Languages of Holland

Dutch is the National language of Holland. However, English is spoken by almost everyone. The Dutch speak German and French as well. Dutch is the mother tongue of the the Dutch people as well as Flemish people. The Flemish people are Dutch speaking nationals of Belgium. Dutch is used in schools and in government institutions.

 Dutch is the mother language of more than 22 million people in Netherlands and in Belgium. In Northwest France, around 60 000 speak a Dutch dialect. Dutch language is very influential as it has influenced other languages especially in shipping, waterworks and agriculture. Even in Indonesia, some lawyers and historians speak Dutch due to the historical ties in the past. Dutch was even the basis for Afrikaans which is the language spoken in South Africa. There are a few minor languages spoken in the Netherlands such as Turkish and Arabian. In fact, in around 250 universities, Dutch is taught and in many European countries like Belgium, France and Germany, pupils chose Dutch as their second language.

In the province of Friesland, they speak a separate language. Frisian is spoken and is the first language by 2.2% or 350 000 of the population of  Northern Netherlands, Friesland which is recognised as their official language. It is somewhat similar to English and the Scandinavian languages. However Dutch is used in schools in Friesland.

Books used:

Bedford N & Sellars S. (2007) Lonely Planet. The Netherlands.

Janin H & Eil R. (2003) Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company. Culture shock Netherlands