| Languages of Belgium | |
|---|---|
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| Official language(s) | Dutch (1st: ~60%, 2nd: ?) French (1st: ~40%, 2nd: ~48%) German (1st: ~1%, 2nd: 27%) |
| Regional language(s) | Walloon, Picard, Champenois, Lorrain, Low Dietsch, Yiddish |
| Main foreign language(s) | English (59%), Arabic, Spanish, Turkish, Portuguese, Italian |
| Sign language(s) | Flemish Sign Language, French Sign Language |
| Common keyboard layout(s) |
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| Source | ebs_243_en.pdf (Europa.eu) |
The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German. A number of non-official, minority languages are spoken as well.
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Close to 60% of the country's population speaks Dutch as their primary (Belgian) language.[1] Though the standard form of Dutch used in Belgium is almost identical to that spoken in the Netherlands and the different dialects spread across the border, it is often colloquially called "Flemish".
Dutch is the official language of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region (merged to Flanders) and, along with French, an official language of the Brussels-Capital Region. The main Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium are Brabantian, West Flemish, East Flemish and Limburgish (all four are spoken across the border in the Netherlands as well). Some sub-dialects may be quite distant from standard Dutch and not be readily intelligible for other Dutch-speakers. 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 heavily influenced by French, and in most cases replaced by it during the Frenchification of Brussels.
The second-most spoken primary (Belgian) language, used natively by 40% of the population, is French.[1] 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 are able to speak French as either their primary language (50%) or as a lingua franca (45%).[2][3] There are also many Flemish people that are able to 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. Ma vie en rose and Man Bites Dog are important Belgian films in the French language.
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 71,000, residing in an area of Belgium that 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.
In 2006, the Université Catholique de Louvain, the country's largest French-speaking university, published a report with the introduction (here translated): "This issue of Regards économiques is devoted to the demand for knowledge of languages in Belgium and in its three regions (Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia). The surveys show that Flanders is clearly more multilingual, which is without doubt a well known fact, but the difference is considerable : whereas 59% and 53% of the Flemings know French or English respectively, only 19% and 17% of the Walloons know Dutch or English. The measures advocated by the Marshall Plan go towards the proper direction, but are without doubt very insufficient to fully overcome the lag." (This particular 2006–2009 'Marshall Plan' was devised in 2004 and published in 2005 to uplift the Walloon economy.[4]) Within the report, professors in economics Ginsburgh and Weber further show that of the 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.[5][6][2]
In addition to the three official languages, other languages have historically been spoken in what is now Belgium, particularly in Wallonia, where French became dominant only relatively recently.
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, like other "indigenous languages" in Belgium, since 1990, it is mainly spoken by older people, though younger Walloons may claim some knowledge. It is mainly used in rural regions, and is used in theaters and literature, though not in schools.
Another traditional language of the region, Picard, was recognized by the government of the French Community in 1990. Most of its speakers live in France, though some are found in western portions of Wallonia.
Champenois was also legally recognized in 1990. It is mainly spoken in Champagne, France, though it also has some speakers in Wallonia.
Like the other indigenous languages, Lorrain was recognized in 1990. It is mainly spoken in Gaume.
Low Dietsch is a transitional Limburgish–Ripuarian language of a number of towns and villages in the north-east of the Belgian province of Liege, such as Gemmenich, Homburg, Montzen and Welkenraedt. It represents the language of the old Duchy of Limburg, that had its historic kernel there. It is acknowledged as an internal regional language by the Walloon authority since 1992.
Yiddish is spoken by the 20,000 Orthodox Jews living in Antwerp. The community there is among the strongest in Europe, and one of the few Jewish communities worldwide in which Yiddish remains the dominant language (others include Kiryas Joel, New York, and similar Orthodox neighborhoods in the United States, London, Paris, and Israel).
Languages spoken by residents of foreign ancestry include Arabic, Spanish, Turkish, Portuguese, Italian and Polish.
This article incorporates public
domain material from the CIA World
Factbook document "2006 edition".
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|||||||||||||||||
   | Ethnologue, Languages of the World - Ethnologue report for language code:wln |
| | Van autochtoon naar allochtoon - De Standaard Online - Van autochtoon naar allochtoon |
| | La dynamique des langues en Belgique - UCL - Regards économiques |
| | Ethnologue, Languages of the World (BE) - Country name not found |
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