List of countries and territories where Afrikaans or Dutch are official languages
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2023) |
The following is a list of the countries and territories where
Worldwide, Afrikaans and Dutch as
Afrikaans or Dutch as official languages
Afrikaans and/or Dutch are the official language of five sovereign countries, which lie in the Americas, Africa and Europe. These countries are referred to as the Nederlands taalgebied (Dutch language area). The Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname are member states of the Dutch Language Union; South Africa refuses to become a member state although Afrikaans is integrated in the task statement of the Dutch Language Union.[citation needed]
Country | Population 2011[11] |
Speakers | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
L2[12][13][14] | ||||
Belgium Dutch |
11,303,000 | 6,215,000 (55%) | 1,469,000 (13%) | Brussels-Capital Region )
|
Namibia Afrikaans |
2,113,000 | 220,000 (10,4%) | lingua franca | Recognized national language |
Netherlands Dutch |
17,116,000 | 16,431,360 (96%) | 687,000 (4%) | De jure sole nationwide official language |
South Africa Afrikaans |
51,770,000 | 6,860,000 (14%) | 10,300,000 (19%) | De jure nationwide co-official language |
Suriname Dutch |
540,000 | 325,000 (60%) | 215,000 (40%) | De jure sole nationwide official language
|
Total | c. 82,834,000 | c. 29,069,000 | c. 12,671,000+ |
Dependent entities
Afrikaans and/or Dutch are co-official languages in several dependent entities. At certain administrative levels in the Kingdoms of the Netherlands and Belgium the Dutch language is a co-official language. The same happens with Afrikaans in South Africa.[citation needed]
Kingdom of the Netherlands
In the Kingdom of the Netherlands Dutch is the only language that has an official status in all spheres of administration. At the federal level, in most provinces and municipalities Dutch is the sole administrative language. However, in some constituent countries, a province and some municipalities Dutch is a co-official language, together with West Frisian, Papiamento or English.[citation needed]
Region | Status of the region | Status of the language | |
---|---|---|---|
Aruba | constituent country |
Dutch is a co-official language, together with Papiamento[15] | |
Curaçao | constituent country |
Dutch is a co-official language, together with Papiamento and English[15] | |
Netherlands | constituent country |
Dutch is the official language.[16] Only Friesland and the Caribbean Netherlands have co-official languages. | |
Friesland | province | Dutch is a co-official language, together with West Frisian[15] | |
Bonaire | municipality |
Dutch is a co-official language, together with Papiamento[15] | |
Sint Eustatius | municipality |
Dutch is a co-official language, together with English[15] | |
Saba | municipality |
Dutch is a co-official language, together with English[15] | |
Sint Maarten | constituent country |
Dutch is a co-official language, together with English[15] |
Belgium
At the federal level Dutch, French and German are co-official languages. In the
Region | Status of the region | Status of the language | |
---|---|---|---|
Flanders (Dutch: Vlaanderen) | Region |
Dutch is the sole official language. In 12 municipalities limited government services are also available in French[citation needed] | |
Brussels-Capital Region (Dutch: Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest) | Region |
Dutch and French are co-official languages[citation needed] | |
Wallonia (Dutch: Wallonië) | Region |
French and German are the sole official language in different areas. In 4 municipalities limited government services are also available in Dutch[citation needed] | |
Comines-Warneton (Dutch: Komen-Waasten) | municipality | French is the sole official language, but limited government services are also available in Dutch[citation needed] | |
Enghien (Dutch: Edingen) | municipality | French is the sole official language, but limited government services are also available in Dutch[citation needed] | |
Flobecq (Dutch: Vloesberg) | municipality | French is the sole official language, but limited government services are also available in Dutch[citation needed] | |
Mouscron (Dutch: Moeskroen) | municipality | French is the sole official language, but limited government services are also available in Dutch[citation needed] |
South Africa
Between 1910 and 1961 Dutch was a co-official language of South Africa, together with English. In 1961 Dutch was replaced by Afrikaans as a co-official language. However, between 1925 and 1984 Dutch and Afrikaans were seen as two varieties of the same language by the Official Languages of the Union Act, 1925 and later article 119 of the South African Constitution of 1961. After a short period (1984-1994) where Afrikaans and English were the two co-official languages of South Africa, Afrikaans has been one of eleven official languages since 1994.[citation needed]
Since 2012 a new language policy has been implemented where working languages of all government institutions were established. Every government institution is required to establish three working languages out of the eleven official languages. Provinces and municipalities are obligated to take into account the local language demographics before establishing three working languages.[citation needed]
Region | Status of the region | Status of the language | |
---|---|---|---|
Western Cape (Afrikaans: Wes-Kaap) | province | Afrikaans is a co-official language, together with English and Xhosa[citation needed] | |
City of Cape Town (Afrikaans: Stad Kaapstad) | municipality | Afrikaans is a co-official language, together with English and Xhosa. Afrikaans is the mother tongue of half of the population[citation needed] | |
Northern Cape (Afrikaans: Noord-Kaap) | province | Afrikaans is a co-official language, together with Tswhana, Xhosa and English. Afrikaans is the mother tongue of the majority of the population[citation needed] |
Status in other regions
Dutch is not an official language in Indonesia, but the language is widely used in Indonesia as a source language after a 350-year colonial period. Certainly in law, Dutch has some official status as many colonial laws are available in Dutch only.[citation needed]
Although Dutch is the native language of people in French Flanders, Dutch is not an official language in France or French Flanders.[citation needed]
International institutions
Afrikaans and/or Dutch are an official languages of the following international institutions:[citation needed]
- African Union (afr)
- Caribbean Community (nld)
- European Union (nld)
- Union of South American Nations (nld)
- Dutch Language Union (afr/nld)
See also
- Afrikaans speaking population in South Africa
- Differences between Afrikaans and Dutch
- Dutch Language Union
- Dutch-based creole languages
References
- ^ ISBN 9780521359405. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
- ISBN 9781853593628. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
- ISBN 9783110119954. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
- ISBN 9781139462020. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
- ^ ISBN 9780312175719. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
- ^ Gooskens, Charlotte (2007). "The Contribution of Linguistic Factors to the Intelligibility of Closely Related Languages" (PDF). Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Volume 28, Issue 6 November 2007. University of Groningen. pp. 445–467. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
- ISBN 9780864862808. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
- ISBN 9004075933. Retrieved 2008-11-03.
- ISBN 9780521791052. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ Sebba 1997, p. 161
- ^ See: List of countries and dependencies by population
- ^ a b Eurobarometer 2012 - Annex
- ^ a b "Afrikaans". Ethnologue.
- ^ a b "Dutch". Ethnologue.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Nederlandse taal in de Grondwet" [Dutch language in the Constitution]. denederlandsegrondwet.nl (in Dutch). Montesquieu Instituut. 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2023.
- ^ rijksoverheid.nl nl#:~:text=Nederlands%20is%20de%20offici%C3%ABle%20taal,voor%20mensen%20die%20gebarentaal%20gebruiken. https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/erkende-talen/erkende-talen-in nl#:~:text=Nederlands%20is%20de%20offici%C3%ABle%20taal,voor%20mensen%20die%20gebarentaal%20gebruiken. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
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