The Flemish dialects are the regional dialects of Dutch that are spoken in Flanders (Belgium). They should not be confused with Dutch itself. On the other hand, these dialects belong to a continuum of dialects together with Germanic dialects spoken in The Netherlands and Germany, and cannot be absolutely distinguished from these. Their grouping here is thus mostly for convenience. A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. ... This article is about the Belgian region Flanders and the eponymous historical region of the Low Countries. ... It has been suggested that language continuum be merged into this article or section. ... The Netherlands (Dutch: Nederland) is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden). ...

Dutch

It is a common misunderstanding to confuse these dialects with the official language of Flanders which is the Dutch standard language (Algemeen Nederlands). A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. ...

The Dutch language as spoken in Flanders is not a separate language from Dutch, but there are some distinct differences in vocabulary and pronunciation, similar to that between British and American English (or perhaps between English in England and English in Scotland). On the other hand, the Flemish speaking people use exactly the same grammar and orthography as the Dutch. The term Flemish is thus usually used to distinguish the Dutch spoken in Flanders from that of the Netherlands. A vocabulary is a set of words known to a person or other entity, or that are part of a specific language. ... Pronunciation refers to: the way a word or a language is usually spoken; the manner in which someone utters a word. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Selected languages and dialects of the British Isles. ... Diagram showing the geographical locations of selected languages and dialects of the British Isles. ... Grammar is the discovery, enunciation, and study of rules governing the use of language. ... The orthography of a language is the set of rules of how to write correctly in the writing system of a language. ... This article is about the Belgian region Flanders and the eponymous historical region of the Low Countries. ...

The difference between Dutch and the Flemish dialects is much more significant.

Relation between the Flemish dialects and Dutch

The Germanic dialects spoken in Belgium do not originally form a unified dialect group distinct from those spoken in The Netherlands.

They are divided in West Flemish, East Flemish, Brabantic and Limburgian. All of these groups are also spoken in the adjoining areas in The Netherlands. There are over four million people living in these areas. On the level of dialects, the national border between Belgium and The Netherlands is thus not a language boundary. West Flemish (in West Flemish, Vlaemsch) is a group of dialects, spoken in parts of the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. ... East Flemish is a dialect of the Dutch language, which is a Low Franconian language. ... Brabantian is a dialect of the Dutch language spoken in Noord-Brabant and in the Belgian provinces of Antwerpen and Vlaams-Brabant. ... Limburgian (Dutch: Limburgs, German: Limburgisch, French: Limbourgeois) is a group of Franconian varieties, spoken in the Limburg and Selfkant regions, near the common Dutch/Flemish(Belgium)/German border. ...

Of the six million people in Belgium who speak Dutch, only a minority uses Flemish dialects. The largest group consists of Brabantic dialect speakers, a second reason why the use of the generic "Flemish" could be seen as inaccurate, except when referring to the standard Dutch spoken in Flanders, which still differs slightly in vocabulary, idiom and especially intonation from that of The Netherlands. Also, while not official, the totality of the Flemish dialects are often referred to as "Flemish" ("Vlaams") by the populace.

The Dutch standard language originated in these areas of Belgium. As it is mainly Brabantic in origin and reflects the dialects spoken by a majority of the Belgian speakers of Dutch, the distinction is primarily made by Flemings as a means of elevating national pride or for political reasons, or as an unofficial generalisation referring to their spoken language by the populace. There remains, however, a difference between the Dutch spoken by Flemish television news readers, and that of their Dutch colleagues. The differences between Flanders and the Netherlands in cultural aspects, however, are more substantial.