Dutch is spoken not only in the Netherlands, but it is also the official language of Flanders, the neighbouring northern provinces of Belgium. Worldwide, Dutch is a national language in Suriname (South America), Aruba and the Dutch Antilles (Caribbean). In total Dutch has 23 million mother tongue speakers.
Most of the people who speak Dutch (about 17 million) live in the Netherlands. The Dutch language is a West Germanic language that is spoken by around 23 million people as a first language, and about 5 million people as their second language.
Outspoken And Straightforward. When it comes to communication, the Dutch are known for being direct, blunt, and no-nonsense kind of people. This is on point, and the Dutch society even has a term for it, ' bespreekbaarheid', meaning “speakability”. They believe that there is no sense in talking around in circles.
Ethnically, about 79-80% of the total population is Dutch, which itself is a mixture of Germanic and Celtic lineages. One group of the Dutch, the Frisians, are both ethnically distinct and also often lumped into the Dutch ethnicity thanks to cultural and historic similarities.
The Germans don't speak Dutch. They cannot speak this language until they learn it. English is a popular foreign language in Germany. The three Germanic languages English, German, and Dutch have a lot in common.
Although they both derive from Germanic languages, Danish and Dutch are two very distinct languages. Being a North Germanic language, Danish has much more in common with the other Scandinavian languages, such as Swedish, Norwegian and Icelandic. Dutch, meanwhile, is closer to German, Flemish, Gaelic and English.
Afrikaans and English are the only Indo-European languages among the many official languages of South Africa. Although Afrikaans is very similar to Dutch, it is clearly a separate language, differing from Standard Dutch in its sound system and its loss of case and gender distinctions.
The majority of Belgians, however, belong to two distinct linguistic groups or communities (Dutch: gemeenschap; French: communauté) native to the country, i.e. its historical regions: Flemings in Flanders, who speak Dutch; and Walloons in Wallonia, who speak French or Walloon.
Dutch people are usually very open, friendly and welcoming. In the Netherlands, only parents and children live together. In general, they do not live with grandparents, aunts, and uncles. During meals, Dutch families usually share their adventures of the day.
The Old English cousin to Dutch, thiod or theod, simply meant “people or nation.” (This also helps explain why Germany is called Deutschland in German.) Over time, English-speaking people used the word Dutch to describe people from both the Netherlands and Germany, and now just the Netherlands today.
Are the Dutch considered Scandinavian? While Dutch people have several similar character traits to Scandinavians, they are not considered Scandinavian. Instead, they are their own ethnic group. Although the Dutch are not considered Scandinavian, both are included when discussing Germanic ethnicities.
Dutch women have significantly longer and broader faces compared with UK women; their palpebral fissure and nasal widths are significantly greater, their nasal ridge length and upper face proportion are significantly reduced; and their nares are significantly more anteverted.
If you want to say hi in Dutch, you would simply say “hoi”. The more formal hello is “hallo”. Regional varieties of “hi” include “heuj”, “alo” and “huijj” but sticking to “hoi” or “hallo” is generally all you need.
the dutch language is known for long compound words.
That's 53 letters! When translating between English and Dutch, documents may need to redesigned to accommodate these long compound words. Also, text tends to expand when translated from English into Dutch, sometimes as much as 35%.
Dutch culture values industriousness, social responsibility, democratic principles, education, and tolerance. They believe everyone has a voice—and they will share their opinion. (They will expect you to do the same.) The Dutch have a universally powerful sense of community and the environment.
From the windmills of Kinderdijk to the tulips of the Keukenhof, the Dutch are especially proud of their iconic landmarks and attractions. This pride is also found in the modern achievements of the country, such as their entrepreneurial spirit and progressive social policies.
There are currently two main religions prominent in Dutch society: Roman Catholic and Protestant. The Roman Catholics make up approximately 25% of the Dutch population, and Protestants make up approximately 15%. Minor Religions. Muslims make up 5% of the population.
Dutch is very similar to German, especially with regards to vocabulary, but the grammar is very different. It could be argued that Dutch has developed further and has become more simplified. The difference between the two languages is very clear when you look at the four cases.
Are Dutch people from Holland or the Netherlands? Because Holland isn't the name of the country, Dutch people are from the Netherlands. However, it's possible that you meet a Dutchie who is from Holland, but in this case, it would just mean that they're from either the province of North or South Holland.
Although Dutch is considered an easy language for English speakers to learn, it still requires hard work and dedication to reach a proficient level. Using the right way to study can be beneficial and keep you motivated to learn. But with so many options out there, finding the best way to study can be time-consuming.
The world's youngest language, coming in at only 100 years old (officially), is the South African language of Afrikaans. Surprised? Afrikaans, the natively spoken language of 7 million South Africans, was born from the white Dutch, French, and German colonizers in South Africa in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Research suggests that mutual intelligibility between Dutch and Afrikaans is better than between Dutch and Frisian or between Danish and Swedish. Mutual intelligibility tends to be asymmetrical, as it is easier for Dutch speakers to understand Afrikaans than for Afrikaans speakers to understand Dutch.