The formal language of the Netherlands is Standard Dutch. It is spoken in its purest form in Haarlem, a city close to the capital Amsterdam. Standard Dutch is spoken throughout the Netherlands but there are also many regional languages and dialects.
There are around 23 million native speakers of Dutch worldwide. Dutch is spoken in the Netherlands, Belgium (Flanders) and Suriname.
Dutch, with its 24 million speakers one of the 40 most spoken languages in the world, is also an endangered language.
Its closest relative is the mutually intelligible daughter language Afrikaans. Other West Germanic languages related to Dutch are German, English and the Frisian languages and the un-standardised languages Low German and Yiddish.
The Dutch people are from the Netherlands.
It is also not as though all Dutch people look like twins. Historically, Nederlanders were often intermixed with many ethnic groups. According to DNA testing companies, Dutch DNA is considered mainly Germanic French, which seems a broader stroke of DNA than some common and visible Dutch characteristics that I see.
Dutch people physical characteristics include being tall, having blue eyes, blond hair, and a slim build. This is a stereotype but not necessarily representative of all modern-day Dutch people.
It's also the official language of several countries, including Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Both Dutch and German have their challenges, but Dutch is generally considered easier to learn than German. However, your decision should ultimately be based on your goals and interests.
Plautdietsch, a Germanic language related to Dutch and Frisian, spoken in Siberia.
Although Dutch and German are related, it is very difficult for speakers of the two languages to understand each other.
Although Afrikaans is very similar to Dutch, it is clearly a separate language, differing from Standard Dutch in its sound system and its loss of case and gender distinctions. Afrikaans was adopted for use in schools in 1914 and in the Dutch Reformed Church in 1919.
Within the field of historical philology, the terminology for the oldest historical phase of the Dutch language traditionally includes both Old Dutch as well as Old Low Franconian. In English linguistic publications, Old Netherlandic is occasionally used in addition to the aforementioned terms.
At first, Dutch might seem like a very difficult language, but it's surprisingly easy for English- and German-speakers. Dutch has even been described as a combination of the English and German languages! This makes it one of the easiest languages to learn for speakers of either language.
Dutch is spoken not only in the Netherlands, but it is also the official language of Flanders, the neighbouring northern provinces of Belgium. Worldwide, Dutch is a national language in Suriname (South America), Aruba and the Dutch Antilles (Caribbean). In total Dutch has 23 million mother tongue speakers.
If you want to say hi in Dutch, you would simply say “hoi”. The more formal hello is “hallo”. Regional varieties of “hi” include “heuj”, “alo” and “huijj” but sticking to “hoi” or “hallo” is generally all you need.
So dive right in and practice your Dutch with confidence. For the same reasons Dutch is the closest language to English, German is also a close language, and another one that many English speakers may find easier to learn. Dutch is commonly mentioned as the language nestled between English and German.
In this article, Afrikaans was compared to three West Germanic standard languages (Dutch, Frisian and German). Unsurprisingly, Afrikaans was found to be most closely related to Dutch. When Afrikaans was compared to 361 Dutch and Frisian dialects, the South-Hollandic varieties were found to be closest to Afrikaans.
Lizelle is closer to the truth: Afrikaans is closer to the Dutch spoken during the Dutch Republic (1581-1795) as the Cape was colonised in 1652.
Pennsylvania Dutch is the language used by the Amish population here in Lancaster County. It is considered to be their first and native language. The Amish learn to read, write and speak in English, allowing them to communicate with the 'outside world'.
Yes, it's often possible to communicate with a Dutch because many of them speak English or even German. I would not say that -- generally, there are always exceptions -- any German would easily understand Dutch.
Which is easier to learn: Danish or Dutch? In terms of vocabulary and spelling, Dutch is probably easier for native English speakers since they share many words with a similar pronunciation. The Dutch language borrows lots of words from the French, as does English – although, annoying, they are rarely the same words!
Perks of working in the Netherlands vs Germany
Germans make more money, too. The average net-adjusted disposable income per capita in Germany, according to the OECD Index, is USD 31,925, while the Dutch earn USD 27,759.
In The Netherlands approximately 80% of the inhabitants have green or blue eyes. Germany (especially the northern part of the country) follows with almost 70% having lighter eye colours. Within the ”light” eyed population, the green eyes are outnumbered by the blue eyes.
Dutch women have significantly longer and broader faces compared with UK women; their palpebral fissure and nasal widths are significantly greater, their nasal ridge length and upper face proportion are significantly reduced; and their nares are significantly more anteverted.