Languages in Belgium

Wayne Spillett, lived in Belgium (2007-2011) Updated January 28, 2019 French is widely spoken, France is one of the largest countries in Europe, big chunks of Africa speak French, as do Quebec and parts of the Caribbean; so it's not hard to live your entire life as a French speaker and still travel around. If your language is Flemish, you can communicate with people in the Netherlands and parts of South Africa, beyond that you need to learn other languages. In western Europe, you will find many speakers of French, Spanish, Italian and German who speak only their native language, their countries are large enough that they can always find work and have decent social lives, but speakers of lesser-spoken languages native to smaller countries need another language to give them additional opportunity. There is one more factor at play, which is also connected to the number of speakers a language has: film and television. Globally-popular entertainment gets dubbed into majority languages like French, German, Spanish etc. because there is a wide enough market for the translation to make it worth the expense of making the dub, but the same is not the case for the minority languages, where the original soundtrack will be heard and subtitles show the translation. If you live in Ath, Charleroi or Mons, you'll probably have seen the scene in The Terminator where Arnie says in another actor's voice, “Je reviendrai!” but if you watched the film at a cinema in Antwerp, Bruges or Gent, you would have heard the original dialogue I'll be back and read the words ik ben zo terug at the bottom of the screen. In places where minority languages are spoken, only children's films get dubbed; for the adults, it's subtitles or learn. In northern Europe, there are a number of countries with small populations that are not spoken elsewhere. Danish, Norwegian and Swedish are so similar that the Danes, Norwegians and Swedes can understand each other without a lot of effort, but to communicate outside Scandinavia they need to speak something else, and as a result they pretty-much all speak excellent English, just like the Finns do, and (of course) the Dutch and Flemish. Going back to Belgium, there are two main factors at play: As mentioned already at length, the Wallons speak a majority language that is well-catered for globally, but the Vlamings speak a minority language which is not. There is also a cultural element. Wallonie used to be the power in Belgium, the aristocracy were Francophone, and the Vlaams were forced to use French otherwise be frozen out of many employment opportunities, so they're used to learning French; but since the industrial revolution when Belgium's economic and political power shifted northwards from Wallonie to Vlanderen, the Wallons were unhappy and have resisted change for generations. The cultural thing is unique to Belgium, but the majority/minority language factor rings true in many more places in Europe and the wider world. 2 Ken Westmoreland, knows French Updated December 9 First of all, the Flemish Belgians speak Dutch, not ‘Flemish’, although there are Flemish dialects of Dutch which differ from each other as well as those spoken in the Netherlands, hence the term Nederlands being used in the Constitution. Historically, French was the language of the elite in Belgium, meaning that it was given greater emphasis in Dutch-medium schools than Dutch was in French-medium ones, while most universities were also French-medium. Although the balance has changed, with Dutch-speaking Flanders wealthier than French-speaking Wallonia, and the Flemish more inclined to use Engli … (more) Adding comments disabled Bruno Servignat, knows French Answered October 3, 2018 I am French, I also speak German and English. Belgians people are belonging to three cultural communities : Dutch, French and German. Though the German community is very smalll compared with the other ones. French speaking Belgians belong also to “Francophonie” and are neighbours from the “Français de France” cultural community, including more than 60 millions French speakers. You can live in this community without having to speak any other langage, as every thing is available in French nearby. Dutch speakers belong to another cultural community, together with people from the Netherlands, countin … (more) Is it okay to speak English to Belgian people? Which Belgian city is most suitable for an English-speaking person to live in? Do most/or a lot of Belgian people speak five languages? (Flemish, English, French, Dutch and German)? Cissy Epifany, lives in Belgium Answered September 30, 2018 In schools in the flemish part of Belgium, they teach French at a very early age, and you can't choose not to learn French. As for English, first off, it's a Germanic Language, like Dutch and German, so there are a lot of similar words, for example, in flemish we also say and write 'school', we just pronoucne it differently. And in German it's 'schule', very close to 'school'. English is also thaught at an early age in Flandres. French is a Romance Language, like Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Secondly, in the Flemish part of Belgium, everyting on tv is subtitled, so we hear the language a … (more) 19 comments from Mike Lieberman and more Matjan Tutul, half Dutch, a quarter French and a quarter Austrian Answered July 6, 2020 Wrong question. There is no Flemish language. It’s like saying that Londeners speak very little Mancunian. ‘Flemish’ is a term for a number of highly different dialects of Dutch. No common grammar, no literature. Flemings are like Austrian and Swiss speakers of German. They enjoy speaking their local or regional dialect for its homely feeling, but schooling, literature, and all intelectual activity is in Standard Dutch. It is a sensitive issue with many Flemish people because its French equivalent (‘le flamand’) has (and still is!) been used by Walloons and French people to intimate that they ar … (more) Bruno Jennes Answered November 18 Flemish people are exposed to English every day. Via TV, radio, computer, films, songs, etc. Even before the youth get English lessons at school they already know a lot of English. And sometimes even excellent. That is not the case with French. In Flanders you hardly hear French on TV or radio etc. There is also no interest in French. The Flemish focus on English, a world language that can take you very far. French does not have that status. French is just like Dutch. It won't get you very far outside the areas where the language is spoken. Whenever I go abroad I try to speak the local languag … (more) Bernard Delafontaine, knowledgeable citizen of the Kingdom of Belgium Answered September 30, 2018 Flemish is not a language, but a word that means: all the Dutch dialects as spoken in Belgium. Thirty years ago a Walloon who fluently spoke English style 'Allo, Allo’ wasn’t hard to find. They also refused to do the necessary efforts to study a backward language (spoken by twice as much people as Swedish). Before 1965, Walloons were the richer Belgians and took it for granted that we adapted our speeech to the more elitarian French. Nowadays it’s better, but in order to have a fluent conversation with them, we keep speaking French as was the case since the fifth century. 382 viewsView Upvoters 1 comment from Antoine Pierret Miet, knows French Answered September 29, 2018 I think one of the reasons for that is because Walloon people are a bit like French people when it comes to language. For example, they watch dubbed versions of English movies and shows. Whereas Flemish people watch the original version with of without subtitles in Dutch. There are definitely more cultural and historical reasons for this, but I don’t have enough knowledge about it. 332 viewsView Upvoters Related Questions