East Flemish

[4] Before the occurrence of written records, the dialect continuum that took shape in the Old Dutch language area was characterised mainly by differences from east to west, with the east showing more continental Germanic traits and the west having more coastal Germanic features.

[4] In East Flanders, it can be noted that not a single typical eastern Low Franconian trait has reached the region, but coastal characteristics are fairly common, albeit less so than more to the west.

As the Scheldt delta formed a large barrier in the north, those traits were introduced mainly from South Brabant, particularly the city of Brussels.

[4] Having been dominated by the French, the Austrians and the Spanish, their languages have been other influences on the vocabulary of East Flemish.

[2][11] Notes: The following table shows the common diphthong phonemes in East Flemish, but it also includes some allophones or alternative realisations of the vowels mentioned above.

[2] Notes: As in many other southern Dutch dialects, verbal constructions can take several forms, depending on stress, the position of the subject and the next word.