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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.
Bilingual French and Dutch street signs in Brussels Area where the Brabantian dialect is spoken. The Francization of Brussels refers to the evolution, over the past two centuries, [1] [2] of this historically Dutch-speaking city [1] [3] [4] into one where French has become the majority language and lingua franca. [5]
The Dutch language used in Belgium can also be referred to as Flemish Dutch or Belgian Dutch (Dutch: Vlaams Nederlands, Belgisch Nederlands).Dutch is the mother tongue of about 60% of the population in Belgium, spoken by approximately 6.5 million out of a population of 11 million people.
the German language area; the bilingual Brussels-Capital area; All these entities have geographical boundaries. The language areas have no offices or powers and exist de facto as geographical circumscriptions, serving only to delineate the empowered subdivisions. The institutional communities are thus equally geographically determined.
Brussels is located between the largest urban centres. Brussels is located in one of the most urbanised regions of Europe, between Paris, London, the Rhine-Ruhr (Germany), and the Randstad (Netherlands). The Brussels-Capital Region has a population of around 1.2 million and has witnessed, in recent years, a remarkable increase in its population.
Today, the Brussels-Capital Region is legally bilingual, with both French and Dutch having official status, [5] as is the administration of the 19 municipalities. [6]Owing to migration and to its international role, Brussels is home to a large number of native speakers of languages other than French or Dutch.
Bilingual signs in Brussels. Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French and German. A number of non-official minority languages are spoken as well. [170] As no census exists, there are no official statistical data regarding the distribution or usage of Belgium's three official languages or their dialects. [171]
Until the 20th century, Walloon was the majority language of Wallonia, and most speakers were bilingual in French and Walloon. [3] While the French spoken in Wallonia was influenced by local languages, the variant spoken in Brussels was influenced by Dutch, specifically the local Brabantian dialect.