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 of Belgium | |
|---|---|
| Official | Dutch (1st: ~55%, 2nd: 16%, total: ~71%) French (1st: ~39%, 2nd: ~49%, total: ~88%) German (1st: 0.4%, 2nd: 22%, total: 22.4%) |
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Is Belgian a mix of French and German?
Belgians are made up of two main linguistic and ethnic groups; the Dutch-speakers (called the Flemish) and the French-speakers (mostly Walloons), as well as a third tiny but constitutionally recognized group from two small German-speaking areas.
What is the main language of Belgium?
Official Languages: French, Dutch and German. Wallon, the local variant of French, is used by 33% of population. Flemish is used by more than 60% of the population, and is spoken in the northern part of the country. The languages learned at school are officially labelled French and Dutch.
Are Belgians basically French?
Belgian French (French: français de Belgique) is the variety of French spoken mainly among the French Community of Belgium, alongside related Oïl languages of the region such as Walloon, Picard, Champenois and Lorrain (Gaumais).French is one of the three official languages of Belgium alongside Dutch and German.
Which ethnicity is the highest in Belgium?
Demographics of Belgium
| Demographics of the Kingdom of Belgium | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | noun: Belgian(s) adjective: Belgian |
| Major ethnic | 58% Flemish |
| Minor ethnic | 31% Walloon, 11% Mixed/Other |
| Language |
Are Belgians Dutch?
Belgium is one of those special countries that have three official languages: Dutch, French and German. That’s right, Dutch (and not Flemish) is one of the official Belgian languages!So, the terms ‘Flemish’ and ‘Belgian Dutch’ actually refer to the same language.
Why does Belgium speak 3 languages?
Historically speaking, the country has had quite a wide variety of rulers, influencing how multilingual and multicultural Belgians are today. Due to their close proximity to these three countries, they have three official languages that divide Belgium into three main regions.
Is French or Dutch more common in Belgium?
The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German.
| Languages of Belgium | |
|---|---|
| Official | Dutch (1st: ~55%, 2nd: 16%, total: ~71%) French (1st: ~39%, 2nd: ~49%, total: ~88%) German (1st: 0.4%, 2nd: 22%, total: 22.4%) |
Why is French spoken in Belgium?
Simply said, the divide was a result of the Walloon region in the South of modern-day Belgium being run by the Gauls during the Roman Empire while the Flanders Region in the North was being infiltrated by Gothic Germans.French immediately became the official language in Belgium which upset the Flemish Speakers.
What percentage of Belgium speak French?
40%
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.
Who is Belgian but speaks French?
Belgium is divided into three regions: Flanders in the north, the Brussels-Capital Region in the middle, and Wallonia in the south. To make matters a little more confusing, the Flemish speak Dutch but do not consider themselves Dutch, and the Walloons speak French but do not consider themselves French.
Are Belgian and French the same?
There are other ways that the dialects differ as well. Just as Canadian French is different from Standard French, Belgian French is also different. There are actually three official languages in Belgium – Dutch, French, and German.Even though both countries speak French, the French is not always the same.
When did Belgium start speaking French?
In 1830, the Belgians had enough of the Dutch king Willem I and his malarky, and declared themselves independent. The inhabitants of Wallonia, the region that is called ‘Wallonie’, speak French.
Is Belgium a Germanic country?
Countries. Independent European countries whose population are predominantly native speakers of a Germanic language: Austria. Belgium (slightly more than 60% majority concentrated in Flanders and the German-speaking Community of Belgium)
What state has the most Belgians?
The states with the largest Belgian communities are:
- Illinois: 34,208 (out of 12,419,293 = 0.28%)
- California: 26,820.
- Minnesota: 15,627 (out of 4,919,479 = 0.32%)
- Florida: 14,751.
- New York: 12,034.
- Indiana: 11,918.
- Texas: 10,595.
- Ohio: 9,651.
Is Flemish like 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 |
Why does Belgium speak Dutch?
The main reasons for this are the strengthened economic position of Flanders and the problematic situation of heavy industry in Wallonia since the 1960s. 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.
How did French get to Belgium?
The French Revolutionary wars led to Belgium becoming part of France in 1795, bringing the end of the semi-independence of areas which had belonged to the Catholic church.Belgium was neutral but its strategic location as a pathway to France made it an invasion target for Germany in 1914 and 1940.
Can I live in Belgium speaking English?
Belgium has three official languages – English, Dutch, and French. English, however, is not the primary language they speak in the country. But even if it is not, a large percentage of the population speaks English. As such, you can speak the language in many situations all over Belgium.
Can Belgians speak both French and Dutch?
Both, 60% of Belgians speak Dutch, 39% speaks French, 1% speaks German (some people don’t know that). It really just depends on where in Belgium you are, in Flanders or in Wallonia.
Does Belgium speak Flemish?
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.
