Flemish is an alternative name for Dutch in Belgium. Flemish/Dutch is one of Belgium's three official languages, the other two being French and German. It is spoken by approximately 6 million people in the northern half of Belgium.
As a variation of Dutch, Flemish uses a version of the Latin alphabet, the same alphabet used by English. Flemish letters will therefore look familiar to English speakers, although not all of them are pronounced exactly like their English counterparts.
Flemish speakers tend to have a softer accent than Dutch speakers in the Netherlands. In some cases, the differences in accent may be strong enough to make it difficult for certain Dutch and Flemish speakers to understand one another if they are speaking casually. There is less difference in formal speech, and the written forms of Dutch and Flemish do not differ.
Most Flemish vocabulary is the same as Standard Dutch. However, Flemish does have some unique words and idioms. Because Dutch, and therefore Flemish, are Germanic languages, they are related to English. An English speaker may therefore recognize certain cognate words that look similar in Flemish and English. Flemish grammar also matches that of Dutch.
Regular practice is important to learn to speak Flemish well. That's why good
Flemish software programs can be so useful. It's easier than ever to learn Flemish and to begin to speak Flemish with the language resources and Flemish language software from Transparent Language, such as
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