Language Conflict in BelgiumThe Flemings and the Walloons

Mariah Black, Heather Koening, Lana Rahal, Christopher Romanoski

Language in Society

5 December 2011

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

Nelson Mandela

History

•Romans

•After the Romans

•After Napolean

•Belgium

Romans

•52 BC: Gaius Iulius Caesar invaded The Romans beat the Gallic tribe the Belgae. It is from here that the name ‘Belgium’ is derived.

• “Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae”

After the Romans

Merovingian Kingdom Carolingian Empire Treaty of Verdun (843 AD), independence and being vassals of either France or the Holy Roman Empire.

14-15th century under the control of the Burgundians.

1585 fell under Spanish control

Austrian Hapsburgs• Brabant Revolution

After NapoleanThe United Kingdom of

the Netherlands(1815) was roughly the Northern plus the Southern Netherlands.

The Belgian Revolution.

The independent Kingdom of Belgium: 21st of July 1831

BelgiumBelgium was a

constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. 

Three main rifts:1. Socio-economic2. Religious3. Communitarian*

Crises

Language Border 1962- ‘63

Leuven/Louvain 1966 – ‘68

Historical government legislation

• In 1830, the Constitution was drawn up completely in French.

• In 1898, a law of “Linguistic Equality” was drawn up to put Dutch on equal grounds with French.

•1932—Law that established 4 regions: French Wallonia, Dutch Flanders, Bilingual Brussels, and minor German areas.

Modern Day Legislation

•1980—Parliamentary reforms allow semi-autonomy to Flanders and Wallonia.

•1993—Belgium becomes a Federal State, which means more power.

World Record and Statistics

•June 2010—federal government fell

•1987—The government collapsed for a shorter period of time

•60% Flemish, 40% Walloon, Less than 1% German (All Official)

•Ethnic divisions: 58% Fleming, 31% Walloon, 11% other.

Public Opinion

• Definition of a Walloon is increasingly geographical; actual Walloon speakers are fewer and fewer

• Obvious differences when crossing between territories

• All signs change; bilingual signs are vandalized

• Both Flemish and Walloon want to be the dominant one in government control

• Brussels is now at the center of conflict, where the majority speak French

• As life progresses, French speakers move to suburban areas that are majorly Flemish

• Wallonia has twice the unemployment rate of the north and is more economically depressed

• Separatism is now a more mainstream idea for the Flemish, rather than an extremist stance

• French-speaking cable television and French film festival expand the conflict

 

•Originally (1830), only one official language was provided for (French)

•French is considered a prestigious language and "the language of reason and civilization", with a higher world standing than Dutch and Dutch dialects

•The native language majority was, however, a dialect of Dutch

•Dutch was not allowed for use in education or use in court until the 1880s

•When Brussels was declared bilingual, the law also specified that language boundary should change every 10 years, according to language censuses. This caused the Flemish to lose their territory

•There are more Dutch speakers who understand French than French speakers who understand Dutch

•Both groups are made to feel like minorities: French territory is greater in percentage, though Dutch speakers are greater in number

•Some feel that Flemish is the actual language of Belgium and French is a foreign importation

•Flemish fear being overruled by French speakers; French fear forced bilingualism

•Lack of national pride in Belgium

"Long Live Belgium," urges Flemings and Walloons to live together with “a single passion and a single dream” in “one big union”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIDTKCBvmnU&feature=player_embedded

Questions?

Resources

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/be.htmlhttp://www.efnil.org/documents/language-legislation-version-2007/belgium/belgiumhttp://history.howstuffworks.com/european-history/history-of-belgium.htmhttp://jpn.proz.com/translation-articles/articles/1250/1/The-Linguistic-Conflict-in-Belgium

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30D12FD3B5A16738DDDA90B94D9415B828CF1D3

http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/BelgCul2.htmlhttp://arthurbarbe.wordpress.com/2011/10/30/on-belgium-13-a-short-history/http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/09/belgium-flanders-wallonia-french-dutch http://static.unilang.org/babelbabble/index.php?n=20&t=7