Nederlandstaligen

Nederlandstaligen is a term used in Dutch-language contexts to denote people who speak Dutch as their native language or as the primary language used in daily life. It refers to the Dutch-speaking community and can include native speakers as well as bilinguals who regularly use Dutch and identify with Dutch-language culture.

Geographically, Nederlandstaligen are concentrated in the Netherlands, where Dutch is the national language, and in the Dutch-speaking parts of Belgium (the Flemish Community, including Flanders and the Dutch-speaking institutions of Brussels). Dutch is also an official language in the Caribbean, where it is used in Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba). In Suriname Dutch is the official language and widely used in government, media and education, although many residents speak other native languages at home.

Language and variation: The Dutch spoken by Nederlandstaligen encompasses Standard Dutch as used in media and education as well as regional varieties such as Vlaams (Flemish), Brabantian and Limburgish. Differences in pronunciation, vocabulary and spelling reflect local identities while maintaining mutual intelligibility within the Dutch-language sphere.

Identity and usage: The term is primarily linguistic and sociocultural rather than an ethnic label. It is used in demographic statistics, language policy, education and media to describe the share of the population for whom Dutch is a primary language. It also highlights the cross-border and international character of the Dutch-language community.