View source for Flemish dialects

{{short description|Variety of Dutch spoken in Flanders, Belgium}}
{{redirect|Vlaams|the language named "Vlaams" in the ISO standard|West Flemish}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Flemish
|altname=Vlaams
|nativename=''Vlaams''
|states=[[Belgium]], [[Netherlands]], [[France]]
|ethnicity=[[Flemings]]
|region=[[Flanders]], [[Zeelandic Flanders]], [[French Flanders]]
|speakers=6.5 million
|date=2016
|ref=<ref name="UCL">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/atlas/dutch/who.html |title=ATLAS – Dutch: Who speaks it? |publisher=University College London |access-date=26 November 2016}}</ref>
|familycolor=Indo-European
|fam2=[[Germanic languages|Germanic]]
|fam3=[[West Germanic languages|West Germanic]]
|fam4=[[Weser-Rhine Germanic|Istvaeonic]]
|fam5=[[Low Franconian languages|Low Franconian]]
|fam6=[[Dutch language|Dutch]]
|dia1=[[West Flemish]]
|dia2=[[East Flemish]]
|dia3=''[[Brabantian]]''{{efn|Depending on the definition of "Flemish" in context. Brabantian is classified as a dialect of Dutch. It is spoken in the historical [[Duchy of Brabant]], spanning the Belgian provinces of [[Antwerp (province)|Antwerp]], [[Flemish Brabant]] and [[Brussels Capital Region|Brussels]] that are part of the modern region of Flanders.}}
|dia4=''[[Limburgish]]''{{efn|Depending on the definition of "Flemish" in context. Limburgish is either classified as a dialect of Dutch or as a separate language altogether. It is spoken in the historical [[Duchy of Limburg]] and [[County of Loon]], spanning the Belgian province of [[Limburg (Belgium)|Limburg]] that is part of the modern region of Flanders.}}
|iso1=nl
|iso1comment=for [[Dutch language|Dutch]]
|iso2b=dut
|iso2t=nld
|iso2comment=for [[Dutch language|Dutch]]
|iso3=nld
|iso3comment=for [[Dutch language|Dutch]]
|glotto=dutc1256
|glottoname=Dutch
}}
{{Infobox ethnonym|person= Fleming ({{lang|nl|Vlaming}}) |people= [[Flemish people|Flemings]] ({{lang|nl|Vlamingen}}) |language=[[Flemish dialects|Flemish]] ({{lang|nl|Vlaams}}),<br/>[[Flemish Sign Language|VGT]] ({{lang|nl|Vlaamse Gebarentaal}}) |country= [[Flanders]] ({{lang|nl|Vlaanderen}})}}
[[File:BelgieGemeenschappenkaart.svg|thumb|Official languages of Belgium: {{color box|#A0A000}}&nbsp;Dutch, {{color box|#A00000}}&nbsp;French, and {{color box|#0000A0}}&nbsp;German. [[Brussels-Capital Region|Brussels]] is a bilingual area where both Dutch and French have an official status.|alt=]]

'''Flemish''' (''Vlaams'')<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/european_languages/languages/flemish.shtml |title=Flemish, Vlaams |date=14 October 2014 |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=26 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=De Cock |first=Barbara  |title=Flemish language policy in an era of globalisation |date=2006 |url=http://www.gencat.cat/llengua/noves/noves/hm06tardor-hivern/docs/decock.pdf |publisher=Gencat.cat |access-date=3 May 2017}}</ref><ref name="Omniglot">{{Cite web |url=http://www.omniglot.com/writing/flemish.htm |title=Flemish language, alphabet and pronunciation |publisher=Omniglot |access-date=26 November 2016}}</ref> is a [[Low Franconian]] [[dialect cluster]] of the [[Dutch language]]. It is sometimes referred to as '''Flemish Dutch''' ({{lang|nl-BE|Vlaams-Nederlands}}), '''Belgian Dutch''' ({{lang|nl-BE|Belgisch-Nederlands}} {{IPA-nl|ˈbɛlɣis ˈneːdərlɑnts||Nl-Belgisch-Nederlands.ogg}}), or '''Southern Dutch''' ({{lang|nl-BE|Zuid-Nederlands}}). Flemish is native to the region known as [[Flanders]] in northern [[Belgium]]; it is spoken by [[Flemings]], the dominant [[ethnic group]] of the region.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/belgium-a-nation-divided-765752.html |title=Belgium: A nation divided |last=Lichfield |first=John |date=18 December 2007 |work=The Independent |access-date=3 May 2017}}</ref><ref>[http://taaltelefoon.vlaanderen.be/nlapps/docs/default.asp?fid=270 Leidraad van de Taaltelefoon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021095837/http://taaltelefoon.vlaanderen.be/nlapps/docs/default.asp?fid=270 |date=2013-10-21 }}. Dienst Taaladvies van de Vlaamse Overheid (Department for Language advice of the [[Flemish government]]).</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The Germanic Languages |last=Harbert |first=Wayne |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=The World's Major Languages |last=Kooij |first=Jan |publisher=Routledge |year=2009 |editor-last=Comrie |editor-first=Bernard |edition=2nd |chapter=Dutch}}</ref> Outside of Belgium Flanders, it is also spoken to some extent in [[French Flanders]] and the Dutch [[Zeelandic Flanders]].<ref name="UCL"/><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://articles.latimes.com/2005/feb/20/news/adfg-belgians20 |title=Belgium Bickering Over French and Dutch, Its Dual Languages |last=Casert |first=Raf |date=20 February 2005 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=26 November 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://belgium.beertourism.com/about-belgium/language-matters |title=About Belgium – Language Matters |website=Beer Tourism |access-date=26 November 2016}}</ref>

== Terminology ==
The term ''Flemish'' itself has become ambiguous. Nowadays, it is used in at least five ways, depending on the context. These include:
# An indication of Dutch written and spoken in [[Flanders]] including the Dutch [[standard language]] as well as the [[nonstandard dialect|non-standardized dialects]], including intermediate forms between vernacular dialects and the standard. Some linguists avoid the term ''Flemish'' in this context and prefer the designation ''Belgian-Dutch'' or ''South-Dutch'' {{see|Dutch in Belgium}} 
# A synonym for the so-called intermediate language in [[Flanders]] region, the {{lang|nl-BE|[[#Tussentaal|Tussentaal]]}}
# An indication of the [[nonstandard dialect|non-standardized dialects]] and [[regiolect]]s of [[Flanders]] region
# An indication of the non-standardized dialects of only the former [[County of Flanders]], i.e. the current provinces of [[West Flanders]] and [[East Flanders]], [[Zeelandic Flanders]] and [[French Flanders]]<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Germanic Languages |publisher=Routledge |year=1994 |editor-last=Konig |editor-first=Ekkehard |location=London & New York |editor-last2=van der Auwera |editor-first2=Johan}}</ref> 
# An indication of the non-standardized [[West Flemish]] dialects of the province of [[West Flanders]], the Dutch [[Zeelandic Flanders]] and French {{lang|nl-FR|[[French Flanders|Frans-Vlaanderen]]|italic=no}} {{see|West Flemish}}

[[MultiTree]] considers Flemish to include the four principal Dutch dialects in the Flemish region (Flanders): [[Brabantian]], [[East Flemish]], [[West Flemish]] and [[Limburgish]] as well as three other dialects.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.multitree.org/codes/vls.html |title=Vlaams |website=MultiTree: A Digital Library of Language Relationships |access-date=10 November 2018}}</ref> [[Glottolog]] considers Western Flemish to be a separate language, classified as a part of the Southwestern Dutch family together with the [[Zeelandic]] language. According to Glottolog, Western Flemish includes the dialects of French Flemish and West Flemish. Brabantian and East Flemish are classified as Dutch dialects, under the Central Southern Dutch dialect group.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/vlaa1240 |title=Vlaams |website=Glottolog |access-date=2020-07-20}}</ref> [[Ethnologue]] considers Limburgish and West Flemish to be separate (regional) languages.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_map.asp?name=NL&seq=10 |title=Linguistic map of Benelux |date=1999-02-19 |website=Ethnologue |access-date=2013-10-17}}</ref><ref>Their [[ISO 639-3]] codes are ''vls'' and ''lim'', respectively.</ref>

== Characteristics ==
Dutch is the [[National language|majority language]] in northern Belgium, being used in written language by three-fifths of the population of Belgium. It is one of the three national languages of Belgium, together with [[French language|French]] and [[German language|German]], and is the only official language of the [[Flemish Region]].

The various Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium contain a number of lexical and a good amount of grammatical features that distinguish them from the standard Dutch. Basic Dutch words can have a completely different meaning in Flemish or imply different context.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Het Nederlands vroeger en nu |last1=Janssens |first1=Guy |last2=Marynissen |first2=Ann |publisher=Acco |year=2005 |location=Leuven & Voorburg}}, 155 ff.</ref> As in the Netherlands, the pronunciation of Standard Dutch is affected by the native dialect of the speaker.

All Dutch dialect groups spoken in Belgium are spoken in adjacent areas of the Netherlands as well. East Flemish forms a continuum with both Brabantic and West Flemish. Standard Dutch is primarily based on the [[Hollandic]] dialect&thinsp;<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://neon.niederlandistik.fu-berlin.de/nl/nedling/taalgeschiedenis/ABN/ |title=De gesproken standaardtaal: het Algemeen Beschaafd Nederlands |date=2014-06-10 |website=Structuur en geschiedenis van het Nederlands Een inleiding tot de taalkunde van het Nederlands |publisher=Niederländische Philologie, Freie Universität Berlin |language=nl |trans-title=The standard spoken language: General Civilized Dutch |access-date=2015-08-10}}</ref> (spoken in the Western provinces of the Netherlands) and to a lesser extent on [[Brabantian]], which is the dominant dialect in [[Flanders]], as well as in the south of the Netherlands.

===Tussentaal===
The supra-regional, semi-standardized colloquial form ([[mesolect]]) of Dutch spoken in Belgium uses the vocabulary and the sound inventory of the Brabantic dialects. It is often called an "in-between-language" or "intermediate language", intermediate between dialects and standard Dutch.<ref name="kul">{{Citation |last=Geeraerts |first=Dirk |title=Een zondagspak? Het Nederlands in Vlaanderen: gedrag, beleid, attitudes |date=2001 |url=http://wwwling.arts.kuleuven.be/qlvl/PDFPublications/01Eenzondagspak.pdf |work=Ons Erfdeel |volume=44 |pages=337–344 |language=nl |access-date=2012-01-19}}</ref> Despite its name, Brabantian is the dominant contributor to the Flemish Dutch ''tussentaal''.  

It is a rather informal [[variety (linguistics)|variety of speech]], which occupies an intermediate position between [[nonstandard dialect|vernacular dialects]] and the [[standard language]]. It incorporates phonetic, lexical and grammatical elements not part of the standard language but drawn from local dialects.

It is a relatively new phenomenon that has been gaining popularity during the past decades.{{when|date=August 2022}} Some linguists note that it seems to be undergoing a process of (limited) standardisation<ref>{{Cite book |title=Het Nederlands vroeger en nu |last1=Janssens |first1=Guy |last2=Marynissen |first2=Ann |publisher=Acco |year=2005 |location=Leuven & Voorburg}}, 196.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vlaamsetaal.be/vlaams|title=Algemeen Vlaams |publisher=VlaamseTaal.be |access-date=2013-04-14}}</ref> or that it is evolving into a [[koiné language|koiné variety]].<ref name="RysTaeldeman">Rys, K. & J. Taeldeman (2007). Fonologische ingrediënten van Vlaamse tussentaal. In: D. Sandra, R. Rymenans, P. Cuvelier et al. (red.), [https://books.google.com/books?id=NiRDcX7WEwMC&q=Koin%C3%A9&pg=PA1 Tussen taal, spelling en onderwijs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226113323/https://books.google.be/books?id=NiRDcX7WEwMC&pg=PA1&lpg=PA1&dq=&source=bl&ots=b3Cu_fAMaY&sig=uC8S6Ip_zUyOnoT0qXI-_LXn3a8&hl=nl&sa=X&ei=5Uq2VOKVD6LT7QbUoIHwAg&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Koin%C3%A9&f=false |date=2022-12-26 }}. Essays bij het emeritaat van Frans Daems. Gent: Academia Press, 1–9, p.2.</ref>

''Tussentaal'' is slowly gaining popularity in Flanders{{when|date=August 2022}} because it is used a lot in television dramas and comedies. Often, middle-class characters in a television series will be speaking ''tussentaal'', lower-class characters use the dialect of the location where the show is set (such as Western Flanders), and upper-class characters will speak Standard Dutch.<ref>{{Citation |title=Standaardtaal of tussentaal op televisie |url=http://lib.ugent.be/fulltxt/RUG01/001/891/647/RUG01-001891647_2012_0001_AC.pdf |publisher=Universiteit Gent |language=nl |access-date=2014-08-28}}</ref> That has given ''tussentaal'' the status of normalcy in Flanders. It is slowly being accepted by the general population, but it has met with objections from writers and academics who argue that it dilutes the usage of Standard Dutch.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2694/Tech-Media/article/detail/3593049/2014/02/08/Actie-tegen-onverstaanbare-Vlaamse-tussentaal-op-televisie.dhtml |title=Actie tegen onverstaanbare Vlaamse 'tussentaal' op televisie |last=Vervaeke |first=Leen |date=8 February 2014 |work=De Volkskrant |access-date=2014-08-28 |language=nl}}</ref> ''Tussentaal'' is used in entertainment television but rarely in informative programmes (like the news), which normally use Flemish accents with standard Dutch vocabulary.

===Belgicisms===
{{Unreferenced section|date=March 2021}}
A '''[[Belgicism (French)|belgicism]]''' is a word or expression that occurs only in the Belgian variant of Dutch. Some are rarely used, others are used daily and are considered part of the Belgian-Dutch standard language.<ref>Jo Verhoeven, ''Illustrations of the IPA: Belgian Standard Dutch'' ([https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/40E060F565C2A84B07993980D2957D49/S0025100305002173a.pdf/belgian_standard_dutch.pdf PDF])</ref> Many belgicisms are loanwords and words or expressions literally translated from French (also called [[gallicism]]s); others, in contrast, are actually remarkably [[linguistic purism|purist]], such as ''droogzwierder'' (a compound of Dutch ''droog'' "dry" and ''zwierder'' "spinner") meaning "spin dryer" (common standard Dutch: ''centrifuge'', a loanword from French), and ''duimspijker'' (a compound of Dutch ''duim'' "thumb" and ''spijker'' "nail") meaning "thumbtack" (common standard Dutch: ''punaise'', a loanword from French). Among the belgicisms, there are also many words that are considered obsolete, formal, or purist in standard Dutch. Moreover, many belgicisms have their origin in the [https://mtrconsult.com/news/new-procedure-codes-belgian-nomenclature-came-force-may-2019 Belgian official nomenclature]. For example, ''misdaad'' "felony" is not a legal term in the Netherlands, but it is in Belgium.

==Etymology==
The English adjective ''Flemish'' (first attested as {{lang|enm|flemmysshe}}, {{circa|1325}};<ref>{{Citation |title=Flēmish |url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary/MED16270 |work=[[Middle English Dictionary]] (MED)}}</ref> compare {{lang|ang|Flæming}}, {{circa|1150}}),<ref>{{Citation |title=Flēming |url=https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary/MED16268 |work=[[Middle English Dictionary]] (MED) |access-date=2013-10-17}}</ref> meaning "from [[County of Flanders|Flanders]]", was probably borrowed from [[Old Frisian]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Flemish&allowed_in_frame=0 |title=Flemish |website=Online Etymological Dictionary |publisher=Etymonline.com}} which cites {{lang|ofs|Flemische}} as an Old Frisian form; but compare {{Citation |title=flāmisk |url=https://gtb.ivdnt.org/iWDB/search?actie=article&wdb=ONW&id=ID4741&lemma=fl%C4%81misk |work=Oudnederlands Woordenboek (ONW)}}, which gives {{lang|ofs|flēmisk, flāmisk}}</ref> The [[Old Dutch]] form is {{lang|odt|flāmisk}},<ref>{{Citation |title=flāmisk |url=https://gtb.ivdnt.org/iWDB/search?actie=article&wdb=ONW&id=ID4741&lemma=fl%C4%81misk |work=Oudnederlands Woordenboek (ONW)}}</ref> which becomes {{lang|dum|vlamesc}}, {{lang|dum|vlaemsch}} in [[Middle Dutch]] and {{lang|nl|Vlaams}} in [[Modern Dutch]].

The word {{lang|nl|Vlaams}} itself is derived from [[North Sea Germanic|Ingvaeonic]] ''*flâm-'', from Germanic {{lang|gem|*flauma-}}, meaning 'flooded'. The name {{lang|nl|Vlaanderen}} was formed from a stem ''*flâm-'', with a suffix ''-đr/dr-'' attached.<ref name="Woordenboek">Instituut voor de Nederlandse Taal: [https://gtb.ivdnt.org/search/ ''De Geïntegreerde Taal-Bank'']:<br/>Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal (WNT), entry [https://gtb.ivdnt.org/iWDB/search?actie=article&wdb=WNT&id=M080691&lemma=vlaming ''Vlaming<sup>I</sup>''];<br/>cp.: Oudnederlands Woordenboek (ONW), entry ''[https://gtb.ivdnt.org/iWDB/search?actie=article&wdb=ONW&id=ID3676&lemma=fl%C4%81mink flāmink]'': "Morfologie: ''afleiding, basiswoord (substantief):'' flāma ‘overstroomd gebied’; ''suffix:'' ink ‘vormt afstammingsnamen’"; Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek (VMNW), entry [https://gtb.ivdnt.org/iWDB/search?actie=article&wdb=VMNW&id=ID6036&lemma=vlaendren ''Vlaendren'']: "Etymologie: ''Dat.pl. van'' flandr- ''<nowiki/>'overstroomd gebied' met het suffix'' -dr-.".<br/>Cognate to Middle English ''flēm'' 'current of a stream': [https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/middle-english-dictionary/dictionary/MED16260 Middle English Compendium  → Middle English Dictionary (MED): ''flēm n.(2)'']</ref>

==See also ==
{{Portal|Belgium|Language}}

* [[Belgian French]]
* [[Dutch in Belgium]]
* [[French Flemish]], the West Flemish dialect as spoken in [[France]]
* [[Languages of Belgium]] 
* [[Zeelandic]], a transitional dialect between [[West Flemish]] and [[Hollandic]]

==References==
{{notelist}}
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==

{{Flanders topics}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Dutch dialects]]
[[Category:Dutch language]]
[[Category:Flanders]]