A Short History of the Dutch Language 2013

A short history of the

Dutch language

Low Countries Studies, Ghent University Prof. Dr. Jacques Van Keymeulen

Department of Dutch Linguistics

BENELUX

BElgium,

NEtherlands, LUXembourg

BENELUX

Economic context

Overall population figures (2008)

• Netherlands: 16,471,968

• Belgium: 10,666,866

• Flanders: 6,161,600

• Wallonia: 3,456,775

• Brussels: 1,048,491

• Luxembourg: 483,800

• total: 27,622,634

Languages in the Benelux

Summary

Dutch 22,738,417 = 81%

French 4,810,217 = 17%

German 557,800 = 2%

Frisian

Lëtse-bürgisch

Germanic languages

Northern group: Icelandic 300,000

Danish 5,500,000

Swedish 9,300,000

Norwegian 4,700,000

Western group English 350,000,000 (worldwide)

Frisian 500,000

German 110,000,000

Dutch 23,000,000

Dutch: between English and German

eng. I know he has worked very hard.

ger. Ich weiβ, daβ er sehr viel gearbeitet hat.

du. Ik weet dat hij heel hard heeft gewerkt. or

Ik weet dat hij heel hard gewerkt heeft.

Flemish

- Is NOT a separate language

- Is an informal term for ‘Belgian Dutch’

- Informal, ‘non-prestigious’ term

- Belgium has three official languages: - Dutch

- French

- German

Pluricentric languages

= languages with several interacting centres, each providing a national variety with at least some of its own (codified) norms (Kloss 1978 II: 66-67)

Examples of pluricentric languages

i.e. a language spoken in more than one country > national varieties

Irish English

Belgian French

Austrian German

Argentinian Spanish

Swiss Italian

Australian English

Belgian Dutch

Natiolect

= a national standard of a language that is spoken in more than one state (Laureys 1997)

E.g. Belgium: three natiolects

- Belgian Dutch

- Belgian French

- Belgian German

Dutch = pluricentric language

Dutch Dutch ‘Hollandic’

Belgian Dutch ‘Flemish’

Surinam Dutch

Differences between Dutch

in the Netherlands and Flanders

- Mainly difference in pronunciation and vocabulary

Intonation, slight differences in vowels / consonants

In Flanders:

influence of dialects

official Belgian terminology

- In Flanders: influence of French (on the vocabulary)

Linguistic nationalism

• Some people like to stress the language differences between ‘Belgian Dutch’ (calling it ‘Flemish’) and ‘Dutch Dutch’, whereas others stress the unity.

• Depends on the level of nationalist feeling.

Dutch Language Union Treaty

(Taalunieverdrag)

In 1980 the Dutch and the Flemish regional

governments signed a treaty to safeguard

the language unity between North (the

Netherlands) and South (Flanders).

A bit of history

Oldest Dutch: words and phrases in a Latin text: the Lex Salica (6th-8th century)

Cultural heart of Dutch area

• County of Flanders: 13th-14th century – Urbanisation (Brugge, Gent, Ieper, Lille, …)

• Emergence of texts in Dutch. – 1236: Ghent: Regulations of the house of the lepers. – 90% of 13th century Dutch texts originate from the south-

western corner of the Dutch speaking area.

(Very old literary texts (12th century) in the east (Veldeke) in a German/Dutch language variety).

1249: ‘Contract of Bochoute’

Burgundic / Habsburg period

1348 - 1555

Cultural heart of Dutch area

• Duchy of Brabant: 15th-16th century

– Antwerpen: Most important port of Western Europe

– Brussel: capital of the Duke of Burgundy

– Leuven: first university of the Low Countries (1425)

– Mechelen: seat of the Burgundic High Court

• Attempts at standardization of Dutch

– Basis: Brabantic dialect

Abdication of Charles V (1555)

• Philips II inherits Spain and the Low Countries

• Beginning of the ‘Spanish period’

Protestantism

• Struggle between catholic Spain and protestant rebels.

• Led to the splitting up of the Low Countries in two parts:

– A catholic South (present-day Belgium)

– A protestant North (present-day Netherlands)

Spanish period

1555-1713

1555: Philip II succeeds Charles V as King of Spain (and inherits the Low Countries) 1568: Start of the revolt in the Low Countries 1585: Surrender of Antwerp / split north (Holland) – south (Belgium) 1588: de facto Independence of Republic of the Seven Provinces (= the Netherlands) 1648: Treaty of Münster: Independence of the Republic accepted by Spain Southern provinces (present-day Flanders) remain Spanish till 1713

A succesful Dutch Nation

- Military success against Spain

- Economically successful

- Colonial expansion

- Indonesia

- Caribbean Isles (Dutch Antilles)

- Northern South America (Surinam)

- Southern Africa

- …

Dutch colonial empire

Dutch: the smallest world language

• The colonial expansion of the Dutch left traces in:

• Surinam (Dutch is still official language) • Dutch Antilles (Curaçao, Aruba, Bonaire) • Indonesia (high class older generation) • South Africa / Namibia

Afrikaans

• Third language of South Africa (as a ‘home-language’)

• Lingua franca of Namibia for about 80% of the population (official language, however, is English)

HOME LANGUAGE 1996 2001

Zulu (isiZulu) 9.200.144 (22,9%) 10.677.305 (23,8%)

Xhosa (isiXhosa) 7.196.118 (17,9%) 7.907.153 (17,4%)

AFRIKAANS 5.811.547 (14,4%) 5.983.426 (13,3%)

Southern-Sotho (Sepedi / SeSotho sa Leboa)

3.695.846 (9,2%) 4.208.980 (9,4%)

English 3.457.467 (8,6%) 3.673.204 (8,2%)

Tswana (Setswana) 3.301.774 (8,2%) 3.677.016 (8,2%)

Southern-Sotho (Sesotho)

3.104.197 (7,7%) 3.555.186 (7,9%)

Tsonga (Xitsonga) 1.756.105 (4,4%) 1.992.207 (4,4%)

Swati (Siswati) 1.013.193 (2,5%) 1.194.430 (2,7%)

Venda (Tshivenda) 876.409 (2,2%) 1.021.757 (2,3%)

Ndebele (isiNdebele) 586.961 (1,5%) 711.821 (1,6%)

Other (Aziatic, European, etc.)

228.275 (0,6%) 217.293 (0,5%)

unknown

Totaal

100% = 40.583.573

100% = 44.819.778

Blacks Coloured Indians Whites total

Afrikaans 253.282 3.173.972 19.266 2.536.906 5.983.426

English 183.631 756.067 1.045.845 1.687.661 3.673.204

%Afrikaans 0,7% 79,5% 1,7% 59,1% 13,3%

%Engels 0,5% 18,9% 93,8% 39,3% 8,2%

Cultural heart of Dutch area

• Province of Holland: 17th century (Golden Age);

• Emergence of standard Dutch language

A general cultural decline

in the south

Spanish period till 1713

- southern protestants left the country to the north;

- re-catholization of the south;

- the Scheldt was closed; the port of Antwerp dwindled; …

A general cultural decline

in the south

Austrian period (1713 – 1795)

- French became a socal evidence for the urban upper class in Flanders.

French period (1795 – 1815)

- Annexation of the Southern Netherlands by France.

- Compulsory measures in favour of French.

- 1815: Waterloo!

Northern and Southern Low Countries:

coming together again

United Kingdom of the Netherlands

(1815 – 1830)

- Willem I introduces Dutch as an official language in Flanders (1823);

- Schooling system is improved;

- Heavy opposition of French-speaking Belgians (Walloons and Flemish upper class).

The Belgian State

Belgian Revolution (1830)

- A French-speaking state;

- Flemish Movement;

- Frenchification of Brussels;

- Evolution towards a federal state.

Flemish Movement

• Reaction against linguistic oppression of Dutch in Flanders

– Romantic phase

– Political phase

• Middle class movement: no French (=upper class), no dialects (lower class) > Dutch standard of The Netherlands adopted.

Language Laws

• 1873: First language law. Law-Cooremans: Dutch became tolerated in courts in Flanders.

• 1898: Equality Law: since then French and Dutch enjoy the same legal status in Belgium.

• 1930: The introduction of Dutch at the Ghent University as language of instruction.

• 1962: the language border was drawn.

A federal state

• State reforms in1970, 1980, 1988-1989, 1993, 2001, 2012 …

- four linguistic zones (Dutch, French, German, bilingual Brussels)

- three cultural communities (Flemish, French, German)

- three regions (Flanders, Wallonia, Brussels).

A federal state with 6 governments

• (1) federal Belgian government, • (2) Flemish government (region + community) • (3) Walloon government (region) • (4) goverment of the French-speaking

community (= Wallonia + French-speaking Brussels),

• (5) Brussels government (region), • (6) government of the German-speaking

community.

Competences

• The different parliaments / goverments differ with regard to their competences

– eg. social security is a federal matter

– eg. education is a ‘community’ matter

– eg. economy is a ‘regional’ matter

• Total independence with regard to the competences

• A centrifugal federation (Flemings demand more autonomy)

Fundamental equilibrium

• In the Belgian federation:

– French-speaking community is a minority, but protected by law.

• In Brussels (the capital):

– Dutch-speaking community is a minority, but protected by law.

Thank you for your attention