Flemish dialects

Flemish (Vlaams [vlaːms] ⓘ)[2][3][4] is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language.

As is also the case in the Netherlands, the pronunciation of Standard Dutch is affected by the native dialect of the speaker.

The supra-regional, semi-standardized colloquial form (mesolect) of Dutch spoken in Belgium uses the vocabulary and the sound inventory of the Brabantic dialects.

It is a rather informal variety of speech, which occupies an intermediate position between vernacular dialects and the standard language.

It incorporates phonetic, lexical and grammatical elements not part of the standard language but drawn from local dialects.

It is slowly being accepted by the general population, but it has met with objections from writers and academics who argue that it dilutes the usage of Standard Dutch.

[22] Tussentaal is used in entertainment television but rarely in informative programmes (like the news), which normally use Flemish accents with standard Dutch vocabulary.

The English adjective Flemish (first attested as flemmysshe, c. 1325;[24] compare Flæming, c. 1150),[25] meaning "from Flanders", was probably borrowed from Old Frisian.