Languages of Belgium

The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages: Dutch (Flemish), French, and German.

A number of non-official, minority languages and dialects are spoken as well.

Official languages

Legal status

The Belgian Constitution guarantees, since the country's independence, freedom of language in the private sphere. 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 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. 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."

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. 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.

Of the inhabitants of Belgium, roughly 59% belong to the Flemish Community, 40% to the French Community, and 1% to the German-speaking Community. 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. A large French-speaking population lives around Brussels, in Flanders, and by geography are considered part of the Flemish Community. 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".

Dutch

Dutch is the most spoken primary language of Belgium and the official language of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region (merged to Flanders). Along with French, it is an official language of the Brussels-Capital Region. The main Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium are Brabantian, West Flemish, East Flemish, and Limburgish. All these are spoken across the border in the Netherlands as well, and West Flemish is also spoken in French Flanders. 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. As such, they are not always readily intelligible for Dutch speakers outside Flanders. Nevertheless linguists regard these as varieties of Dutch. Words which are unique to Belgian Dutch are called '' belgicisms'' (as are words used primarily in Belgian French). The original Brabantian dialect of Brussels has been very much influenced by French. It is now spoken by a minority in the Capital region, since the primary language of most inhabitants shifted during the Frenchification of Brussels.

French

The second-most spoken primary (Belgian) language, used natively by approximately one third of the population, is French.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. 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. Almost all of the inhabitants of the Capital region speak French as either their primary language (50%) or as a lingua franca (45%).
— The linguistic situation in Belgium (and in particular various estimations of the population speaking French and Dutch in Brussels) is discussed in detail
Many Flemish people also speak French as a second language. Belgian French is in most respects identical to standard, Parisian French, but differs in some points of vocabulary, pronunciation, and semantics.

German

German is the least prevalent official language in Belgium, spoken natively by less than 1% of the population. 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. 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.

In the Arelerland in the southern part of Belgium Luxembourgish is traditionally spoken.

Use

In national politics, politicians can freely choose to speak in any of the three official languages. In turn, the Belgian parliament provides simultaneous interpretation for those who require it to assist in communication.

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. Instruction in other languages is prohibited in government-funded schools except for foreign language subjects. However, the English language has become increasingly used in higher education.

Also all official correspondence and communication with the government (e.g. tax papers, local politics, ID/passport requests, building permits etc.) must be in the official language of the region or community. Inhabitants of a few municipalities are granted an exception to these rules.

Multilingualism

In 2006, the Université catholique de Louvain, the country's largest French-speaking university, published a report with the introduction (translated):

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. 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. In each region, Belgium's third official language, German, is notably less known than those.

Non-official languages

In addition to the three official languages, others are spoken in Belgium, for instance in Wallonia, where French became dominant only relatively recently. Sometimes seen as dialects, the varieties related to French have been recognized by the French Community as separate languages (', ‘regional native languages’) since 1990. But there have been no significant measures to support usage of those varieties.

Romance

Walloon

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. Though it has been recognized since 1990, like other vernaculars in Belgium, it is spoken mainly by older people. Some younger Walloons may claim some knowledge. It is used mainly in rural regions, which have a slower rate of change. It is also used in theatre productions and other forms of literature, though not in schools.

Picard

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. Picard has been historically based in France, with speakers also in the western part of Wallonia.

Champenois

Champenois was also legally recognized in 1990. It is mainly spoken in Champagne, France, and a small part of Wallonia.

Lorrain

Like the other indigenous languages closely related to French, Lorrain was recognized in 1990. It is mainly spoken in Gaume, a part of Belgian Lorraine.

Germanic

Flemish

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. The main Dutch dialects in Belgium are Brabantian and East Flemish. Standard Dutch, as spoken in Belgium, is mostly influenced by Brabantian. There are literary traditions in both the East Flemish and West Flemish dialects.

Limburgish

Limburgish is a language spoken mainly in north-eastern Belgium and the south-eastern Netherlands, in the Belgian and Dutch provinces of Limburg. It is closely related to Dutch but has more German influences.

Low Dietsch

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. It is spoken in towns and villages such as Plombières ''(Bleiberg)'', Gemmenich, Hombourg, Montzen and Welkenraedt. Linguists classify this dialect as a transition between Limburgish and Ripuarian. It has been defined as either varieties of Dutch or of German.

Since 1992 Low Dietsch has been acknowledged as an internal regional language by the Walloon authority. Low Dietsch was the favorite foreign language in the 19th century of American President Andrew Jackson for its sound and eloquence. Low Dietsch is practically identical to the German dialect in the northern part of the neighbouring official German-speaking region of Belgium. 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.

Luxembourgish

Luxembourgish, a Moselle Franconian language, is native to Arelerland, the eastern part of the Belgian province of Luxembourg, including the city of Arlon ''(Arel)''. 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.

Since 1990 this language has been recognised by the Walloon authorities as ' ( Franconian). It was the only non-Romance language recognized in the 1990 decree.

Marols

Marols, also known as Brusseleir, is a nearly extinct dialect spoken in Brussels, and used primarily in informal contexts. It is mostly a mixture of French and Dutch influences. Marols originated from the Brabantian dialect and gained greater French influences after the Kingdom of Belgium was established in 1830 following the Belgian Revolution. The dialect was named after the Marollen, a neighborhood in Brussels.

Yiddish

Yiddish is spoken by many among the 18,000 Jews living in Antwerp, where there is a considerable number of orthodox Jews who "maintain a largely traditional Jewish way of life... n whichYiddish is widely spoken even outside the homes and also by Jews who were born in Belgium."

Sinte Romani

Sinte Romani is spoken by the Sinti Roma minority in Belgium.

Sign languages

LSFB

LSFB, or French Belgian Sign Language, is used primarily in Wallonia and Brussels and is related to LSF and other Francosign languages. It developed from Old Belgian Sign Language, which developed as a result of contact between Lyons Sign Language and LSF.

VGT

Like LSFB, Flemish Sign Language, or VGT, is a Francosign language descended from Old Belgian Sign Language. It is used primarily in Flanders, with five major regional dialects: West Flanders, East Flanders, Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, and Limburg. There is dialectal variation between men and women speakers due to historical developments of the language.

DGS

Unlike VGT and LSFB, DGS, or German Sign Language, is unrelated to LSF and comprises its own language family. DGS is related to PJM and Shassi. It is used primarily around the German-speaking communities of Belgium, although German and DGS are unrelated.

Indo-Aryan

Sinte Romani is spoken by many among the 10,000 Romani or Sinti living in Belgium. It has significant German influence and is not mutually intelligible with other Romani languages. The language belongs to the Northwestern Romani dialect group. The language and people are often called "Gypsies" by outsiders, a term considered to be pejorative due to its connotations of illegality and irregularity.

Main foreign languages

Since the late 20th century, Belgium has received immigrants from different areas of Europe, the Mediterranean, and North Africa. They and their descendants speak languages including Berber ( Riffian), Arabic ( Maghrebi), Spanish, Turkish, Portuguese, Italian, Greek, Polish, and English.

See also

* Language legislation in Belgium

References

Footnotes

*

External links

Ethnologue, Languages of the World: Belgium
(non-free content)

{{Languages of Europe