Flemish is a West Germanic language most closely related to Dutch and generally regarded as the Belgian variant of Dutch. Flemish is spoken by approximately 5.5 million people in Belgium and by a few thousand people in France. Flemish is spoken by about 55% of the population of Belgium.
Contents
What nationality speaks Flemish?
Belgian
The Flemings, who constitute more than half of the Belgian population, speak Dutch (sometimes called Netherlandic), or Belgian Dutch (also called Flemish by English-speakers), and live mainly in the north and west.
Is Flemish and Belgian the same?
Belgium is one of those special countries that have three official languages: Dutch, French and German.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.
Is Flemish same as Dutch?
The Dutch language is 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. Dutch is also called Netherlandic or Dutch Nederlands; in Belgium it is called Flemish or Flemish Vlaams.
Who lives in Flemish region in Belgium?
In Belgium, there are three linguistic groups—the majority Dutch-speaking community, the minority French-speaking community, and the German speakers, who form a minute percentage of the entire community. Almost 59% live in the Flemish region, and speak the Dutch language.
Is Flemish still spoken?
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) |
Can Dutch speakers 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.
Is Flemish a language or dialect?
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.
Does Belgium speak German?
Like any other country, Belgium also has official languages. These are Dutch, French and German.
Why is it called Flemish?
Flemish as a name for the language was first used by the French (Flameng) around 1500, when the Flemish people called their language Diets. In Italian and Spanish, Flemish was referred to as Flamenco, which also referred to the Dutch language in the Netherlands.
What is Flanders called today?
Flanders now became part of the Kingdom of Belgium, which was recognized by the major European Powers on 20 January 1831.
What language do they speak in Ghent?
Dutch
Ghent
| Ghent Gent (Dutch) Gand (French) | |
|---|---|
| Community | Flemish Community |
| Region | Flemish Region |
| Province | East Flanders |
| Arrondissement | Ghent |
While both originating from the language family of Proto-Germanic, Dutch and English have evolved in close proximity to one another for hundreds of years. In the Low countries, five major mutually intelligible Dutch dialects existed.
Is Antwerp Flemish or Walloon?
Provinces of Belgium
| Provinces of Belgium Provincies van België (Dutch) Provinces de Belgique (French) Provinzen Belgiens (German) | |
|---|---|
| Antwerp East Flanders Flemish Brabant Hainaut Liège Limburg Luxembourg Namur Walloon Brabant West Flanders Flanders Wallonia Brussels | |
| Category | Decentralised unit in a federal state |
Do they speak Flemish in Belgium?
Flemish is spoken by approximately 5.5 million people in Belgium and by a few thousand people in France. Flemish is spoken by about 55% of the population of Belgium. There are also several thousand Flemish speakers in France. Flemish uses the Latin alphabet.
Is Brussels French or Flemish speaking?
Brussels is bilingual: French and Dutch are the official languages there. Yet Brussels is home to only a minority of Flemish people. This may sound strange, but the reason is simple. For centuries, Brussels was a Dutch-speaking city and today it is still the capital of Flanders.
Who spoke Flemish?
listen)) are a Germanic ethnic group native to Flanders, Belgium, who speak Flemish Dutch. They are one of two principal ethnic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons. Flemish people make up the majority of the Belgian population, at about 60%.
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.
Can Flemish understand Afrikaans?
Intelligibility between Dutch and Afrikaans
Although Afrikaans is a daughter of Dutch, Dutch speakers might take some time to understand the language but they can understand Afrikaans. On the other hand, speakers of Afrikaans might not be able to readily comprehend the Dutch language.
Are Afrikaans and Flemish mutually intelligible?
Dutch and Flemish are actually the same. It’s like the difference between British English and, let’s say, Australian English. There are some pronunciation differences and some vocabulary that is different, but we understand each other perfectly.
Do all Belgians understand French?
French is spoken by around 40% of Belgians as their primary tongue, while just 1% of the population speaks German as their first language. Many Belgians also speak one or more second languages. 16% speak Flemish Dutch as a second language, 49% speak French and 22% speak German.
