In early times, the Dutch language as such did not exist, instead there were various Low German dialects spoken in the region. Around 1600, a unified language was created from these to make the first Dutch bible translation, consisting of elements from various dialects, but mostly based on the dialects from Holland, and this point can be taken as the starting point of Dutch as a language. Dutch is spoken in the Netherlands, the northern half of Belgium (called Flanders), the north-western corner of France, Suriname in South-America, and in Indonesia, the latter two both former Dutch colonies. In Suriname it is still the main language for official functions and in education. Flemish is the collective term used for the Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium; it is not a separate language. Afrikaans, a language spoken in South Africa, is derived from Dutch. The standard language spoken in both the Netherlands and Flemish Belgium is called [Algemeen Nederlands]?. Of all major languages, Dutch is the one that is closest to English, however, the less-known Frisian language is even closer to English (although still much closer to Dutch).
Dutch has more French loanwords than German, but fewer than English.
The Phonemes of the Dutch language:
Plosive?s
/p, b/
/t, d/
/k/ [g] [g]is not a phoneme of Dutch and appears only in foreign words
/f, v/ /v/ fell together with /f/ for many speakers
/s, z/ /z/ fell together with /s/ for many speakers
/x, G/ /G/ fell together with /x/ for many speakers
/h/
/S, Z/ /Z/ only in foreign words. Some scholars interpret /S/ [s_j] as an allophone of /s/ + /j/
Semi-vowel?s
/j/
/w/ (actually, /w/ is most often released as an approximant)
Liquida
/l/
/r/
/m/
/n/
/N/
Back vowels
/A/ /Y/ /O/
Mid (central) vowels
/@/ Schwa: e in kunnen /kYn@/ /Y/ u in kunnen
Front vowels
/a/ maken /E/ best /e/ neer often pronounced as a diphthong) /2/ keuken (often pronounced as a diphthong) /I/ minst /i/ klieven /y/ Ruud
Diphthong?s
/EI/ jij, intimiteit /@Y/ huis /Aw?/ vrouw
Many Dutch words have been derived from English, especially since the twentieth century. The reverse is much less common, but Dutch origins can be found in the following English words (although some might have been derived from related Low German words instead):
| English | Dutch | meaning (if different) |
|---|---|---|
| ahoy | hoi | hello |
| to bluff | bluffen | to brag |
| boom | boom | or. tree |
| boss | baas | |
| brandy | brandewijn | lit. burn wine |
| bundle | bundel | |
| buoy | boei | or. something to bind to: boeien-to shackle |
| to cackle | kakelen | |
| coleslaw | koolsla | lit. cabbage salad |
| cookie | koekje | |
| cruise | kruisen | to make a cross |
| deck | dek | |
| dock | dok | |
| to drill | drillen | |
| dyke | dijk | |
| easel | ezel | or. donkey |
| to etch | etsen | |
| freebooter | vrijbuiter | |
| freight | vracht | |
| frolic | vrolijk | cheerful, gay |
| fuck | fokken | to breed |
| furlough | verlof | or. permission |
| gas | gas | Neologism from Huygens, derived from the Greek "Kaos" |
| to grab | grijpen | to seize, to grasp, to snatch |
| guild | gilde | |
| halibot | heilbot | lit. holy flounder |
| to hoist | hijsen | |
| holster | holster | |
| Hottentot | Hottentot | |
| keel | kiel | |
| to keelhaul | kielhalen | lit. to haul keel |
| knapsack | knapzak | lit. snapping bag |
| landscape | landschap | lit. landship |
| leak | lek | |
| lottery | loterij | |
| maelstrom | maalstroom | lit. milling stream |
| manikin | manneken | lit. little man |
| measles | mazelen | |
| morass | moeras | |
| offal | afval | lit. "that which falls off" |
| pump | pomp | |
| quack | kwakzalver | lit. someone who daubs ointments |
| roster | rooster | schedule, or. grating |
| to rove | roven | to rob |
| rucksack | rugzak | |
| Santa Claus | Sinterklaas | Saint Nicholas |
| scow | schouw | |
| skate, to skate | schaats, schaatsen | |
| sketch | schets | |
| skipper | schipper | lit. shipper |
| sled, sledge, sleigh | slede, slee | |
| sloop | sloep | |
| to slurp | slurpen | |
| smack | smak | |
| to smelt | smelten | to melt |
| to smuggle | smokkelen | |
| to snoop | snoepen | to (furtively) eat candy |
| snuff | snuiftabak | lit. sniff tobacco |
| splinter | splinter | |
| to split | splijten | |
| spook | spook | ghost |
| to stoke | stoken | to rake |
| stoop | stoep | pavement |
| stove | stoof | |
| waffle | wafel | |
| wagon | wagen | cart, carriage, wagon |
| yacht | jacht | or. hunt |
| yankee | Jan Kees | Personal name, originally used mockingly to describe pro-(french)revolutionary citizens, with allusion to the small "Kees" dog, then for "colonials" in New Amsterdam) |
lit.: the literal meaning of the Dutch word (the actual meaning is similar to the English one)
or.: the word originally had the meaning specified, but is in Dutch also used with the same meaning as in English
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