Dutchlanguage

Dutch language, or Nederlands, is a West Germanic language spoken primarily in the Netherlands and the Flemish Region of Belgium, with smaller communities in Suriname, Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and elsewhere in the Caribbean and Europe. It has about 23 million native speakers and several million more who use it as a second language, for an overall global speaker base in the vicinity of 28–30 million. It is part of the Low Franconian group within the West Germanic branch and is closely related to Afrikaans, which evolved from Dutch in southern Africa.

Historically, Dutch developed from Old Dutch (roughly 6th to 11th centuries) through Middle Dutch (12th–15th centuries) to Modern Dutch from the 16th century onward. The standard written form, Algemeen Nederlands, emerged in the early modern period, with further standardization during the 19th and 20th centuries. Dutch spelling and grammar reflect influence from both the Netherlands and Belgium, yielding a shared written standard alongside regional varieties.

Geographically, Dutch is an official language in the Netherlands and in the Flemish Community and Region of Belgium. It is also used in government, education, media, and public life in these areas. In addition to standard Dutch, numerous regional dialects and varieties exist, such as Hollandic, Brabantian, Limburgish, West Flemish, and East Flemish. Afrikaans, spoken in South Africa and Namibia, is a closely related language descended from Dutch.

The Dutch writing system uses the Latin alphabet. Dutch vocabulary includes borrowings from French, German, and English, with contemporary Dutch incorporating many loanwords from global media. The language is taught as a foreign language in many countries and remains a central element of Dutch-language literature, media, and culture.