blijkens

Blijkens is a Dutch preposition used chiefly in formal writing to indicate that information is derived from or supported by a source. In English, it is typically rendered as “according to,” “as shown by,” or “as evidenced by.” The word is commonly found in legal documents, official reports, and journalistic prose to attribute statements to a source without repeating it in full.

Etymology and meaning. Blijkens comes from the verb blijken, meaning to appear or to seem, combined with a suffix that marks a prepositional phrase. The construction signals that a claim rests on a specified source or piece of evidence. It is considered relatively formal and is less frequent in everyday spoken Dutch.

Usage and syntax. Blijkens usually precedes the source material or clause it refers to. It often appears in the main clause of a sentence and is followed by the source phrase, such as a report, statement, or document. Because of its formal tone, it is most common in official texts, scholarly writing, and news reports that require precise attribution.

Examples.

- Blijkens het rapport is de werkloosheid dit kwartaal gedaald. (According to the report, unemployment has fallen this quarter.)

- Blijkens de verklaring van de inspectie voldoet het apparaat aan de veiligheidsnormen. (According to the inspectorate’s statement, the device complies with safety standards.)

- Blijkens de notulen verliep de vergadering vlot. (As evidenced by the minutes, the meeting proceeded smoothly.)

See also. Related terms include blijken (the verb), volgens (according to), and naar aanleiding van (on the basis of).

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