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East Flemish

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Languages

   This article is a part of

   the Dutch dialects series.
   The Dialects
   Brabantian
   Hollandic
   West Flemish
   Zealandic
   East Flemish
   Zuid-Gelders
   Dutch Low Saxon
   Limburgish
   Position of Flemish/Zealandic within the Dutch speaking area
   Enlarge
   Position of Flemish/Zealandic within the Dutch speaking area

   East Flemish is a group of dialects of the Dutch language, which is a
   Low Franconian language. It is spoken in the province of East Flanders
   in Belgium, but also spoken in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen in the Netherlands.

   The French, Austrians and Spaniards have had influence on the
   vocabulary of East Flemish. Being a group of dialects rather than a
   clearly recognisable dialect with regional varieties such as West
   Flemish, the dialects spoken in the municipalities bordering West
   Flanders differ greatly from those spoken in the municipalities
   bordering Antwerp, which often leads to speakers of these dialects
   believing the other person to be from that neighbouring province. This
   great variation is caused by the so-called 'Brabantic Expansion', the
   ever-increasing influence of Brabantic diphthongs, vocabulary and
   pronunciation that has been steadily changing the dialects of Flanders
   both east- and westward, and made the dialects of East Flanders
   different from those in West Flanders. It is believed that before this
   expansion, East and West Flanders roughly shared the same dialect.

   The dialect of the province's capital, Ghent, is also different from
   the language of the surrounding region. Popular myth has the people
   from Ghent purposely altered their way of speaking because they
   believed themselves to be superior to the surrounding rural areas.
   Ghent is especially known for its uvular r and long vowels. Its dialect
   is often misrepresented as being typical for East Flemish dialects,
   while it is actually quite atypical.
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