belgium official languages german

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 German-speaking Community has its own government, which is appointed for five years by its own parliament. Additionally there are very lively autochthonous regional languages (e.g. A few of these are very closely related to French, although the French Community has recognized them as distinct languages. The country does have 3 languages that are typically spoken in public affairs: French, German, and Dutch. 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. German has had far less time to develop in Belgium than French and Dutch, because this area of Belgium was only added after WWI. Some of the most common foreign languages include Berber, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Greek, Polish, and English. In 1973, three communities and three regions were established and granted internal autonomy. In 1970, these language regions were established in the Constitution. It is a bit complicated. This community is one of the few left in the world that still speaks Yiddish as its primary language. Within Belgium, the German-speaking Community exercises its political powers on the German-speaking territory, which comprises nine municipalities. Are you looking for facts about the language in Belgium? The Belgian Constitution guarantees, since the country's independence, freedom of language in the private sphere. 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. First off, there’s the Dutch-speaking Flemish community mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. Dutch is the official language of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region and, along with French, an official language … 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 Disputes over language continue today because the freedom of language extends only to the private home. In 1989, there was a call for proposals for a flag and arms of the Community. The majority of people of the east cantons welcomed this as they considered themselves German. 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. 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. The French-speaking community lives in the... German. English is widely spoken throughout Belgium as a foreign language. Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German. German. The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German. Second on the list of most-spoken languages in Belgium is 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. [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. [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. This language is similar to the German spoken in the German-speaking Region. In olden times, the people of Brussels spoke Flemish. It is the native language of 40% of the population. Belgium has three official languages, Dutch, French and German. The Belgian Constitution is accordingly also trilingual, which is a symptom of the political friction between the different language and cultural communities. Legal status. Official languages Legal status. 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. Belgians who could not speak the language of the region would be unable to communicate with public officials. The language legislation of Belgium has changed over the years. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. The 2014–2019 government is formed by four Ministers: The German-speaking Community consists of nine municipalities, listed in the table below. The Belgian Constitution guarantees, since the country's independence, freedom of language in the private sphere. Eupen is the seat of the government, the parliament and the administrative centre. The population figures are those on 1 January 2019 (compare to a total of 73,675 on 1 January 2007). 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." The legislative Parliament of the German-speaking Community, Rat der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft, was set up. One of three federal communities of Belgium. 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%. However, in these localities, the German language is declining due to the expansion of French.[3]. In 2007, 73,675 inhabitants (86.3 inhabitants / km2) lived in the area of the German-speaking community. In Belgium, people can speak any language they want. 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. 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. In addition to the official language, Belgium has a number of regional, or non-official, languages as well. The municipalities of Malmedy and Weismes belong to the territorial community of the French Community of Belgium. The Belgian Constitution guarantees, since the country's independence, freedom of language in the private sphere. Flemish (Dutch). The official languages of Belgium are French, Dutch and German. Switzerland has four official languages, German, French, Italian, Romansh. 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. The Flemish movement began in an attempt to make the official language Dutch; it was somewhat successful in Flanders in 1873. Crest: A royal crown. Moreover, around 7.5 million people in 42 countries worldwide belong to a German-speaking minority. 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. Walloon is the traditional language of the southern regions of Belgium and was originally spoken by the Walloons, an ethnic community. The locals created their own mixed language, ‘Brussels’, which for the most part was the same with Flemish, but with inclusions of French … If Belgium is so language-rich, why are there only three government-recognized languages? 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. [1], Bordering the Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg, the area has its own parliament and government at Eupen. Picard and Champenois are both spoken in the Wallonia region of the country and Lorrain in Gaume, located in the southeast. In March 2017, the government of the German-speaking community decided to market the area in the future as East Belgium. 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. Flemish is used by more than 60% of the population, and is … German speakers come from an area known as “Liege”, which is directly on the border with Germany. This is followed by French, which is spoken by the French Community, the region of Wallonia, and the Capital Region. What Language is Spoken in Belgium? 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. After Belgian independence in 1830, Of these, English is widely spoken. A price of 200 million gold marks has been mentioned. The third official language in Belgium is German, with about roughly 1% of the population speaking it. The colours of the German-speaking Community are white and red in a horizontal position. The main Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium are Brabantian, West Flemish, East Flemish, Antwerp and Limburgish. It is used mainly by the German-speaking Community, which numbers 77,000. The German minority has its own rights there. Belgium has also received immigrants from various countries over the last several decades. The residents of Belgium enjoy the freedom of language in their private lives. The German-speaking Community of Belgium is composed of the German-speaking parts of the lands that were annexed in 1920 from Germany. 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. Low Dietsch, for example, is spoken in the northeast of the country in the Duchy of Limburg. 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. Just as Belgium has three official languages, Ireland and Malta have two, English being one of them. 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. Traditionally speakers of Low Dietsch, Ripuarian, and Moselle Franconianvarieties, the local population numbers 77,949 – about 7.0% of Liège Province and about 0… What Are The Major Natural Resources Of Belgium? This was a disadvantage for communities in the north that did not speak French. Practicality plays a huge part in that decision. 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. Today, the older generation speaks this language; younger generation has not learned it fluently. 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. This language freedom is embedded in the Constitution. What Are The Biggest Industries In Belgium? Brussels is the third most important administrative unit of Belgium. Close to 60% of the country's population speaks Dutch as their primary language. Brexit will have no impact on what language Irish or … Governments must provide their citizens with versions of every legal and administrative document in each of the official languages. It is still spoken in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Like any other country, Belgium also has official languages. These are Official Languages: French, Dutch and German.Wallon, the local variant of French, is used by 33% of population. What Type Of Government Does Belgium Have? The municipalities are grouped into two cantons, namely the Canton of Eupen in the north and the Canton of Sankt Vith in the south. Between 1815 and 1830, that what would become Belgium was part of the United Netherlands. Luxembourgish in the eastern province of Luxembourg, although it has been largely replaced by Belgian French. In 1962, this legislation was further clarified by defining the language to be used in each municipality. 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 . History, language and culture in Belgium - World Travel Guide 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. Bilingual education was introduced in 1883. However, when Belgium became part of the Burgundy duchy, French became the language of the ruling classes, which then penetrated into the lower classes. 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. 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. One of the official languages of Belgium is German, which has the third largest German-speaking population outside of Germany. You probably know some examples of francophone belgicisms. 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. 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. One of the proponents of full regional autonomy for the German-speaking Community is Karl-Heinz Lambertz, the minister-president from 1999 to 2014. 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. Article 4 divid… This video is all about the languages of Belgium, and the fascinating linguistic situation in the country. [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 have brought with them their customs as well as their languages, contributing to a changing landscape in the country. It is neither a part of Flanders nor Wallonia, although the vast majority of locals speak French. 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]. Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, German, and French. German is also an official language in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The various Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium contain a number of lexical and a good amount of grammatical features … The national flag of Belgium was adopted in 1931. [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 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.

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