I am Flemish and proud of it!
Flemish is the language I have spoken for 54 years. I work as an interpreter in English courts and am often called upon to interpret at interviews for the police. I have also been asked to check tapes of interviews where Flemish-speaking Belgians were assisted by Dutch interpreters. The mistakes often repeat themselves. The Flemish have their own expressions and are not always understood by the Dutch. I have letters from the Belgian Minister of Justice and the Flemish Minister both stating that Belgian nationals can and do speak Flemish and that they should be assisted by Belgian Flemish-speaking interpreters. I've had articles printed in Belgian papers and I have been called the "Flemish lioness". I have no political interests at all but I feel strongly that minority languages should be preserved and not wiped out with a swipe of generalised beliefs and concepts. Ik ben Vlaming en daar ben ik fier op, I am Flemish and proud of it! By the way, 60% of the Belgian population speaks Flemish even though the official languages are French, Dutch and German.
Sent by: Augusta
Comments
Flemish is one of the most beautiful languages on earth. I hereby raise a glass to every expat Flemming and hope they keep the language alive on foreign shores. Vlaanderen De Leeuw!
An interesting point of view which contrasts with the usual perception which is that Flemish is just Belgian Dutch. I think they are the same language, but with dialectal differences that perhaps make for mistakes in interpretation as you say.
I am a Belgian. I have lived in America for 56 years. My family and I speak one of the many dialects of Flemish. Upon recent trips to Belgium, I was sad to discover that "our" dialect is swiftly fading into oblivion. It makes sense when you consider that the Flemish that my family speaks has been caught in a time-warp. Nothing has changed, for us and other Flemish-dialect speakers outside Belgium.
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