Netherlands - Languages



Dutch is the official language in all of the 12 provinces. It is also the universal tongue, except in Friesland, where most of the inhabitants speak the ancient Frisian language. Frisian, the native language of about 300,000 persons, is closely related to the Anglo-Saxon tongue but has many points in common with Dutch, which belongs to the Germanic language group. Many Netherlanders speak and understand English, French, and German, which are taught in secondary schools. Six Dutch dialects—notably Gelders and Groningen—are spoken in addition to Frisian.

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