It is still spoken in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German.A number of non-official, minority languages and dialects are spoken as well. However, the population density in the canton of Eupen (north) and the canton of St. Vith (south) is very different: The North-South demographic gap is particularly evident when comparing the North and South of the community: By comparison, the population density is 346,7 in Belgium, 204,0 in Wallonia and 452,4 in Flanders. Moreover, around 7.5 million people in 42 countries worldwide belong to a German-speaking minority. The Belgian Constitution guarantees, since the country's independence, freedom of language in the private sphere. A few of these are very closely related to French, although the French Community has recognized them as distinct languages. Flemish (Dutch). The French-speaking community lives in the... German. The locals created their own mixed language, ‘Brussels’, which for the most part was the same with Flemish, but with inclusions of French … This video is all about the languages of Belgium, and the fascinating linguistic situation in the country. The area known today as the East Cantons consists of the German-speaking Community and the municipalities of Malmedy and Waimes (German: Weismes), which belong to the French Community of Belgium. Traditionally speakers of Low Dietsch, Ripuarian, and Moselle Franconianvarieties, the local population numbers 77,949 – about 7.0% of Liège Province and about 0… Close to 60% of the country's population speaks Dutch as their primary language. After Belgian independence in 1830, Nor can you officially be addressed in English. The German minority has its own rights there. Like any other country, Belgium also has official languages. The median age in Belgium is 41.9 years. Today the German-speaking Community has a fair degree of autonomy, especially in language and cultural matters, but it still remains part of the region of predominantly French-speaking Wallonia. The official language of the Flemish Region is Dutch, while the institutions in the Walloon Region (minus the German-speaking Community) speak French. The peace treaty of Versailles demanded the "questioning" of the local population. [2] Covering an area of 854 km2 (330 sq mi) within the Liège Province (German: Lüttich) in Wallonia, it includes nine of the eleven municipalities of Eupen-Malmedy. The contentious push and pull between French and Dutch influences in Belgium has always been problematic in the country’s political, cultural and social spheres. German, while one of the three official languages, is much less prevalent and spoken by less than 1% of the population. They have brought with them their customs as well as their languages, contributing to a changing landscape in the country. A few of these are very closely related to French, although the French Community has recognized them as distinct languages. Switzerland has four official languages, German, French, Italian, Romansh. In Brussels, the main language spoken is French. Walloon is the traditional language of the southern regions of Belgium and was originally spoken by the Walloons, an ethnic community. German-speaking community (less than 1%) and the Dutch-French bilingual community of Brussels.5 “The Brussels-Capital Region, home to approximately 10% of the population, is officially bilingual.”6 The three official languages are Dutch, French, and German.7 It is worth to mention that the constitution Belgians say that they speak “Dutch”, “French” or “German”, but in reality, our speech is different from that of the country of origin of each of these languages. The residents of Belgium enjoy the freedom of language in their private lives. Official languages Legal status. The coat of arms, in heraldic blazon, is: Arms: Argent, a lion rampant gules between nine cinquefoils azure. Brussels is the third most important administrative unit of Belgium. Official Languages: French, Dutch and German.Wallon, the local variant of French, is used by 33% of population. Eupen-Malmedy area and other German territories lost in both World Wars are shown in black, present-day Germany is marked dark grey on this 1914 map. It is a bit complicated. Belgians who could not speak the language of the region would be unable to communicate with public officials. Covering an area of 854 km (330 sq mi) within the Liège Province (German: Lüttich) in Wallonia, it includes nine of the eleven municipalities of Eupen-Malmedy. Despite its distinction as an official language, it is considered one of the least common in the country with only approximately 73,000 native speakers and over 2.47 million second language speakers. [8] The Government is headed by a Minister-President, who acts as the "prime minister" of the Community, and is assisted by the Ministry of the German-speaking Community. The German-speaking Community has its own government, which is appointed for five years by its own parliament. German has had far less time to develop in Belgium than French and Dutch, because this area of Belgium was only added after WWI. The East Cantons were part of the Rhine Province of Prussia in Germany until 1920 (as the counties (Landkreise) of Eupen and Malmedy), but were annexed by Belgium following Germany's defeat in World War I and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles. [1], Bordering the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg, the area has its own parliament and government at Eupen. The population figures are those on 1 January 2019 (compare to a total of 73,675 on 1 January 2007). From 1921 to 1962, the country operated under the territoriality principle, which determined that the language spoken by government officials would be based on the region. The municipalities of Malmedy and Weismes belong to the territorial community of the French Community of Belgium. Bilingual education was introduced in 1883. Governments must provide their citizens with versions of every legal and administrative document in each of the official languages. German is also an official language in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. German is the least prevalent official language in Belgium, spoken natively by less than 1% of the population. Within Belgium, the German-speaking Community exercises its political powers on the German-speaking territory, which comprises nine municipalities. They are The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German. A number of non-official, minority languages and dialects are spoken as well. Luxembourgish in the eastern province of Luxembourg, although it has been largely replaced by Belgian French. The German-speaking Community of Belgium is composed of the German-speaking parts of the lands that were annexed in 1920 from Germany. Low Dietsch, for example, is spoken in the northeast of the country in the Duchy of Limburg. However, in these localities, the German language is declining due to the expansion of French.[3]. In addition to the official language, Belgium has a number of regional, or non-official, languages as well. [4] At this point, the French government, fearing for the complete postwar order, intervened at Brussels and the Belgian-German talks were called off. The country does have 3 languages that are typically spoken in public affairs: French, German, and Dutch. In March 2017, the government of the German-speaking community decided to market the area in the future as East Belgium. Occasionally, the nine German-speaking communities, together with the communities of Malmedy and Weismes, are historically called East Belgium or East Cantons because of their common political past, formerly also as Eupen-Malmedy-St. Vith. This subdivision into language areas and official languages by no means detracts from the language freedom. What Languages Do They Speak In Belgium? [6] Especially regional autonomy for spatial planning, city building and housing should be considered, according to the government of the German-speaking Community.[6][7]. They are Walloon, Picard, Champenois, and Lorrain. Between 1815 and 1830, that what would become Belgium was part of the United Netherlands. Eupen is the seat of the government, the parliament and the administrative centre. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions © 2021 worldatlas.com. 1943 postcard; Nazi propaganda postmark reads Heimkehr ins Großdeutsche Vaterland ("Return to the Great German Fatherland"), In the early 1960s, Belgium was divided into four linguistic areas, the Dutch-speaking Flemish area, the French-speaking area, the bilingual capital of Brussels, and the German-speaking area of the east cantons. Government of the German-speaking Community, Parliament of the German-speaking Community, [ˈdɔʏ̯tʃˌʃpʁaːxɪɡə ɡəˈmaɪ̯nʃaft ˈbɛlɡi̯əns], [ˈdœy̯tsˌtaːlɪɣə ɣəˈmeːnˌsxɑp vɑn ˈbɛlɣijə], Day of the German-speaking Community of Belgium, List of Ministers-President of the German-speaking Community, Lists of protected heritage sites in the German-speaking Community of Belgium, Belgian annexation plans after the Second World War, "On 1 January 2020, Belgium had 11,492,641 inhabitants", "History of the German-speaking Community", "An Insiders' Outside Perspective on the Flemish-Walloon Conflict: The Role of Identification and Disidentification for the German-Speaking Minority", "De triangelspeler van België: Duitstalig België", "Duitstalige Gemeenschap wil extra bevoegdheden", "German-speaking Community: The jurisdiction of the Government", http://www.dgstat.be/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-2569/4686_read-32765, "Coat of Arms and Flag of the German-speaking Community", Prospecting an In-Between, East Belgium 1920–2020, Flight and expulsion of Germans (1944–1950), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=German-speaking_Community_of_Belgium&oldid=1018318704, German-speaking countries and territories, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox settlement with missing country, Pages using infobox settlement with no coordinates, Wikipedia articles in need of updating from February 2021, All Wikipedia articles in need of updating, Articles containing Spanish-language text, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, District of Eupen: 44 159 inhabitants - 196,4 inhabitants / km, District of St. Vith: 29 516 inhabitants - 46,9 inhabitants / km, The most densely populated municipality is Kelmis (577.9 inhabitants / km, The least densely populated municipality is Büllingen (36.2 inhabitants / km, This page was last edited on 17 April 2021, at 12:15. Other regional languages are Germanic in nature. Belgium is officially divided into linguistic regions, with Dutch the official language of the five northern and north-eastern provinces (Antwerp, East Flanders, Flemish Brabant, Limburg and West Flanders). German is the most widely spoken mother language and an official language in four countries in the European Union: Germany, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg. Additionally there are very lively autochthonous regional languages (e.g. This is followed by French, which is spoken by the French Community, the region of Wallonia, and the Capital Region. The municipalities are grouped into two cantons, namely the Canton of Eupen in the north and the Canton of Sankt Vith in the south. Men represent 49.72% with a slightly lower proportion of the total population of the German-speaking community, women are in the majority with 50.28%. Don't Make This Mistake In the end the coat of arms of the Community was designed by merging elements of the arms of the Duchy of Limburg and the Duchy of Luxembourg, to which the two parts of the community had historically belonged. The flag shows a red lion together with nine blue cinquefoils on a white field. Languages of Belgium. What Language is Spoken in Belgium? The language legislation of Belgium has changed over the years. Sprachkenntnisse in Belgien Official languages in Belgium : Dutch, French, German Sub-titling of films & TV: Yes & No An interactive visualisation of language knowledge in Europe, based on the latest Europe-wide survey of languages in Europe by the European Commission. There isn’t just one official language of Belgium, but three: This community is one of the few left in the world that still speaks Yiddish as its primary language. One of the proponents of full regional autonomy for the German-speaking Community is Karl-Heinz Lambertz, the minister-president from 1999 to 2014. If Belgium is so language-rich, why are there only three government-recognized languages? Disputes over language continue today because the freedom of language extends only to the private home. Analogous to South Tyrol (officially: Autonomous Region of Bolzano - South Tyrol), the name of the German-speaking Community of Belgium will continue to be used on official documents, on the external presentation, on the Internet and on the official posters of the ministry, the government and the parliament. The national flag of Belgium was adopted in 1931. The German-speaking Community of Belgium or Eastern Belgium (German: Ostbelgien; French: Belgique de l'est; Dutch: Oost-België) is one of the three federal communities of Belgium. These are The Belgian Constitution guarantees, since the country's independence, freedom of language in the private sphere. In Belgium, people can speak any language they want. There has been much argument in the past few years that the German-speaking Community should also become its own region, which is an ongoing process with the permanent transfer with the previous accord of some competences concerning social policy, conservation of sites and monuments, environment protection policy, transport, the financing of municipalities, among other things from the Walloon Region. The official languages of Belgium are French, Dutch and German. One of the official languages of Belgium is German, which has the third largest German-speaking population outside of Germany. It is a tricolor with black, yellow and red vertical … Legal status. The territory of the German-speaking Community is bounded on the north by the Belgium-Germany-Netherlands border tripoint, on the east by Germany and on the south by Luxembourg, and on the west by the territory of the French-speaking Community of Belgium. English is widely spoken throughout Belgium as a foreign language. Walloon and Picard , Luxembourgish, Limburgish, etcetera) for which specific associations are working; these languages receive a certain degree of recognition by the authorities and receive support. Triple Play: Dutch, French and German Are Belgium’s Official Languages. Practicality plays a huge part in that decision. Following the defeat of Germany in 1945, the cantons were once again annexed by Belgium, and as a result of alleged collaboration with Nazi Germany an attempt was made to de-Germanize the local population by the Belgian and Walloon authorities.[5]. During the 1800’s, courts and government were conducted in French, the language of the upper class. In 1878, it was declared the public announcements in Brussels must be made in Dutch or both Dutch and French. Belgium. In olden times, the people of Brussels spoke Flemish. It is one of the three national languages of Belgium, together with French and German, and is the only official language of the Flemish Region. In 2007, 73,675 inhabitants (86.3 inhabitants / km2) lived in the area of the German-speaking community. Some of the most common foreign languages include Berber, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Greek, Polish, and English. French. For those public authorities, there is extensive language legislation concerning Dutch, French and German, even though the Belgian Constitutiondoes not explicitly mention which languages enjoy official status. Belgium is composed of four language areas: the Dutch language area, the French language area, the German language area (nine municipalities in the east of Belgium) and the bilingual Brussels-Capital area. Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German. The EU has 24 official languages, of which three (English, French and German) have the higher status of "procedural" languages of the European Commission (whereas the European Parliament accepts all official languages as working languages). The legislative Parliament of the German-speaking Community, Rat der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft, was set up. The German-speaking Community of Belgium (German: Deutschsprachige Gemeinschaft Belgiens [ˈdɔʏ̯tʃˌʃpʁaːxɪɡə ɡəˈmaɪ̯nʃaft ˈbɛlɡi̯əns], DG; French: Communauté germanophone de Belgique [kɔmynote ʒɛʁmanofɔn də bɛlʒik]; Dutch: Duitstalige Gemeenschap van België [ˈdœy̯tsˌtaːlɪɣə ɣəˈmeːnˌsxɑp vɑn ˈbɛlɣijə]) or Eastern Belgium (German: Ostbelgien; French: Belgique de l'est; Dutch: Oost-België) is one of the three federal communities of Belgium. Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, German, and French. German. [10] Numbers on the map to the right correspond to the "Map #" column in the table below. Flemish is used by more than 60% of the population, and is … Belgium has also received immigrants from various countries over the last several decades. Picard and Champenois are both spoken in the Wallonia region of the country and Lorrain in Gaume, located in the southeast. Brexit will have no impact on what language Irish or … In 1973, three communities and three regions were established and granted internal autonomy. It further declared that if a minority speaking one of the official languages was living in a municipality of a different language, they would be able to request public services in their own language. The Flemish Region, Flemish Community, and the Capital Region all speak Dutch as their official language, making it the most widely spoken language in the country. A price of 200 million gold marks has been mentioned. Just as Belgium has three official languages, Ireland and Malta have two, English being one of them. Languages of Belgium. Yiddish is spoken by the Ashkenazi Jews, a population of around 20,000 in Antwerp. Today, the older generation speaks this language; younger generation has not learned it fluently. It implies that you can decide yourself which language you use in your household, among friends, in the media, and in the cultural, economic, commercial and religious fields. Malta has two official languages, they are English and Maltese. History, language and culture in Belgium - World Travel Guide The 2014–2019 government is formed by four Ministers: The German-speaking Community consists of nine municipalities, listed in the table below. If so, you’re in the right place. This language is similar to the German spoken in the German-speaking Region. The three official languages of Belgium are Dutch, French and German. What Type Of Government Does Belgium Have? Traditionally speakers of Low Dietsch, Ripuarian, and Moselle Franconian varieties, the local population numbers 77,949 – about 7.0% of Liège Province and about 0.7% of the national total. Second on the list of most-spoken languages in Belgium is French. What Are The Biggest Industries In Belgium? This language freedom is embedded in the Constitution. One of three federal communities of Belgium. A decree adopted on 1 October 1990 and published on 15 November 1990 prescribed the arms, the flag, the colours as well as the Day of the German-speaking Community of Belgium, which was to be celebrated annually on 15 November.[12]. The German-speaking Community of Belgium numbers 77,000, residing in an area of Belgium that was ceded by the former German Empire as part of the Treaty of Versailles , which concluded World War I . Of these, English is widely spoken. People who were unwilling to become Belgians and wanted the region to remain a part of Germany were required to register themselves along with their full name and address with the Belgian military administration, headed by Herman Baltia, and many feared reprisals or even expulsion for doing so. First off, there’s the Dutch-speaking Flemish community mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. Belgium has three official languages, Dutch, French and German. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. The main Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium are Brabantian, West Flemish, East Flemish, Antwerp and Limburgish. The colours of the German-speaking Community are white and red in a horizontal position. In 1970, these language regions were established in the Constitution. German is the least spoken official language; only 1% of the population speak it as their native language. Article 4 divid… The Flemish movement began in an attempt to make the official language Dutch; it was somewhat successful in Flanders in 1873. Belgium’s three official languages are Dutch, French and German. The new cantons had been part of Belgium for just 20 years when, in 1940, they were retaken by Germany in World War II. importantly, over 200 indigenous languages remains and some are endangered. In 1989, there was a call for proposals for a flag and arms of the Community. Belgium has three official languages, Dutch, French and German, but the country itself is neither bilingual nor trilingual. All these are spoken across the border in the Netherlands as well. Dutch is the official language of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region and, along with French, an official language … In the mid-1920s, there were secret negotiations between Germany and the kingdom of Belgium that seemed to be inclined to sell the region back to Germany as a way to improve Belgium's finances. While the Constitution does not explicitly name these languages as official, it does state that Belgium has 4 linguistic areas: the French-speaking, the German-speaking, the Dutch-speaking, and the bilingual capital of Brussels. In addition to the official language, Belgium has a number of regional, or non-official, languages as well. This was a disadvantage for communities in the north that did not speak French. The best known are often “septante” and “nonante” (70 and 90), or our “déjeuner, dîner, souperr” (morning, midday and … Article 30 specifies that "the use of languages spoken in Belgium is optional; only the law can rule on this matter, and only for acts of the public authorities and for legal matters." It is used mainly by the German-speaking Community, which numbers 77,000. The Belgian Constitution is accordingly also trilingual, which is a symptom of the political friction between the different language and cultural communities. German speakers come from an area known as “Liege”, which is directly on the border with Germany. Crest: A royal crown. It is the native language of 40% of the population. The main reasons are obviously the contact with the other languages, but also the fact that, thus cut off from the mother-tongue by borders, each language has evolved differently. The third official language in Belgium is German, with about roughly 1% of the population speaking it. The majority of people of the east cantons welcomed this as they considered themselves German. [4] Thus they also became known as the cantons rédimés, "redeemed cantons".

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