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Languages Of Belgium - The Language Pedia Podcast
May 15, 2025
**Languages Of Belgium** Hello language enthusiasts! It's Oualid here with another exciting video. Today, we explore the complex linguistic landscape of Belgium. the episode highlights the country's three official languages: Dutch, French, and German, examining their historical roots, regional variations, and political significance. The article also discusses the Flemish movement and its impact on language equality, and explores the unique characteristics of Belgian French. Additionally, the video touches on the importance of language learning in Belgium and the future of its linguistic diversity, particularly in Brussels. Ultimately, it paints a picture of Belgium as a multilingual nation navigating the challenges and opportunities that arise from its rich cultural heritage.. You can read the full article here: https://lingualid.com/languages-of-belgium/ 🔔 Don't forget to subscribe and hit the bell icon so you won't miss out on any new videos. 📚 For more in-depth discussions and articles, check out my blog, Lingualid: https://lingualid.com **Social Links:** - 📘 Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/lingualid - 🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/lingualid - 📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/lingualid - Podcast: podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/oualid-cheddadi
View Video Transcript
0:00
welcome to the Deep dive so uh today
0:02
we're diving into all this material you
0:04
sent over about languages in Belgium
0:07
Belgium huh I mean there's got to be
0:08
more to it than just waffles and uh what
0:12
was it the adventures of tinon yeah
0:14
you're right it's definitely not just
0:15
about those things there's a whole lot
0:17
more to it actually yeah the linguistic
0:19
scene in Belgium is way more intricate
0:22
than most people even realize okay
0:24
that's interesting I got to admit I
0:25
always thought of Belgium as like a
0:27
mainly french-speaking country right but
0:29
you're sort mentions three official
0:31
languages like officially Three so
0:33
what's the deal there so you've got
0:35
Dutch obviously then French and uh and
0:38
German as well whoa three but here's the
0:41
thing most people assume French is the
0:43
main language right yeah for sure but
0:45
it's actually Dutch that takes the top
0:46
spot as the most spoken I mean no way I
0:49
totally would have thought French was
0:50
the big one so where are all these Dutch
0:52
speakers hanging out well around 60% of
0:55
the population speaks Dutch mostly in
0:57
the northern region they call it
0:58
Flanders Flanders okay okay think like
1:00
flat Landscapes those Charming medieval
1:03
cities and a culture that's pretty
1:04
different from the south you know where
1:06
they speak French okay I'm starting to
1:08
get the picture here so where do the
1:10
French speakers fit into all of this so
1:12
French is spoken by about 40% of the
1:14
population mainly in wona the South
1:17
think Rolling Hills you know those cute
1:19
little Villages and a bit more of a
1:21
Latin feel I guess you could say gotcha
1:23
and then there's that small German
1:25
speaking Community kind of tucked away
1:26
in the East wow so it's like three
1:28
different cultural zones all in one
1:30
country yeah that's a really good way to
1:32
put it and it's not just about language
1:33
either this Division I mean it affects
1:36
everything politics education even
1:38
everyday things like street signs what's
1:40
on a menu you name it speaking of menus
1:42
I've always wondered about Brussels I
1:44
mean it's the capital right but it's
1:46
smack dab in the middle of Flanders
1:48
which is dutch-speaking territory what's
1:51
up with the language situation there ah
1:53
Brussels officially it's bilingual but
1:55
it's a bit more Nuance than that
1:56
historically French was the dominant
1:58
language like think of it as language of
2:00
power and Prestige even though it's
2:02
geographically in Flanders French really
2:04
kind of dug its roots in there ah so
2:06
that's where all that tension comes in
2:07
so the source mentioned the flish
2:09
community you know pushing for Dutch to
2:11
get more recognition in Brussels it
2:13
makes sense now like their own capital
2:15
city is dominated by another language
2:17
exactly you've got this constant back
2:18
and forth between the Flemish Community
2:21
wanting more visibility for Dutch and
2:23
the French speakers who are used to
2:24
their language kind of running the show
2:26
it's this ongoing debate really
2:28
reflecting those bigger language
2:30
Dynamics we see in Belgium I bet this
2:32
whole language thing isn't exactly a new
2:34
thing right the source mentioned
2:35
something called the uh Flemish movement
2:38
what did they have to do with all of
2:39
these oh they were super important the
2:40
Flemish movement they really pushed hard
2:42
for Dutch language rights it was a whole
2:45
fight for recognition and respect you
2:47
know not just being tolerated so what
2:49
did that fight look like exactly was it
2:51
all about getting people to speak Dutch
2:53
more or was it something bigger than
2:54
that it was way more than just speaking
2:56
a language it was about getting Dutch
2:57
recognized in schools the government
3:00
just everyday life they wanted to make
3:01
sure it was on an equal footing with
3:03
French and trust me it wasn't a walk in
3:05
the park there was a lot of push back
3:06
wow that's amazing so what were some of
3:08
their like main tactics I guess well one
3:10
key thing was getting those Dutch
3:12
language universities up and running
3:14
that was huge because it meant Flemish
3:15
students could finally get a higher
3:17
education in their own language
3:19
something that wasn't even possible
3:20
before they also pushed for Dutch to be
3:22
used more in the courts and government
3:24
Administration making sure flish
3:26
speakers weren't at a disadvantage you
3:27
know so basically they were fighting for
3:30
cultural and political equality but
3:32
through language that's incredible
3:33
language can be such a powerful tool
3:35
it's amazing you got it they understood
3:37
that language was the key to keeping
3:40
their cultural identity alive and making
3:42
sure they had a voice in their own
3:43
country and you know what they actually
3:45
achieved a lot their efforts led to some
3:47
big changes like the whole setup of
3:49
those linguistic regions we talked about
3:50
earlier wow that's a huge win so Belgium
3:53
actually changed its political structure
3:54
to make room for all its languages
3:56
that's a pretty big deal it really is
3:58
and it shows how important language is
4:00
to the whole idea of being Belgian but
4:02
as you can probably guess even with all
4:04
these changes the uh the tension between
4:06
the different language groups didn't
4:08
just magically vanish yeah I guess you
4:10
can't just erase like centuries of
4:12
history and cultural Dynamics overnight
4:15
speaking of History let's di a little
4:17
deeper your Source talked about some
4:19
Regional dialects Woon and peard I think
4:22
what are those all about ah those are
4:23
interesting you see Belgium's linguistic
4:26
scene is less like a neatly divided pie
4:28
chart and more like a uh a layered cake
4:30
I guess okay these Regional dialects
4:32
they're like hidden flavors you know
4:34
adding a whole other dimension to the
4:36
story okay I'm on what makes these
4:39
dialects so special well they represent
4:41
a deep Connection to the Past to the
4:43
roots of Belgian culture take Walloon
4:46
for example it's a romance language kind
4:47
of like French but with its own unique
4:49
words and sounds you hear it mostly in
4:51
wallonia and it's like a reminder of the
4:54
Region's unique Heritage so it's like a
4:56
window into the past huh a way to hold
4:58
on to a piece of History exactly and
5:00
then you've got bicard it's another
5:01
romance language but spoken in parts of
5:03
wona and even across the border into
5:05
France it's fascinating how these
5:07
dialects ignore those National
5:08
boundaries really showing you how
5:10
connected language and culture could be
5:12
I like that layered cake you peel back
5:14
one layer and there's a whole new flavor
5:16
waiting to be discovered so with all
5:18
these languages and dialects flying
5:19
around does everyone in Belgium just
5:21
speak like everything well it's not
5:23
quite that simple but your Source did
5:25
mention how big of a deal language
5:26
learning is in Belgium it's not just
5:28
some elective it's a necessity yeah I
5:31
can imagine trying to navigate that
5:32
linguistic maze would be pretty
5:34
impossible otherwise so are most
5:36
belgians at least bilingual then oh yeah
5:39
absolutely their education system is all
5:41
about promoting multilingualism students
5:43
have to learn at least one other
5:44
official language so most belgians grow
5:46
up speaking at least two wow kind of
5:49
jealous got to be honest that's a pretty
5:51
cool system for building understanding
5:53
and making communication easier between
5:55
different communities it really is makes
5:57
you wonder what the world would be like
5:58
if more countries did something like
6:00
that embrace the whole multilingual
6:02
thing couldn't hurt right you know what
6:03
just hit me we haven't even mentioned
6:05
English yet I mean Brussels is a hub for
6:07
all those International organizations
6:09
and businesses I can't imagine English
6:11
just gets ignored there oh you're right
6:13
English plays a huge role especially in
6:15
Brussels even though it's not an
6:17
official language you know it's like the
6:18
common tongue for business
6:21
diplomacy even just everyday chats
6:23
between people from different
6:24
backgrounds so it's like another layer
6:26
on that linguistic cake huh but doesn't
6:28
that make things even more interesting I
6:30
mean with English being so I don't know
6:33
dominant in a lot of areas could it kind
6:35
of overshadow dut and French that's a
6:37
really good question and it's something
6:39
we should definitely talk more about but
6:41
um how about we take a quick break and
6:42
then jump back in to really unpack that
6:44
issue sounds good to me I'm already
6:46
hooked on this whole linguistic journey
6:48
and I'm totally ready to see where it
6:49
takes us next all right so we were
6:51
talking about English having a pretty
6:52
big presence in Belgian especially in
6:54
Brussels but how does that I don't know
6:57
impact the um the Dynamics between the
7:00
languages that are already there does
7:02
everyone just start speaking English or
7:04
is there like a push to keep Dutch and
7:06
French important well it's not like one
7:08
language just comes in and wipes out the
7:10
others it's more like English adds
7:12
another you know layer of complexity to
7:14
what's already a pretty mixed up
7:16
linguistic landscape I guess that makes
7:18
sense but it still raises some uh some
7:20
concerns right like what happens to
7:23
Dutch and French if English becomes the
7:25
language everyone needs to like succeed
7:27
in business or International stuff
7:29
that's a valid point there are
7:30
definitely people who worry about
7:32
English becoming too dominant and
7:34
leading to uh a decline in the use of
7:38
Dutch and French especially among
7:40
younger people they might see English as
7:43
I don't know the ticket to more
7:44
opportunities globally so it's not just
7:46
about the languages themselves it's
7:48
about economic and being able to like
7:50
move up in the world it's almost like
7:51
English represents I don't know a
7:53
pathway to a wider World while Dutch and
7:55
French become more like local exactly
7:58
you hit the nail on the head and it
7:59
really highlights the um the challenge a
8:02
lot of multilingual countries face how
8:05
to balance the the good things that come
8:07
with global communication with the need
8:09
to preserve their own you know
8:11
linguistic Heritage it's a tough
8:13
Balancing Act for sure Belgium seems to
8:14
be handling it pretty well at least when
8:16
it comes to encouraging multilingualism
8:18
within its own borders but what about
8:20
immigration I mean your Source mentioned
8:22
that Brussels has become super diverse
8:25
with languages like Turkish and Arabic
8:27
becoming more common how does that fit
8:28
into this a already pretty complicated
8:31
language situation well immigration
8:33
definitely adds another fascinating
8:35
twist to the whole story Belgium like a
8:38
lot of European countries has seen a lot
8:40
of immigration over the past few decades
8:42
and of course that brings in new
8:43
languages and cultural influences so how
8:46
is Belgium dealing with all of that are
8:47
they trying to I don't know integrate
8:49
those new languages into the system they
8:51
already have or is there like a push to
8:53
keep the three official languages as the
8:55
main ones it's a process and it's still
8:57
ongoing and there's no easy answer some
8:59
people argue that Belgium should just
9:01
Embrace this growing linguistic
9:02
diversity and you know support the
9:04
integration of these new languages that
9:06
could involve offering language classes
9:08
in schools or providing government
9:10
services in multiple languages that
9:12
makes sense if you're thinking about
9:13
inclusion but I can also see how some
9:15
people might worry about like the strain
9:17
on resources or even about Belgian
9:19
identity getting I don't know diluted
9:22
you've touched on the really important
9:23
point of attention there the whole
9:25
question of national identity is so
9:27
closely tied to language in
9:30
and some people are afraid that adding
9:31
too many languages might weaken that
9:33
sense of shared identity it's a delicate
9:35
Balancing Act isn't it trying to be
9:36
welcoming to newcomers while also
9:39
holding on to a sense of unity as a
9:41
nation exactly and there's no simple
9:42
solution it needs a nuanced approach one
9:45
that recognizes the value of both
9:46
linguistic diversity and National
9:48
cohesion it's a debate that'll probably
9:50
keep going for a long time well it
9:51
definitely adds another layer to that
9:54
linguistic tapestry we were talking
9:55
about it seems like Belgium is always
9:57
evolving always trying to find ways to
9:59
adapt to changing demographics and
10:01
Global influences all while holding on
10:03
to its unique linguistic Heritage you've
10:06
got it Belgium really is a microcosm of
10:09
the challenges and opportunities that
10:10
many multilingual societies face in our
10:13
globalized world it's a fascinating
10:14
example of how language can both divide
10:17
and unite now before we jump into what
10:19
the future holds for all these languages
10:21
in Belgium there's one more thing I
10:22
wanted to touch on your first mentioned
10:24
that brussel's success economically
10:26
attracts a lot of Flemish workers which
10:28
of course adds to the whole l language
10:29
mix in the city could you tell us a bit
10:30
more about that sure it it's a great
10:32
example of how language and economics
10:34
are connected Brussels being the
10:36
economic heart of Belgium and a major
10:38
hub for International Business it
10:40
naturally attracts workers from all over
10:41
including Flanders so you've got these
10:44
Flemish speakers moving to a city where
10:46
French has traditionally been the
10:47
dominant language kind of creates a
10:49
linguistic Agora right precisely and it
10:51
brings up some interesting questions
10:53
will this influx of Flemish workers lead
10:55
to a a comeback for Dutch in Brussels or
10:58
will French maintain its strong position
11:00
especially in the professional World it
11:02
makes me wonder about how language
11:04
itself can be a kind of I don't know
11:06
capital a tool for economic advancement
11:09
if French Remains the language of power
11:11
and opportunity in Brussels will Flemish
11:14
speakers feel pressure to like
11:15
prioritize French over Dutch that's a
11:18
very real concern and it's something the
11:19
Flemish Community is definitely thinking
11:21
about they fought hard to make sure
11:23
Dutch has equal standing in Belgium and
11:26
they don't want to see it lose ground in
11:27
the capital it's like language Bec a
11:29
marker of who you are but also a
11:31
currency in the job market you know
11:33
absolutely it's a complex mix of
11:35
cultural social and economic forces so
11:38
it seems like Belgium's linguistic
11:40
landscape is always changing shaped by
11:42
history politics economics and the ever
11:44
evolving dynamics of a globalized world
11:47
perfectly put and this Dynamic tension
11:49
is what makes belum such a fascinating
11:51
and relevant case study for
11:53
understanding the complexities of
11:54
multilingualism in the 21st century well
11:57
I'm really excited to dive into what the
11:58
future future might hold for this
12:00
linguistic Melting Pot what does your
12:02
Source say about the potential
12:04
trajectory of these languages in Belgium
12:06
well they post some interesting
12:07
questions really get you thinking
12:09
questions like will Dutch continue to
12:11
lose ground in Brussels and how will
12:13
Immigration and globalization continue
12:15
to shape the language mix those are big
12:17
questions and I'm definitely looking
12:18
forward to hearing your thoughts but
12:19
before we get ahead of ourselves how
12:21
about we pause here and pick up the
12:22
conversation in the final part of our
12:24
Deep dive all right so we've really gone
12:26
deep on this the three official
12:27
languages the Flemish movement English
12:29
immigration I mean it's obvious now that
12:32
belgian's linguistic landscape is
12:33
anything but straightforward so now for
12:35
the big question what's in store for all
12:37
these languages in the future well you
12:39
know predicting the future of languages
12:41
is tough kind of like trying to figure
12:42
out what the weather's going to be like
12:44
weeks from now there's so many things
12:45
that could happen but your source does
12:47
bring up some really interesting points
12:48
we can use to you know imagine a few
12:50
scenarios yeah they asked will Dutch
12:52
keep losing ground in Brussels and
12:55
honestly thinking about how strong the
12:56
city's economy is and how French has
12:58
denominated for so long that question
13:00
really got me thinking what do you make
13:02
of that it's definitely a question a lot
13:04
of people are thinking about especially
13:05
the Flemish Community like we talked
13:07
about Brussels is kind of unique it's in
13:09
Flanders geographically where they speak
13:11
Dutch but French has always been like
13:13
the language of power you know the
13:14
prestigious one and now with more and
13:16
more International workers and
13:17
businesses coming in English is becoming
13:19
more common too so it's like Dutch is
13:21
getting squeezed from both sides by
13:23
French and English that doesn't sound
13:26
too good for the future of Dutch in
13:28
Brussels it's a Val concern yeah but I
13:30
wouldn't rule Dutch out completely the
13:31
Flemish Community knows about this
13:33
Challenge and they're really working to
13:35
promote Dutch in Brussels they've got
13:37
initiatives to encourage businesses to
13:39
use it more Dutch language education and
13:42
they're trying to make cultural stuff
13:43
more accessible to Dutch speakers so
13:45
it's this constant like linguistic
13:47
tug-of war with each language trying to
13:50
find its place in the city right and who
13:52
wins this language competition it will
13:54
depend on all sorts of things like
13:55
government policies are there incentives
13:58
for using certain languages how the
14:00
population changes even how people feel
14:02
about different languages culturally and
14:04
speaking of how people feel about
14:05
languages your Source also asked how
14:08
will Immigration and globalization
14:10
continue to shape the linguistic mix
14:12
that one really caught my eye too we've
14:14
talked about how immigration's already
14:15
bringing in new languages but how might
14:18
globalization you know that whole Global
14:19
interconnectedness thing how might that
14:22
impact the languages in Belgium
14:23
globalization is a huge force and it'll
14:26
probably have a big impact on the
14:27
languages in Belgium just like it has
14:29
everywhere else I mean on the one hand
14:30
globalization can lead to these dominant
14:33
languages spreading like English maybe
14:35
at the expense of languages that aren't
14:37
spoken of widely so it's kind of a mixed
14:38
bag then it can connect people and
14:40
cultures but also like make them more
14:43
similar and that might mean some
14:44
linguistic diversity gets lost that's
14:46
the Dilemma but on the other hand
14:48
globalization can actually open up
14:50
opportunities for languages that aren't
14:51
as common think about the internet and
14:53
social media they can connect speakers
14:55
of these you know less common languages
14:57
create a sense of community and maybe
14:59
even encourage people to use those
15:01
languages in new ways so it's not a
15:03
given that globalization will
15:05
automatically lead to just a handful of
15:07
languages dominating everywhere not at
15:09
all what happens to the languages in
15:11
Belgium even in the whole world it's not
15:13
set in stone it really comes down to the
15:16
choices that individuals make the
15:17
choices communities make and the choices
15:19
governments make that's a really
15:21
powerful thought so if language is such
15:22
a big part of what it means to be
15:24
Belgian like your Source said how do you
15:26
see language I don't know shaping the
15:28
country future I think language will
15:30
continue to be a major factor in how
15:33
Belgium's Society its politics and its
15:35
culture develop how they handle their
15:37
logistic diversity how they deal with
15:39
the challenges and opportunities of
15:41
globalization how they bring in new
15:42
languages and cultures all of that will
15:44
have a huge impact on what Belgium
15:46
becomes it's almost like a giant social
15:48
experiment and language is what's
15:49
driving it you said it and the results
15:52
of this experiment they won't just
15:54
affect Belgium other countries with
15:55
multiple languages all over the world
15:58
will be watching and learning from what
16:00
happens there Belgium's experience can
16:02
teach us so much about how to handle the
16:04
complexities of language in today's
16:06
globalized world wow we've really
16:08
covered a lot in this deep dive from the
16:10
historical reasons behind this language
16:12
divide to what might happen in the
16:13
future it's clear that the story of
16:15
languages in Belgium is far from over
16:17
absolutely and the best part is that
16:19
we're all part of this story as it
16:21
unfolds the choices we make about the
16:23
languages we speak how we interact with
16:25
other cultures the policies we support
16:28
they all play a role role in shaping the
16:30
future of language in Belgium and even
16:32
Beyond I think that's a great point to
16:33
wrap things up on thanks so much for
16:35
taking us on this journey through the
16:37
linguistic landscape of Belgium it's
16:38
been really eye- openening and I'm sure
16:40
our listener feels the same way it was
16:41
my pleasure and to our listeners we
16:43
encourage you to keep digging into this
16:45
topic keep learning keep asking
16:47
questions and never stop appreciating
16:49
the incredible diversity of languages
16:52
that make our world so rich until next
16:55
time on the Deep dive