Aanhalingsteken

Aanhalingsteken is the Dutch word for quotation mark. It refers to punctuation marks used to enclose direct speech, quotations, or titles. There are two primary types: opening and closing quotation marks. In Dutch, the standard quotation marks used are the "laag-hoog" or "dubbele puntjes" style, which are two commas placed low and high, resembling the English opening quotation mark followed by the closing quotation mark: „...”. Sometimes, especially in informal writing or when using keyboards that don't easily support these, the English style of straight double quotation marks ("...") or single quotation marks ('...') may also be encountered.

The primary function of aanhalingstekens is to distinguish spoken words or quoted material from the surrounding text. They indicate where a quotation begins and ends. For example, in a sentence like "Hij zei: „Ik kom zo.”", the aanhalingstekens clearly mark the words spoken by "hij". They are also used to set off titles of books, films, or articles within a sentence, although italics are often preferred for this purpose in more formal contexts. Misuse or omission of aanhalingstekens can lead to ambiguity and misinterpretation of the text.