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What language is spoken in Belgium? Official languages ​​of Belgium. Belgian

Over the centuries-old history of the state, its borders have repeatedly changed, and the composition of the population has become more and more diverse each time.

Panoramic view of the canal in the city of Bruges

A significant role in its formation was played by geographical neighbors, whose resettlement not only contributed to the spread of culture, but also led to the mixing of several speech dialects. As a result, the language in Belgium acquired its own flavor and personality.

Belgium is a small state in the center of Europe with a population of 11 million people. Despite the small area and the relatively small number of inhabitants, there is no single language in the country, and the society uses the dialects and adverbs of neighboring countries for communication. The most widespread in Belgium are the following languages ​​and their branches:

  • French;
  • Dutch;
  • Deutsch.

Each of them is official, which is confirmed by the relevant legislative acts. Belgium, like most European countries, has a multinational composition. However, most of its population is formed by only 2 ethnic groups - the Walloons and the Flemings. The first of them are direct descendants of the Gauls and make up the French community, while the second have Dutch roots and belong to the Flemish group.

Initially, only one language, French, had official status in Belgium, although the majority of the population were Flemings. Initially, all legislative acts, official documents, training programs and mass media were drawn up in the national language. However, in 1873, thanks to the activity of the Flemish ethnic communities, the Dutch language acquired the official status of national Belgian. Despite this, he remained in the shadows for a long time and only after 1963 did he reach the same level as the French. It was during this period that the government legislated the use of two languages ​​for the preparation of official papers and events.

Communauté française (French Community): distribution and sphere of influence

French is one of the main languages ​​of Belgium, which has had official status since independence. Although the majority of the population has always been Flemish, the influence of Walloon culture has been enormous. Therefore, even the numerical advantage of immigrants from the Netherlands did not become a reason for changing the country's speech policy.

In modern Belgium, the French community makes up about 39-40% of the total number of local residents. Most of it is located directly at the border of France and occupies the entire southern part of the country, which received the unofficial name of Wallonia. It consists of five southern provinces:

  • Liege;
  • Walloon Brabant;
  • Luxembourg;
  • Namur.

These five regions are the Communauté française and occupy almost 60% of the total area of ​​the state. Most of these lands belong to the French-speaking population. It is on their territory that the Picardy, Champagne, Gom and Walloon dialects most often sound, which came from the northern regions of France and are the main ones for communication between people. However, it is the Walloon dialect that most often sounds on the streets of the Communauté française, which is the most common and easiest to use.

Vlaamse Gemeenschap (Flemish Community): territorial location and variety of dialects

Since 1873, the Dutch language has acquired the status of the second national language. However, it took another 90 years to confirm its legal status.

Today, the Flemings make up about 59-60% of the total population of Belgium and form the corresponding community of Vlaamse Gemeenschap. Unlike Communauté française, which is located in the southern regions of the country, representatives of the Flemish group occupy the northern regions of the state, these are:

  • West Flanders;
  • East Flanders;
  • Antwerp;
  • Limburg;
  • Flemish Brabant.

It is these five provinces that are on the border with the Netherlands and form one large area, called Flanders. Most of the population of this region uses the Dutch language and its many dialects to communicate. At the same time, Belgian Dutch differs significantly from classical Amsterdam Dutch. In each region of Flanders, people speak different dialects, which are part of the West Flemish, East Flemish, Brabant and Limburg speech groups.

Read more about Flanders here.

Recently, the traditional Dutch language has been spreading more and more among young people, and all its dialects are gradually degenerating. Today, most young people practically do not use them in colloquial speech, using them only to communicate with representatives of the older generation.

belgian shepherd tongues, belgian waffle tongues
Dutch, French, German

Regional

Walloon, Lorraine (Romance and Frankish), Luxembourgish, Champagne, Picard

Major immigrant languages

English, Turkish, Russian

Keyboard layout AZERTY
Provinces of Belgium

The main part of the Belgian population is made up of two ethnic groups: the Flemings (about 60% of the population) and the Walloons (about 40% of the population), who speak respectively Dutch and French. Along with them, the official language is German, used by the German-speaking community in eastern Belgium. English, although not official, is widely spoken in Belgium. Minority languages ​​include the Yenish, Manush and Gypsy languages.

  • 1. History
  • 2 Language communities of Belgium
    • 2.1 Flemish Community
    • 2.2 French community
    • 2.3 German community
  • 3 See also
  • 4 Notes

Story

After Belgium gained independence in 1830, it was a French-oriented state, and the only official language at first was French, although the Flemings always made up the majority of the population. Even in Flanders, for a long time French remained the only language of secondary and higher education. Dutch became the second official language of the kingdom only in 1873.

After the end of World War I, a movement for the self-determination of the Dutch-speaking population began in Belgium. There was a so-called "language struggle". It began to bear fruit in the 60s of the XX century. In 1963, a number of laws were passed regulating the use of languages ​​during official events. In 1967, an official translation of the Belgian constitution into Dutch was published for the first time. By the 1980s, both main languages ​​​​of the country were actually equal in rights. In 1993, Belgium was divided into federal regions. The only official language in the Flemish region is currently Dutch.

Despite the progress made, language problems still escalate tensions between the country's two main population groups. Thus, in 2005, the problem of dividing the bilingual electoral district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde almost led to the resignation of the government and a political crisis.

Language Communities of Belgium

Flemish Community

Main article: Flemish Community Main article: Dutch in Belgium

The Flemings live in the five northern provinces of Belgium - Flanders (Antwerp, Limburg, East and West Flanders, Flemish Brabant), bordering the Netherlands, and speak the Dutch language and its many dialects. They make up the Flemish Community (Dutch. Vlaamse Gemeenschap) and have their own governing bodies in the field of culture and education.

french community

Main article: French Community of Belgium Main article: French in Belgium

Walloons live in the five southern provinces that make up Wallonia (Hainaut, Liege, Luxembourg, Namur, Walloon Brabant), they speak French, Walloon and some other languages. They are united in the French Community (fr. Communauté française de Belgique).

Both major linguistic communities share the Brussels-Capital Region.

German community

Main article: German-speaking community of Belgium

The German-speaking community (German: Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft Belgiens) is the smallest of the linguistic communities in Belgium. It is located in the province of Liege and borders the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg. It consists of nine municipalities, where representatives of the German-speaking minority live compactly.

see also

  • French in Flanders
  • Languages ​​of Brussels
  • Belgian language border
  • Belgian language benefits

Notes

  1. Daria Yurieva. Brussels felling cabbage. Rossiyskaya Gazeta (April 3, 2007). Retrieved 13 August 2010.
  2. We are definitely over 50,000. Counting the number of compatriots in Belgium
  3. Étude de législation comparée n° 145 - avril 2005 - Le stationnement des gens du voyage
  4. Officiel site van de Vlaamse overheid
  5. Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles
  6. Die Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft

belgian shepherd languages, belgian waffle languages, belgian griffin languages, belgian beer languages

Languages ​​of Belgium Information About

Despite the small area of ​​the occupied territory, this country was able to afford three official languages ​​at once. In Belgium, Dutch, German and French are accepted as official languages, while national minorities most often use the languages ​​​​of Gypsies, Manush and Yenish in everyday life.

Some statistics and facts

  • The Flemings make up almost 60% of the population of the Kingdom of Belgium and their official language is Dutch.
  • Almost 40% of the inhabitants of Belgium are Walloons. They use French in everyday communication and as an official language.
  • A small percentage of the population in the eastern part of the state is a German-speaking community. Their newspapers, radio programs and TV programs are in German.
  • The Belgian Yenish and Manush are none other than Gypsies belonging to various Western branches. The Manush are a group of French-speaking Roma, and the Emish speak a slang close to the Swiss dialect of German.

The Dutch and Flemish languages ​​were officially equalized only in 1980. Until then, only French was the official language in Belgium, although the Flemings always made up a larger percentage of the population. By the way, the Constitution of the country until 1967 also existed only in French.

About communities

A small percentage of the German-speaking Belgian population is concentrated on the border with Germany and Luxembourg in the province of Liège. You can feel especially comfortable here if you speak the language of Goethe and Schiller.
The Walloons, whose language is French, were concentrated in the five southern provinces. They are united in the French community, while the speakers of the Dutch language are in the Flemish community. The latter live mainly in the five northern provinces of the kingdom.
The Brussels-Capital Region is an area where both Dutch and French languages ​​coexist equally.

Note to the tourist

If you speak French, the vast majority of Belgians will understand you. You can read the names of public transport stops and navigate the road signs.
In Belgium, many of its citizens also speak English. The language of international communication is taught in schools and universities. Tourist information centers offer maps in English and directions to the main sights in Belgium. English-speaking staff in hotels, restaurants and shops in tourist areas is the norm for the Kingdom of Belgium.

Surprisingly, there is actually no Belgian language as such, three languages ​​are spoken and officially recognized in the country: Dutch, French, German. As you may have guessed, the areas where these languages ​​are spoken are geographically and nationally close to the Netherlands, France and Germany.

The Dutch language has its Flemish roots and dialects in Belgium, this includes regions such as the Brussels-Capital Region and Flanders with the provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Flemish Brabant, East and West Flanders.

The Liege region speaks German. And French is spoken by Wallonia and partly by Brussels. Local German and French received dialects, although they are now becoming a thing of the past in the wake of the development of the media and television, the older generation mainly use dialects, and young people are close to the literary language and are trying to actively learn English.

Dutch in Belgium is spoken by about 60% of the population, 35% by French, 5% by German.

Until the First World War, Belgium was a French-speaking country, later a “language struggle” began due to the self-determination of the Dutch-speaking population.

In the 60s of the last century, some laws on languages ​​\u200b\u200bthat gave more rights to Dutch were already passed, in the same years the constitution was first translated into Dutch. Only by the age of 80 both languages ​​were equalized in rights, however, there is still tension between the two main groups of the country's population.

Tourists need to know that in large cities, respectable restaurants and hotels, the staff knows English, in other cases, you need to be guided by the geographical location of each region where you are, just like, for example, Ukraine is divided into regions where they speak Ukrainian or Russian, however, in our case, this does not lead to ethnic conflicts.

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Brussels is the capital of the Kingdom of Belgium Brussels has two official languages, Dutch and French, although the majority of the population (between 80 and almost 100 percent, depending on the area) speaks French. All streets, metro stations, etc.

have two names each (Dutch and French), which are sometimes completely different from each other. In the course of historical development, two large and compactly living ethnic groups have developed on the territory of the country. The north is populated predominantly by the Flemings (50.7% of the total population), speaking a language similar to the language of neighboring Holland and belonging to the Germanic group. In the south live the Walloons (39.1%), whose native language is French. There are also Germans in Belgium (100 thousand people), living mainly in the 9 communes of Wallonia bordering Germany. P.S. By the way, you can also communicate in English. Although English does not have an official status, it is widely spoken thanks to numerous emigrants and Europeans.

Brussels has two official languages, Dutch and French, although the majority of the population (between 80 and almost 100 percent, depending on the area) speaks French. Please note that all streets, metro stations, etc. have two names (Dutch and French), which are sometimes completely different from each other. English has no official status, but is widely spoken thanks to numerous emigrants and Eurocrats.

A mixture of Flemish, French and German!

Dutch, German and French. In different parts of the country, different languages.

French, German, Flemish, sort of.

There are two languages: French and Flemish, similar to Dutch. For more details, see pediviki

This is a difficult topic, they understand French, but defiantly ignore it. :)) Belgium has three official languages. French is spoken in the southern part of the country, in the provinces of Hainaut, Namur, Liege and Luxembourg, the Flemish version of the Dutch language is in West and East Flanders, Antwerp and Limburg. The central province of Brabant with the capital Brussels is bilingual and is divided into northern Flemish and southern French parts. The French-speaking regions of the country are united under the general name of the Walloon region, and the north of the country, where the Flemish language dominates, is commonly called the Flanders region. In Flanders live approx. 58% of the Belgians, in Wallonia - 33%, in Brussels - 9% and in the region of the German language, which went to Belgium after the First World War - less than 1%.

Belgium has three official languages:

  • Dutch (in the central and northern parts of Belgium),
  • French (in the south of the country),
  • German (in the east).

The reasons for this linguistic diversity are rooted in the ancient history of the country. From the 1st century BC e. until the 4th century AD e. Belgian territory was part of the Roman Empire. Here lived the Belgian tribe, close in origin to the Germanic and Celtic tribes. As Rome weakened, Belgium was increasingly invaded by the tribes of the Franks, who eventually captured these lands. The Franks occupied the north-west of the country, where the Frankish culture and the Old Frankish dialect soon took root, which laid the foundation for the French language. The Belgae were forced to withdraw to the south of the country. First subjected to Roman and then Frankish influence, they partially lost their original culture and their language. The descendants of the Belgians became known as the Walloons. Representatives of this people have a common culture with the inhabitants of Northern France and speak French.

In the north-east of Belgium, where the Frankish conquerors did not reach, another nationality was formed - the Flemings, close in language and culture to the inhabitants of the Netherlands.

The problem of choosing official languages ​​in independent Belgium

From the early Middle Ages until 1830, Belgium was part of the major European powers: the Duchy of Burgundy, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, the Netherlands.

As a result of the Belgian Revolution of 1830, the state became independent. French became the sole official language in Belgium. The 19th century in Belgium was the period of the rise of Walloon culture. The Flemings, despite the fact that there were more of them in quantitative terms, lived in their country as a national minority. For almost a hundred years they fought hard to equalize the French and Flemish languages. And only in the 1930s, the Flemish language in Belgium received the status of the state language. It began to conduct litigation and teach. A large number of presses appeared, published in Flemish.

During the same period, the Flemish intelligentsia, who lived in Belgium, worked to cleanse the Flemish language from Gallicisms and fragments of individual dialects, as well as to create a unified grammatical system. As a result, the Flemish literary language approached Dutch. In 1973, the Flemish language in Belgium became officially known as Dutch.

In the middle of the 20th century, a large number of German-speaking citizens also joined the Belgian society. At the end of the XVIII century, a small area in the east of Belgium was included in France, and after the Napoleonic Wars, this area became part of Prussia. As a result of the First World War, Germany returned the disputed area to Belgium, by that time many native Germans already lived on these lands. During the Second World War, the eastern regions of Belgium again temporarily became German. However, in 1956, in the course of resolving the issue of post-war borders, Belgium again received its ancestral territories. For a time, the Belgian government tried to eradicate Germanic culture from the area. But in 1960, a decision was made to divide the country into three regions according to the linguistic principle. Each of the nationalities could independently manage their region and develop a national culture.

Between themselves, the inhabitants of Belgium often communicate in a bizarre mixture of Dutch and French with an admixture of individual English words.

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