitants mostly speak Dutch (a slight variation also called Flemish).

Can Flemish speakers understand Dutch?

Generally speaking, as long as both speak the official standardized Dutch they will understand each other quite well, although the southern accent (Flanders, but also the southern parts of The Netherlands) is quite recognizable.

Is Frisian Dutch?

Frisian (Frysk) is a Germanic language, spoken by an ethnic minority known as the Frisians in the northern regions of the Netherlands and Germany. It is similar to Dutch, German, Danish and most similar to English. In fact, Frisian is, along with Scottish, the closest living language to English.

Is Flemish a Germanic language?

Dutch language, also called Netherlandic or Dutch Nederlands, in Belgium called Flemish or Flemish Vlaams, 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.

What were the two main causes of resentment in Belgium in 1960?

The two main causes of resentment in Belgium in 1960 were: The minority French-speaking community was relatively rich and powerful. The Dutch-speaking people constituted a majority in the country, but a minority in the capital.

What made the Dutch speaking community angry?

The Dutch community was angry from French speaking community because between 1950s and 1960s tensions were lead between the two communities French speaking community forced the dutch community to follow there rules and regulations and wanted to recognise French as an official language and follow there own policies …

What is the difference between Dutch and Flemish?

The main differences between Flemish and Dutch are pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. Generally speaking, the Flemish pronunciation is ‘softer’ than the Dutch pronunciation of most words, and this is most apparent in the letter ‘g’. However, pronunciation in itself is not a reason to produce two different texts.

What country do Flemish come from?

The Flemings (or Flemish) are Belgium’s ethnic majority. They live in the northern part of Belgium, which is called Flanders, and speak the Flemish language, which is closely related to Dutch. Present-day Belgium was originally inhabited by Celtic tribes and was overrun by the Romans in the first century BC .

Is Flemish a language?

Flemish is the language of Flanders : in dark green, the northern part of Belgium. Flemish is a language. It is a type of Dutch which is spoken by people in Belgium. It is the same as Dutch, but there are some typical words added. Dutch became the official language of the northern part of Belgium in 1938.

What is Belgium Dutch?

Belgians (Dutch: Belgen, French: Belges, German: Belgier) are people identified with the Kingdom of Belgium, a federal state in Western Europe. As Belgium is a multinational state, this connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural.