Belgium has three official languages, each spoken in different parts of the country. Don't get tongue-tied – find out where to speak Dutch, French and German before you go.
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Belgium's linguistic diversity stems from a series of political and cultural conflicts that started many hundreds of years ago, and continues to this day. It's important travelers are aware of the sensitivities that surround language, and how it changes depending on where you're traveling in the country.
Language Regions in Belgium
Double Dutch
Bi-lingual Signs Around Belgium
Belgian Dialects
Political Divide in Belgium
Language Regions in Belgium
Belgium is divided into three regions: Flanders in the north, the Brussels-Capital Region in the middle, and Wallonia in the south.
To make matters a little more confusing, the Flemish speak Dutch but do not consider themselves Dutch, and the Walloons speak French but do not consider themselves French. There is also a small region of German-speaking Belgians on the German border.
Antwerp at night. Photo credit: iStock
Twofold Dutch
The essential language in Belgium is Dutch, spoken by around 60% of the populace. The Flemish vernacular is practically indistinguishable from the Dutch verbally expressed across the boundary in the Netherlands, however a few contrasts in jargon have driven some to allude to the language casually as "Flemish".
French is the second-most basic language in Belgium, spoken by practically 40% of the populace. Numerous Flemish individuals can likewise communicate in French as a subsequent language. Like the Dutch verbally expressed in Flanders, Belgian French is generally like the vernacular verbally expressed in France, however there are little contrasts in jargon and articulation.
Bi-lingual Signs Around Belgium
Because of the language split the nation over, numerous street signs and different notification around Belgium are written in both French and Dutch. German, while one of the three authority dialects, is considerably less common and spoken by under 1% of the populace.
Belgian Tongues
To sincerely test your language abilities, in certain pieces of the country dialects are separated significantly further into local vernaculars. As you travel around Belgium, you may hear varieties, for example, East Flemish, West Flemish, Walloon (generally spoken by more established individuals in rustic regions), Picard, Low Dietsch and Luxembourgish. Antwerp additionally has one of only a handful few Jewish people group worldwide that actually speak Yiddish as its predominant language.
Political Gap in Belgium
The language partition is only one piece of a lot more noteworthy isolation between the Flanders and Wallonia areas. At the point when you're conversing with local people in the north, it is regular for them to depict themselves as being "from Flanders" instead of "from Belgium". To be sure, Flanders has its own parliament and government, and a few ideological groups keep on lobbying for Flemish freedom.
Therefore, it's savvy to be delicate to these social and phonetic contrasts when conversing with local people in Belgium. To err on the side of caution, start each discussion in English. Most Belgians are bi-lingual (many are even tri-lingual) and talk familiar English.
Language Aides
Download one of our 24 travel phrasebook applications for your iPhone. From Arabic to Korean, these applications are pressed with fundamental expressions to know before you go.
