Abstract

BORNMAN, Elirea; STEENKAMP, Conrad  and  WIERENGA, Rone. State of Dutch: An overview of tendencies in Dutch-speaking regions. Tydskr. geesteswet. [online]. 2025, vol.65, n.2, pp.546-573. ISSN 2224-7912.  https://doi.org/10.17159/2224-7912/2025/v65n2a1.

This article focuses on the vitality of the Dutch language in Dutch-speaking regions in Europe (the Netherlands, Flanders and Brussels) and Suriname in South America against the background of the 2003 UNESCO-report, which delineates factors determining the vitality of a language. Discussions are based on reports by the Staat van het Nederlands-surveys conducted in 2016, 2018 and 2020 by the Taalunie (Dutch Language Union), the Meertens Instituut (Meertens Institute), Universiteit Gent (University of Ghent), and the Instituut voor de Opleiding van Leraren (Institute for the Training of Teachers) in Suriname. The surveys focused on the use of Dutch in various domains, namely the personal domain (communication with spouses, families and friends), the wider social domain (communication in community-based social situations), the religious domain (communication within faith-based contexts), the workplace (work- and organisation-related communication), and the cultural and media domains (including social media). (Questions on the use of Dutch in various levels of education were also included, but the results are discussed in separate articles.) The 2016-survey included only the European Dutch-speaking regions (the Netherlands, Flanders and Brussels). Results for Frisian in Friesland are reported separately. The term "Dutch" was used as an umbrella term which includes all dialects (except Frisian which is regarded as a language and not a dialect). Provision was made for other dialects in the 2018- and 2020-surveys. Suriname was included from 2018. Background is provided on the historical development of Dutch in the Netherlands, Flanders and Suriname. Whilst Dutch has enjoyed a dominant position in the Netherlands for centuries, it had to compete with French in Flanders. Although Dutch was put on an equal footing with French in 1898 by the so-called Gelijkheidswet, it was only in 1930 that the first university, where teaching is predominantly in Dutch - the University of Ghent - opened its doors in Flanders. The language history of Suriname is very different, where different colonial governments - first the English and then the Netherlands - as well as various waves of immigration from various world regions, have resulted in a multicultural and multilingual society. Dutch has, however, remained the official language. The results of the three surveys indicate that Dutch was the dominant language in the personal and social domains in the Netherlands and Flanders. The choice of Altijd Nederlands (using always Dutch in a particular domain) was even higher in public than in personal spheres. In Friesland, both Dutch and Frisian were the dominant languages. Whilst using Dutch has increased in Suriname from 2018, there was a decline in the Netherlands and Flanders, which the authors ascribe to the fact that these societies have become more multilingual. Dialects were used more in intimate spheres, but less in conversations with children. Dialects are therefore passed on to future generations to a lesser extent. Dutch was also the dominant language within the religious domain in the Netherlands and Flanders. The situation differed, however, in the other Dutch-speaking regions. In Brussels, French was the dominant language in religious circles. In Friesland, both Dutch and Frisian dominated. In Suriname, Dutch was the dominant language in the Roman Catholic Church, but in other religions ethnic languages such as Sarnami and Sranan Tongo were used in combination with Dutch. In the Netherlands, Flanders and Suriname, Dutch was the language most often used on social media. In Friesland and Brussels, people were more inclined to use Dutch in combination with Frisian, French and/or English. People in Dutch-speaking regions did, however, have access to information and news in various languages such as English, French, and German. That was, in particular, the case for online news channels and also for Wikipedia. The use of Dutch was, however, much lower in the cultural domain. Respondents in the Netherlands, Flanders and Brussels indicated, for example, that they seldom listened to Dutch music. However, they predominantly read books and magazines in Dutch. All international films and television series are furthermore broadcasted with subscripts in Dutch. Although respondents in Suriname had access to information and news predominantly in Dutch, English played a larger role in the cultural domain due to the effect of English films and television series. Despite widespread economic globalisation, the respondents indicated that Dutch was still the dominant language for both internal and external communication in workplaces in the Netherlands, Flanders and Suriname. In Friesland there was, however, a decline in the choice of Altijd Nederlands and an increase in the use of both Frisian and Dutch. In Brussels, a combination of Dutch and French was also more prevalent. The use of English had, however, increased both internally and externally in the Netherlands and Flanders. Gerritsen (2024) points in this regard to the influence of multinational organisations where the lingua franca is often English since international workers often do not understand Dutch. Attitudes towards Dutch were also investigated. The majority of respondents in the Netherlands, Flanders, Friesland, and Suriname agreed with a statement that Dutch was a beautiful language, however, respondents of Brussels were less positive. The majority of both mother-tongue and non-mother-tongue speakers in all the Dutch-speaking regions, furthermore, agreed that their children should master Dutch. Respondents in Brussels and Suriname agreed less with this statement than respondents in the other regions. The Taalunie (Language Union) concluded that the vitality of the Dutch language is high in the social milieu - both within private spheres, as well as in the wider community, and it is also still surprisingly high in the workplace. Although the Dutch-speaking regions in Europe are becoming increasingly multilingual, Dutch is also carried over to younger generations of non-mother-tongue speakers which, in turn, strengthens the vitality of the language. There are, however, signs of the infiltration of English in many domains - particularly in the workplace and cultural domain. The Taalunie, does voice concern about the situation of dialects - which are regarded as important elements of the Dutch eco system - the use of which is declining, and which is often not carried over to future generations.

Keywords : Dutch; language vitality; position of Dutch; Netherlands; Flanders; Suriname; social domain; religious domain; workplace; media and culture.

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