| Destination: BELGIUM | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Things To Know Influential Neighbors Landscape of History Beaches, Woodlands and Parks Exploring Belgium Diverse Foods Traditional Courtesy Language Divide |
Language Divide
There is a dramatic linguistic divide between north and south Belgium, a legacy of the country's formation from a southern
French-influenced area and a northern Flemish-influenced area. In northern Belgium the dominant language is Flemish, a Germanic
language similar to Dutch. In southern Belgium, in the area known as Wallonia, the prevailing language is a French dialect.
Brussels lies within the Flemish half of Belgium and is officially bilingual, but within the city French is the dominant language.
Be careful in associating Flemish too closely with Dutch. Brugeans (residents of Bruges) will tell you that theirs is a
far subtler language, with more lyrical twists and turns. And Ghentenaars (residents of Ghent) will tell you that they speak
better Flemish than Brugeans; if you visit more remote rural districts you will find even more robust regional differences.
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