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Dutch is a monocentric language, at least what concerns its written form, with all speakers using the same standard form (authorised by the Dutch Language Union) based on a Dutch orthography defined in the so-called "Green Booklet" authoritative dictionary and employing the Latin alphabet when writing; however, pronunciation varies between ...
When concerning language, the word duche could be used as a hypernym for several languages (The North est Contrey which lond spekyn all maner Duche tonge – The North [of Europe] is an area, in which all lands speak all manner of "Dutch" languages) but it could also suggest singular use (In Duche a rudder is a knyght – In "Dutch" a rudder ...
This was because Brabant was the dominant region in the Netherlands when standardization of the Dutch language started in the 16th century. The first major formation of standard Dutch also took place in Antwerp, where a Brabantian dialect is spoken. The default language being developed around this time had therefore mainly Brabantian influences.
The official language is Dutch, with West Frisian as a secondary official language in the province of Friesland. [1] Dutch, English, and Papiamento are official in the Caribbean territories. [1] Netherlands literally means "lower countries" in reference to its low elevation and flat topography, with 26% below sea level. [15]
The predominant language of the Netherlands is Dutch, spoken and written by almost all people in the Netherlands. Dutch is also spoken and official in the Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands special municipalities of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba) as well as the Flemish Community of Belgium and Suriname.
Dutch was the official language, but a dialect had formed that was quite distinct from Dutch. The Afrikaans language originated mainly from 17th-century Dutch dialects. [86] [87] This Dutch dialect sometimes referred to as the "kitchen language" (kombuistaal), [88] would eventually in the late 19th century be recognised as a distinct language ...
The predominant language spoken in Holland is Dutch. Hollanders sometimes call the Dutch language "Hollands," [22] instead of the standard term Nederlands. Inhabitants of Belgium and other provinces of the Netherlands use "Hollands" to mean a Hollandic dialect or strong accent.
Dutch immigrants also exported the Dutch language. Dutch was spoken by some settlers in the United States as a native language from the arrival of the first permanent Dutch settlers in 1615, surviving in isolated ethnic pockets until about 1900, when it ceased to be spoken except by first generation Dutch immigrants.