C2 · Lesson 283 · Language & culture (C2)

Regional variation

Go beyond accents: Belgian vocabulary, gij/ge, verb order, dialects and regional languages.

Grammar

One standard, many varieties

The Netherlands and Flanders share one standard language, but Belgian Dutch has its own standard vocabulary, used even in news and official texts: de schepen (NL de wethouder), de beenhouwer (NL de slager), het onthaal (NL de receptie), het kasticket (NL de kassabon).
In informal Flemish speech (tussentaal) you hear gij (stressed) and ge (unstressed) for “you”, with their own verb forms: gij zijt, ge hebt, ge moogt. The possessive is uw: Zijt ge uw sleutels vergeten? In standard writing, Belgians use je/jij and u.
In a subclause with a modal verb, Belgian Dutch also uses the order dat hij goed zwemmen kan. In the Netherlands the usual order is dat hij goed kan zwemmen; the other order sounds southern or bookish there. Both are accepted as standard.
Frisian (het Fries) is not a dialect but a separate language, with official status in the province of Fryslân alongside Dutch. Low Saxon (het Nedersaksisch) and Limburgish (het Limburgs) are recognised by the Netherlands as regional languages (streektalen).
Within both countries there are many local dialects. Recognising them is useful; as a learner, stick to one standard in your own speech.

Netherlands	Belgium (Flanders)	English
de wethouder	de schepen	alderman
de slager	de beenhouwer	butcher
de receptie	het onthaal	reception (desk)
de kassabon	het kasticket	receipt
een biertje	een pint	a (glass of) beer
dat hij kan zwemmen	dat hij kan zwemmen / zwemmen kan	that he can swim

Vocabulary