The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-23
FLEMISH NOT A LANGUAGE.
Only n Corrupt Form of DnteI
spoken In Flanders.

(Fronl the London Nail
The question whether Flemish or French
shalt the prevailing language In Bel
GUM is a matter that is regarded quito
seriously there.
IL cannot be agreed, even in Belgium.
whether or not Flemish is a Language.
Some of the leading authorities, among
whom are prominent Flemings. declare
that Flemish is nothing but a corrupr
form OF Dutch. a dialect spoken In Elan
ders, Just as the tongue OF Yorkshire Is
an English dialect, or any patois a cor
Fuption of the language of the country
where it is spoken. The theory that Flem-
ish is corruption of Dutch Is consistent
with the history of the country and its
people. and. above all. its literature.
The grammar OF the Flemish language
is the Dutch grammar. the dictionary is
the Dutch dictionary, and yet the radical
Flemish faction has been clamoring In
the Senate and Chamber for years to have
Flemish made .is official language OF Bel
GUM, when not one-haif Of the inhabi-
tants OF the country understand it,
AT present all laws. official rules, regu-
lattons and DEGREES are printed liz both
languages. and in court a Fleming can
insist on being heard In Fleming IL he so
desires.
Three languages. or rather one language
n.
ish, and Walioon-are spoken in Belgium
Flemish is confined to the north OF the
country. including all Flanders: walloon
prevails In the south. while French Is the
| Official language and commercial language
and the language of choice among all the
weli-educated classes and is spoken
throughout the country generally.
1t is said on good authority that the
purest French is to be heard at Liege- In
fact, the French spoken there Is far SUI
perior to that of Paris. and anyone who
has resided In the two cities will recos-
nize this fact at once:
There Is no doubt that the language of
Flanders was formerly identical with the
Dutch. but that after the separation of
Flanders from the Netherlands the Ian
guage degenerated, until now the Flem-
ings. no longer being accustomed to pure
Dutch, wish to raise the dignity OF their
dialect by calling it a language.
Holland has a literature of It's own.
There are Dutch poets novelists and his
torians. whose works have been trans
lated into nearly every European tongue.
Flanders. until fifty years ago. had
neither poet, novelist nor historian, and
1t was only as recently as 1887 that Hen
Dirk Conscience began to write for the
people of Flanders. He wrote we'll and was
talented, though he wrote in the Flemish
tongue. in order that peope might read.
for the Dutch of Flanders had become SO
corrupt that the Flemings were unable TO
read their mother tongue and so had no
literature for themselves.
Others followed in the wake Of Con-
science, but even now the Flemings can
boast of but few litterateurs OF merit and
can show but a very small library of
Flemish works
This. however. is not to be greatly re-
GREETED for the language possesses no
beauty. no purity. no richness. and the
Flemish Of Client, Antwerp and Brussels
lacks all refinement of tone. resembling
some low, vulgar jargon. grating pain
fully on the ear whether spoken by an I'M
lettered or an educated person
The language of the London coster-
monger or the Broadway tough" is as
music compared with Antwerp Flemish,
or the dialect spoken by the lower glass;
es of Brussels.
This. then. is one of the questions that
is dividing the nation into hustiie, Bit
ter clans. and the folly of the project can
be the better understood when it is real-
lied that nowhere on the civilized globe
is Flemish 5pheu beyond the little cor
ner of Europe known as Belgium, and
THAT eyen hereSsot half the people can
I speak it. The desire of the Flemish pol
| iticians 10 have their jargon made the
| language of the country is nothing but
| a political ss&ratagem for gaining the ia
| vor of the Flemish speaking people.