What language is closest to Flemish?

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.

Can Dutch understand Flemish?

In essence, a Dutch speaker will be able to understand a Flemish speaker and respond back, and the same goes for the opposite. Dutch people also often mention that the Flemish dialect sounds softer. This is because the Dutch language makes use of stronger tones.

Where is Flemish most widely spoken?

Belgium
Flemish refers to the people, culture, and region of northern Belgium. Belgium recognized Dutch, German, and French as the three official languages of the country, with Dutch being the most widespread.

Do more people speak Flemish or French in Belgium?

Belgium has three official languages. Flemish Dutch, French and German. Flemish Dutch is spoken by 56\% of the population, French 40\%, and German 1\%. Even though English isn’t an official language of Belgium, it is still spoken by 55\% of its people.

Are Belgians Dutch?

The majority of Belgians, however, belong to two distinct ethnic groups or communities (Dutch: gemeenschap or French: communauté) native to the country, i.e. its historical regions: Flemings in Flanders, who speak Dutch, and Walloons in Wallonia, who speak French or Walloon.

Can Flemish speakers understand German?

Upbringing: Dutch (and flemish) people who are used to speak a dialect are more likely to understand a closely related language like German better than people who only speak standardized dutch. This counts especially for eastern dutch dialects.

Is Flemish easier than Dutch?

It is very easy for Dutch speakers to distinguish whether a person is from Flanders or from the Netherlands. For instance, the more you move to the south, the pronunciation of the letter “g” is softer. The closer you are to the Randstad (where Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague are), the harsher that sound gets.

Are Flemish Catholic?

Religion. Approximately 75\% of the Flemish people are by baptism assumed Roman Catholic, though a still diminishing minority of less than 8\% attends Mass on a regular basis and nearly half of the inhabitants of Flanders are agnostic or atheist.

What language does Kevin De Bruyne speak?

English
FrenchGermanDutch
Kevin De Bruyne/Languages

Can a Dutch understand Afrikaans?

Although Afrikaans is a daughter of Dutch, Dutch speakers might take some time to understand the language but they can understand Afrikaans. The spelling is also different from the Dutch standard. The mutual intelligibility is more apparent in the written rather than the spoken form of Afrikaans and Dutch.

Is Flemish the same as French?

listen)), or Southern Dutch (Zuid-Nederlands). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; it is spoken by Flemings, the dominant ethnic group of the region….

Flemish
Vlaams
Vlaams
Native to	Belgium, Netherlands, France
Region	Flanders, Zeelandic Flanders, French Flanders

How many words are not used in Dutch and Flemish?

There are thousands upon thousands of words which are not used in both dialects. Additionally, unlike the varieties of English on either side of the Atlantic, Flemish and Dutch terms are often not interchangeable. One of the more striking differences between Dutch and Flemish is the role of informal language.

Why is Flemish the official language of Flanders?

Throughout the nineteenth century, the Walloons had most of the political and economic power in Belgium. Flanders remained a primarily agricultural area. However, by the 1930s the Flemings had gained enough influence to make Flemish their official language. They legalized its use in education, the courts, and the government.

Who are the Flemings (Flemish)?

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 .

What is life like in Flemish culture?

Although most Flemish do not practice Catholicism, the important events in a person’s life tend to be occasions of major family reunions and stress their religious heritage. Special gifts and wishes are given for baptisms, first communions, and marriages. Flemish manners are generally formal and polite.