Five Fascinating Facts About the Dutch Language

The language of the Netherlands is uniquely fascinating and Dutch translation services for business have never been in greater demand. A truly global language spoken by no less than 15 million people, Dutch is the native language of Holland, the Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean Sea and Surinam in South America.

Five Fascinating Facts About the Dutch Language

So for those interested in Dutch translation services for any purpose, here’s a quick rundown of five fascinating facts about the language of the Netherlands:

  1. Along with being the native language of the Netherlands, Dutch is also the most widely-spoken language in Belgium. In fact, approximately 60% of the population of Belgium considers Dutch to be its first language, though in Belgium they refer to it as Flemish.
  2. Much of the Dutch language we know today owes its origins to a wide variety of French influences and imitations. Back in the 19th and early 20th centuries, French was seen by many as one of the most upper-class and distinctive languages in the world, prompting the Dutch to pick up a great many French linguistic traits and accents. These days however, it is English that is becoming a more integral part of the Dutch language.
  3. The confusion between ‘Dutch’ and ‘Deutsch’ often (very nearly) causes problems when translation services are ordered. Many people across the world believe them to be the same thing, or get their meanings the opposite way around. While Deutsch is the German word for its own language, Dutch is the English word for the language of the Netherlands.
  4. The origins of the Dutch language date back to the 12th century, at which time a love poem was written which is thought to be the first in history to feature words from the Dutch language.
  5. Last but not least, Dutch words can come across as tricky to pronounce by foreigners – especially some of the longer words. Try ‘Meervoudigepersoonlijkheidsstoornis’ for example, which is the Dutch term for multiple personality disorder.

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