East Flemish
| East Flemish | |
|---|---|
| Oost-Vlaams | |
| Uest-Vloams, Uust-Vloams, Oeëst-Vloams | |
| Native to | Belgium, Netherlands |
| Region | East Flanders |
|
Indo-European
|
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog |
oost1241 (Oost-Vlaams)oost1242 (Oostvlaams)
|
East Flemish (Dutch: Oost-Vlaams, French: flamand oriental) is a collective term for the two easternmost subdivisions ("true" East Flemish, also called Core Flemish, and Waaslandic, as well as their transitional and city dialects) of the so-called Flemish Dialects, a group of dialects native to the southwest of the Dutch language area, which also includes West Flemish. Though due to their intermediary position between West Flemish and Brabantian, the East Flemish dialects have also been grouped with the latter. They are mainly spoken in the province of East Flanders and a narrow strip in the southeast of West Flanders in Belgium and eastern Zeelandic Flanders in the Netherlands. Even though the dialects of the Dender area are often discussed together with the East Flemish dialects due to their location, these dialects are actually South Brabantian.
Before the occurrence of written records, the dialect continuum which took shape in the old Dutch language area was mainly characterized by differences from East to West, with the West showing more coast Germanic influences and the East more continental Germanic traits. When looking at East Flanders, it can be noted that not a single typical eastern Low Franconian trait has reached the region, while coastal characteristics are fairly common, be they less so than further to the west.
In the 15th century, the dominant position in the Low Countries shifted from the County of Flanders to the Duchy of Brabant, which brought an expansian of linguistic traits from this duchy with it, the so-called 'Brabantic Expansion'. As the Scheldt formed a large barrier in the North, these traits were mainly introduced from South Brabant, and the city of Brussels in particular. The Dender area probably already started this process in the 14th century, while Ghent (and probably the rest of the province) resisted these changes for at least a century more, as literature from Ghent still indicates a typically West Flemish phonology by the mid 16th century. Eventually two processes have caused the spread of Brabantian traits in eastern Flanders:
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Wikipedia