Oudnederlands

Oudnederlands, or Old Dutch, designates the earliest stage of the Dutch language as it developed in the western Low Countries during the early to high Middle Ages. The period is generally dated from around the 6th to the 12th centuries, with the oldest surviving written evidence appearing in the 9th century. The language emerged from West Germanic dialects spoken by Frankish and related communities in what is now the Netherlands and parts of northern Belgium, forming a continuum of regional varieties rather than a single standardized form.

Linguistically, Oudnederlands shows features typical of early West Germanic languages, including a system of noun inflection in the process of simplification, a verb system with distinctions between strong and weak verbs, and a lexicon influenced by contact with neighboring languages such as Old Frisian and Old Saxon. The writing system was Latin-based, introduced through Christian biblical and administrative contact, and the evidence for Oudnederlands consists mainly of glosses, religious texts, legal documents, and a small amount of secular literature.

Notable sources for Oudnederlands include the Wachtendonck Glosses, a set of 9th- or 10th-century Dutch glosses in Latin manuscripts, and later 12th–13th-century religious and legal writings. These texts are instrumental for understanding the early stages of Dutch phonology, morphology, and vocabulary.

The study of Oudnederlands illuminates the transition from medieval West Germanic dialects to Middelnederlands (Middle Dutch) and, ultimately, Modern Dutch. It provides essential insights into the origins of Dutch spelling conventions, core vocabulary, and regional variation that persisted into later centuries.