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English is compulsory at all levels of the Dutch secondary education system: . Many elementary schools teach English in the upper grades.; Pupils must score at least a 5.5/10 for English Language and Literature at the high school finals to be able to graduate, which equals to a A2 level at the lowest (At VMBO high school level), [9] and a B2 to C1 level at the highest (At VWO high school level).
In the Dutch Golden Age, spanning most of the 17th century, Dutch trade, science, military, and art were among the most acclaimed in the world, and many English words of Dutch origin concerning these areas are stemming from this period. English and Dutch rivalry at sea resulted in many Dutch naval terms in English.
Dutch and English are both part of the West Germanic language group and share several aspects, due to the fact that the birthplaces of both languages (Netherlands and the United Kingdom) are only separated by the North Sea. Similarities between Dutch and English are abundant, as an estimated 1% of the English words is of Dutch origin. [42]
Dunglish (portmanteau of Dutch and English; in Dutch: steenkolenengels, literally: "coal-English") is a popular term for an English spoken with a mixture of Dutch.It is often viewed pejoratively due to certain typical mistakes that native Dutch speakers, particularly those from the Netherlands, make when speaking English. [1]
However, both Dutch Low Saxon and Limburgish spread across the Dutch-German border and belong to a common Dutch-Low German dialect continuum. There is a tradition of learning foreign languages in the Netherlands: about 89% of the total population have a good knowledge of English , 70% of German , 29% of French and 5% of Spanish .
[1] [2] Conversely, Dutch-language literature sometimes was and is produced by people originally from abroad who came to live in Dutch-speaking regions, such as Anne Frank and Kader Abdolah. In its earliest stages, Dutch-language literature is defined as those pieces of literary merit written in one of the Dutch dialects of the Low Countries.
Modern Dutch spelling still retains many of the details of the late Middle Dutch system. The distinction between checked and free vowels is important in Dutch spelling. A checked vowel is one that is followed by a consonant in the same syllable (the syllable is closed) while a free vowel ends the syllable (the syllable is open).
For example, the word "stevel" (boot, German "Stiefel") is sometimes replaced by the word "leers" (Dutch "laars"). Although most people do know the Gronings words, they are less and less used, for example because people think others will not understand them or because they are too long and the Dutch word is much easier.