Letteren

Letteren is a term used in Dutch-speaking contexts to denote the humanities, with an emphasis on language, literature, and culture. It refers to disciplines that study written texts, their meanings, and their contexts, as well as the languages and communications that underlie them. In practice, letteren encompasses a range of fields including literary studies, philology, linguistics, translation studies, and cultural or media studies. The scope can cover historical and contemporary texts, from classical literature to modern media, and may include analysis of genre, style, discourse, and reception.

Disciplines and methods within letteren typically combine close reading and interpretive analysis with linguistic description and historical inquiry. Literary studies investigates works of fiction, poetry, drama, and narrative across languages and periods. Linguistics examines sound systems, grammar, meaning, sociolinguistic variation, and language change. Philology often links language with historical texts and manuscript culture, while translation studies looks at processes of rendering meaning between languages. Cultural studies and related areas explore the broader social and cultural implications of texts and media. In some universities, digital humanities methods are integrated to study literary and linguistic data at scale.

Historically, letteren has been a distinct faculty or department in Dutch-speaking universities; many institutions now organize these activities under broader terms such as geesteswetenschappen (humanities). The interest remains in critical reading, textual analysis, and understanding language and culture within society.