From: Eric Zen (ericzen_at_ez-net.com)
Date: Wed Nov 26 2003 - 14:32:25 EST
Forwarded to the list on Jordi's request:
Again, thanks to Bjorn for bringing this up.
On 2003.11.25 06:24 Bjorn De Sutter wrote:
Hi,
your AWN #171 requests for user assistance for translation to a number of different languages,
including Flemish. I just wanted to let you know that Flemish is the same as Dutch.
Officially it is the same language: officially, it is written and spoken exactly the same. In practice,
the two differences between Dutch as it is used in the Netherlands and Flemish in Belgium are that
- each region more or less uses different parts of the language. Some words and constructs will
never be used by someone from the north, others never by someone from the south. I believe
this happens in every language. We share one and the same standard dictionary however, the
same grammar and the same spelling (unlike American and UK English.)
- Flemish more or less is the group of dialects of the Dutch language spoken in Belgium.
Just like someone from Dublin sounds different from someone from London, someone from
Flanders sounds different than someone from Northern Holland. So here again, there is no
reason to provide a separate translation.
Just my two cents,
-- Bjorn De Sutter Postdoctoral Fellow of the Fund for Scientific Research -- Flanders affiliated with Ghent University http://www.elis.ugent.be/~brdsutte/
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