WHAT THE BELGIANS SPEAK
Three different languages are spoken in Belgium. These are Flemish,
Walloon, and French. Flemish is spoken in Flanders, in the provinces
of Antwerp and Limbourg, and in a part of Brabant. Walloon is the
language of Liége and the Valley of the Meuse, Luxembourg, and the
western districts. French is spoken all over the country. Some
Belgians speak nothing but Flemish, some nothing but Walloon, and some
nothing but French. A great many speak both Flemish and French, and
there are some who speak all three languages.
Though Flemish is the language of the majority of Belgians, most of
the books, newspapers, and magazines are published in French, which is
the "official" language--that is to say, it is the language of the
Court and the Government--and all well-educated Belgians can speak,
read, and write it. In Brussels almost everyone speaks French.
Though many Belgians know French thoroughly, they speak it with an
accent of their own, which is unlike anything you hear in France, just
as English people speak French or German with an English accent. So
Belgium is not a good place to go to if you want to learn French. The
worst French is spoken in East Flanders and the best in Ypres.
There is a great likeness between Flemish and Dutch, which were
originally one language, and a book printed in Flemish is almost
exactly the same as a Dutch book. But there are many different ways of
pronouncing Flemish. The accent of Ghent is so different from that of
Bruges that the people of these towns do not always understand each
other, and in neither do they speak with the accent which is used in
Antwerp. Thus, in little Belgium there are not only three different
languages, but various ways of speaking Flemish, the original language
of the country. So French is not only the official language, but the
most useful for travellers to know.
Though French is the official language, there are laws which have been
made to allow the use of Flemish in the law courts, and Belgian
officers must be able to command the soldiers in Flemish. In the
_Moniteur_ (a paper like the _London Gazette_) Royal Proclamations,
and things of that sort, are published in both Flemish and French.
Railway-tickets are printed in both languages. So are the names of the
streets in some towns. In the Belgian Parliament, though the members
generally make their speeches in French, they may use Flemish if they
like, and they sometimes do.
Walloon may be described as a very old form of French, but though the
Walloons are the most active and industrious of all the Belgians,
their language is not much known, and you will never hear it spoken
except in the Valley of the Meuse, and in the country parts of
South-West Belgium.
The three Belgian words for Christmas are _Kerstdag_ in Flemish,
_Noël_ in French, and _Nouée_ in Walloon.