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Netherlandic
Low Frankish, Low Franconian
Geographic distribution	Netherlands, northern Belgium, northern France, western Germany, Suriname, Netherlands Antilles, Aruba, Namibia and South Africa
Linguistic classification	Indo-European Germanic West Germanic Istvaeonic Netherlandic
Proto-language	Frankish
Subdivisions	Dutch Limburgish Meuse-Rhenish Zeelandic Afrikaans West Flemish East Flemish Brabantian Hollandic
Language codes
Netherlandic dialects in Europe (Dutch, as standard language spoken in the whole of the Netherlands and Belgium is not indicated on this map):

The term Netherlandic, also called Low Franconian or Low Frankish, refers to several, closely related, West Germanic dialects spoken in the Netherlands, northern Belgium (Flanders), in the Nord department of France, in westernmost Germany (Lower Rhine), as well as in Suriname, South Africa and Namibia that originally descended from Old Dutch, and, by extension, Frankish.

Nomenclature and definition

In modern linguistic discourse, the terms Netherlandic and Low Frankish / Low Franconian are synonymous. Low Frankish can be considered to be the traditional term, deriving from the 19th century tradition of naming and associating West Germanic dialects with various ancient Germanic tribes and the medieval stem duchies of Western and Central Europe. The word "low" signifies that the dialects in question did not participate in the Second Germanic consonant shift, as opposed to the "high" dialects that have and the "middle" forms, that partially incorporate its features. Though still in common use, the term has been criticized for the controversial relatedness it implies to other dialects called Franconian, it not being an autonym by which Netherlandic-speakers self-identify as well as being undescriptive to casual readers. In more modern literature, the term Low Frankish is occasionally used to specifically refer to dialects spoken in the Lower Rhine region of Germany, as opposed to the dialectal grouping as a whole, or as the name for a, minutely attested, theoretical intermediary stage between the unattested Germanic dialects spoken in the Rhine delta and Old Dutch as spoken following the 8th century.

Netherlandic has its origins in the Dutch autonym (Template:Lang-nl, Template:Lang-de, Template:Lang-fr) and, while it includes the Dutch language itself, is not equivalent to Dutch. Since the standardization of Dutch in the early 16th century, it has formed the Dachsprache of all Netherlandic dialects ever since, with the exception (since the early 19th century) of the Meuse-Rhenish dialects spoken in Germany and Afrikaans, and is the main term used for all predecessor languages (Middle Dutch, Old Dutch) following Frankish.

In older literature, Netherlandic / Low Franconian is occasionally grouped together with Low German. However, since this grouping is not based on common linguistic innovations, but rather on the absence of the High German consonant shift and Anglo-Frisian features modern linguistic reference books do not group them together.

Origins

All Netherlandic dialects are assumed to have originated with the Frankish language, generally placed between the 4th and 7th century CE. Frankish itself is not directly attested, except in glosses and single, isolated, phrases. It has been reconstructed using the comparative method from loanwords in Old French and from Old Dutch, its main descendant.

Though generally treated as a single language due to the relatively minor internal differences, Old Dutch can itself be divided into a western form referred to as Old West Dutch (Oudwestnederlands) and Old East Dutch (Oudoostnederlands). Both forms had merged by the time of Middle Dutch, with Old West Dutch proving dominant, but the easternmost dialects (Clevian and Limburgisch) include several of its features. The term Old Low Franconian is occasionally used in place of Old Dutch, but has been variously considered archaic, depreciated or inaccurate by modern linguists.

Periodization of Netherlandic

Dutch is conventionally divided into three phases, traditionally starting with attestation. In the development of Dutch, including assumed proto-languages, these phases were:

• Weser-Rhine Germanic (unattested, theoretical)
• Frankish (unattested)

• Old Dutch: 425/450–1150
• Middle Dutch: 1150–1500
• Modern Dutch: 1500 - present

Modern Netherlandic languages & dialects

Outside of the Netherlands and Flanders, the traditional Netherlandic language area is decreasing. Regions which have seen a decrease in speakers include French Flanders and the Brussels Capital Region, having become increasingly francophone during the last century and the Lower Rhine-region of Germany, where Netherlandic now only exists as Meuse-Rhenish regiolects and dialects.

Dutch

The main dialects are:

• Brabantian
• East Flemish
• Hollandic
• Limburgian
• Zealandic
• West Flemish
• South Guelderish (also called Kleverlandish or Clevian)

Netherlandic in Germany

There are two distinct Netherlandic variants spoken in Germany today: a form of southern Limburgish and Clevian. Which are referred to by some linguists together as Meuse-Rhenish. Historically, Clevian was referred to in German as Deutschniederländisch ('German Dutch') and today forms the most isolated and divergent dialectal grouping found within German territory today. Spoken mainly in the former Duchy of Jülich and Berg, these regions were oriented towards the Netherlands and Flanders until Prussian conquest and absorption into the German Empire after 1871.

Linguistically, the Limburgish varieties are seen as Netherlandic today but were historically sometimes seen as West Central German, and thus part of High German. This difference is caused by a difference in definition: the latter stance defines a High German variety as one that has taken part in any of the first three phases of the High German consonant shift. Southernmost Limburgish (spoken, in the Netherlands, primarily around the city of Kerkrade) straddles the border between Netherlandic and Central German ('Middle Franconian') varieties. They to a certain degree mutually intelligible with neighboring Ripuarian German dialects, but show fewer features of the High German consonant shift.

Afrikaans

Afrikaans is an Indo-European language, derived from Dutch and classified as Low Franconian Germanic, mainly spoken in South Africa and Namibia, with smaller numbers of speakers in Botswana, Angola, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Togo, and Zambia. Afrikaans originated from the Dutch, specifically the dialect which became known as "Cape Dutch", which were in turn influenced by the Zealandic, Hollandic and West Flemish dialects of the Low Countries. Later, Afrikaans was sometimes also referred to as "African Dutch" or "Kitchen Dutch", although these terms were mainly pejorative. Afrikaans was considered a Dutch pidgin until the late 19th century, when it began to be recognized as a distinct language, and it gained equal status with Dutch and English as an official language in South Africa in 1925. Dutch remained an official language until the new 1961 constitution finally stipulated the two official languages in South Africa to be Afrikaans and English (although, curiously, the 1961 constitution still had a sub-clause stipulating that the word "Afrikaans" was also meant to be referring to the Dutch language). It is the only Indo-European language of significance that underwent distinct development on the African continent.

See also

• Afrikaans
• Dutch dialects
• Dutch language
• Franconian languages
• Istvaeones
• History of Dutch
• Low Dietsch
• Meuse-Rhenish
• Middle Dutch

Notes

1. Cowan, H. Oudoostnederfrankisch of oostelijk Oudnederlands? 71.161.182 (1953)
2. Cowan, H. Oudoostnederfrankisch of oostelijk Oudnederlands? 71.161.182 (1953)
3. Irmgard Hatsche: Atlas zur Geschichte des Niederrheins, Schriftenreihe der Niederrhein-Akademie Band 4, ISBN 3-89355-200-6, P. 66
4. Het Nederlands, Janssen, G. (2005) P. 57-59
5. German: Biography of a Language by R. Sanders. Oxford University Press (2010) pp. 201.
6. The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, Volume 5. (2003) P. 213.
7. Glück, H. (ed.): Metzler Lexikon Sprache, pages 472, 473. Stuttgart, Weimar: Metzler, 2000 (entries Niederdeutsch and Niederfränkisch)
8. Welschen, Ad 2000-2005: Course Dutch Society and Culture, International School for Humanities and Social Studies ISHSS, University of Amsterdam
9. Sanders W., ‘Oudnederlands. Drie hoofdstukjes uit de vroegste Nederlandse taal- en letterkunde’, in: Tijdschrift voor Nederlandse Taal- en Letterkunde 88, 161-177, 1972
10. Theodor Frings, Gotthard Lechner: Niederländisch und Niederdeutsch. Berlin 1966, pp. 21 ff.
11. Welschen, Ad 2000-2005: Course Dutch Society and Culture, International School for Humanities and Social Studies ISHSS, University of Amsterdam
12. Einführung in die Dialektologie des Deutschen, H. Niebaum. Abb. 25 & Abb 26. (2014)
13. (A. Welschen 2002)
14. (R. Hahn 2001)

Further reading

• Euler, Wolfram (2013). Das Westgermanische - von der Herausbildung im 3. bis zur Aufgliederung im 7. Jahrhundert - Analyse und Rekonstruktion (West Germanic: from its Emergence in the 3rd up until its Dissolution in the 7th Century CE: Analyses and Reconstruction). 244 p., in German with English summary, Verlag Inspiration Un Limited, London/Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-9812110-7-8.
• Maurer, Friedrich (1942), Nordgermanen und Alemannen: Studien zur germanischen und frühdeutschen Sprachgeschichte, Stammes- und Volkskunde, Strasbourg: Hünenburg.

• Low Franconian languages
• Franks