- Why the Dutch Language Union?
- The vision of the Dutch Language Union
- LANGUAGE
- STEVIN
- EDUCATION
- LITERATURE
- Dutch in the World
A few achievements of the Dutch Language Union
The Dutch Language Union (Nederlandse Taalunie) is a joint effort of the Netherlands, Belgium and Surinam to promote the Dutch language, Dutch language teaching and the literature in the language.This page will show you how the Taalunie works and what it does.
Why the Dutch Language Union?
As a living language, Dutch is constantly evolving so as to remain suited to the demands of our times. Although this happens largely by itself, it occasionally needs a little “push” by the parties working together to keep the Dutch language a vital, modern language. To achieve this for the entire Dutch-speaking world, in 1980 the Netherlands and Belgium signed the Treaty concerning the Dutch Language Union, in which the two countries agreed to pursue a common policy on the Dutch language. This cross-border language area treaty is the only one of its kind in the world.
The Dutch Language Union’s motto is Dutch without barriers. It signifies the DutchLanguage Union’s desire to help all Dutch speakers continue to be able to use their language for every purpose that a language can serve. The major areas in which the Dutch Language Union devotes its efforts are the language itself, Dutch in electronic applications, Dutch language teaching (both teaching in Dutch and the teaching of Dutch as a second language), literature, and promoting the position of Dutch in Europe and around the world.
The Dutch Language Union is a governmental organisation:
Policy is set by the Committee of Ministers (comité van ministers), a commission comprising the Dutch and Flemish ministers for education and culture and a representative from Surinam 1.
The Interparliamentary Commission (interparlementaire commissie), comprising Dutch and Flemish representatives, oversees the policy.
The Council for Dutch Language and Literature (raad voor de nederlandse taal en letteren), comprising experts and prominent language users, advises the policymakers.
The General Secretariat (algemeen secretariaat), which prepares and implements policy, works closely with individuals and organisations from within the language region and beyond.
The Dutch Language Union is an intergovernmental organisation:
- It was founded in 1980 by the Dutch and Belgian governments.
- Surinam joined as an associate member in 2004.
- The union cooperates with the Caribbean islands that have Dutch as an official language
The Dutch language area is principally comprised of the Netherlands, Flanders and Surinam.
- The Netherlands is virtually 100% Dutch-speaking. Its capital city is Amsterdam, and its seat of government is The Hague, where the Dutch Language Union also has its official place of establishment.
- Belgium is a multilingual country, with Dutch being spoken in the northern region (Flanders), French spoken in the south (Wallonia) and a small German-speaking area in the east. Brussels, the capital of Belgium and of Europe, is officially both French and Dutch-speaking.
- Surinam is a country in northern South
America. It is a former colony of the Netherlands, and uses Dutch as its language of government and education.
The vision of the Dutch Language Union
The speakers make the language
The Dutch language belongs to its users. The way they speak and write Dutch creates a standard, one which is never fixed but always moving. The Dutch Language Union lays down this standard in grammar rules and dictionaries. Language advisors help language users who want to apply the standard. Only in the case of spelling does the Dutch Language Union set out rules, which are then documented in statutes by the members of the Dutch Language Union.
Dutch is at home everywhere
Dutch is not a language reserved for use in and around the home only. Dutch speakers want to be able to use their mother tongue for everything, from social interaction to politics to science. As long as Dutch is in common use in all of these areas, it will continue to enrich itself through its use as it adapts to the changing world.
Dutch has many voices
“A bird is known by its note, and a man by his talk,” so the Dutch saying goes. A speaker of Dutch from Antwerp says things differently from someone from Amsterdam, the Surinamese turn of phrase is different from how they speak in the Netherlands Antilles. There is a richness of variation in the use of the language. Every language user puts some¬thing of himself into how he uses Dutch.
Dutch and other European languages
A full-fledged citizen of today’s Europe needs to be able to function in more than one language. The Dutch Language Union supports the ideal of a multilingual Europe with multilingual Europeans. This ideal holds not only the key to economic success, but also has an important cultural value. In Surinam, Dutch is an official language, but it is only one of some twenty languages spoken in the country.
Dutch is our cultural home
Language is not only a means of communication; it is also the foundation of our culture. A flourishing literary scene is a measure of the quality of the language and the learnedness of the language’s users.
A few achievements of the Dutch Language Union
The Dutch Language Union focuses its activities in three areas: language, education and literature. In each of these areas, the Dutch Language Union collects and distributes knowledge, promotes the building and maintenance of infrastructure and organises meetings with stakeholders and interested parties from a wide range of language-related areas.
Language consulting
The Dutch Language Union regularly invites experienced language consultants from the Netherlands and Flanders to jointly address questions raised by speakers of the language. In these meetings, the experts attempt to arrive at unanimous recommendations based on practical language usage and existing reference sources. The results are collected on a website that is accessible to all.
taaladvies.net
Spelling
One of the Dutch Language Union’s responsibilities is to record the correct spelling of words for use by government and in education. This official spelling, which is set out in Guidelines and a Word list of the Dutch Language (woorden-lijst van de nederlandse taal), is followed by most language users.
woordenlijst.org
Grammar
The official grammar of the Dutch language is set out in the algemene nederlandse spraak¬kunst (ans), a grammar handbook produced with the support of the Dutch Language Union. The electronic version of this printed grammar book is available free on the internet.
www.let.ru.nl/ans
Dictionaries
The Dutch Language Union supports the pro-duction and publication of bilingual dictionaries with less commercial potential, like Dutch-Arabic and Dutch-Norwegian. On the Language Union’s website, you will find a list of translations of the word “Dutch”, followed by a list of bilingual dictionaries.
taalunieversum.org/taal/nederlands
Companies involved in developing new applica¬tions, or looking to improve the old ones, need new language resources: collections of spoken and written Dutch with linguistic information regarding meaning and usage. Here again, the Dutch Language Union plays an important role in stimulating and supporting the creation of essential resources. Through the Dutch Language Union, the Dutch and Flemish governments are currently investing in the stevin (spraak- en taaltechnologische essentiële voorzieningen in het nederlands) process for speech and language-technical essential facilities in Dutch.
stevin-tst.org
Evolution in language teaching
The Dutch Language Union arranges consultations between experts from the Netherlands and Flanders on a number of education-related topics in order to increase the quality of teaching. The results of these discussions are published in reports and on websites, and are often presented at conferences organised by the Dutch Language Union.
taalunieversum.org/onderwijs/publicaties
Research on language teaching
The htno database is a database of all academic research on the teaching of Dutch in primary and secondary education conducted between 1969 and 2006.
taalunieversum.org/onderwijs/onderzoek
Language forum
The language forum (taalforum) is an interactive community where experts and professional practitioners are available to answer the questions of parents and teachers of learners with language development problems and learning disabilities. Our main concern is how to improve the Dutch language skills of students with learning disabilities in order to maximise their academic potential.
taalforum.org
Digital Library of Dutch Literature
The dnbl foundation has been making complete literary works, books and periodicals, and literary and linguistic reference works available free on the internet since 1999, thanks to support from the Dutch Language Union.
dbnl.org
The history of Dutch literature
Under an initiative of the Dutch Language Union, nine writers are compiling a comprehensive history of Dutch literature. The first volumes appeared in 2006and the series will be completed in 2011. This seven-volume work is a compilation of knowledge of our literary history, and enhances that knowledge with new insights.
taalunieversum.org/literatuur/literatuurgeschiedenis
Literary translation
Literary culture is increasingly a matter of inter¬national focus. Dutch translations are the gateway to the world for many readers and, at the same time, translations from Dutch provide foreign readers with access to our literature and culture. But good translations require good translators. Working together with the literary foundations in the Netherlands and Flanders, the Centre for Literary Translation (expertisecentrum literair vertalen) supports the enhancement of expertise in the field of literary translation into and from Dutch.
literairvertalen.org
Dutch Literature Prize
Every three years, the Committee of Ministers of the Dutch Language Union awards the Dutch Literature Prize (prijs der nederlandse letteren). The prize is intended to recognise authors of major works of literature originally written in the Dutch language. It is normallypresented by the Dutch or the Belgian head of state.
prijsderletteren.org
Did you know?
There are some 15,000 foreign students studying Dutch at 200 universities in 40 different countries across the globe. Along the Dutch-German border, over 20,000 young Germans are being taught Dutch at school. So are some 8,000 in Northern France, as are hundreds of thousands more in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium.
Whether you live in Georgia, Namibia or the United States, Dutch offers a window into another world. Dutch is available as a major or minor in universities in over forty countries, and every year over 15,000 students worldwide pursue a programme in Dutch.
The Dutch Language Union is the first point of contact representing the Netherlands, Flanders and Surinam for Dutch studies abroad. The Dutch Language Union supports Dutch studies outside the Dutch language area in many ways. When a university is in the process of setting up a new Dutch department or expanding the curriculum of an existing department, the Dutch Language Union supports the university with ideas. The Dutch Language Union also provides financial support for the basic needs of a Dutch department. Additionally, the Dutch Language Union offers research grants and continuing education to encourage foreign Dutch specialists to broaden their involvement in the field. The Dutch Language Union also offers various facilities for students to assist them in their Dutch studies. Finally, the Language Union promotes collaboration between Dutch specialists. A list of available funding can be found on taalunieversum.org/wereldwijd . This page also includes a list of all Dutch departments in the world and the academics working in them.
The Dutch Language Union Centre for Dutch as a Foreign Language
This is a resource centre for teachers of Dutch as a foreign language, where they can access teaching resources, get advice, and take continuing studies courses or attend conferences. The centre organises promotional events and offers tools for testing students and certifying them upon completion of their studies. The centre is based in Brussels (Sainctelettesquare 20, 1000 Brussels).
taaluniecentrum-nvt.org
Support for Dutch Studies abroad
The Dutch Language Union provides grants to foreign universities offering studies in Dutch. Financial support is available to set up a course, purchase books and periodicals and invite guest lecturers. The Dutch Language Union also gives additional support to help improve the quality of courses offered using methods like extra teacher training. The web page “Dutch Studies Around the World” shows the latest information on the field, with a list of Dutch specialists in various fields affiliated with academic establishments around the world.
taalunieversum.org/neerlandistiek
Dutch summer courses
Anyone studying Dutch abroad should spend some time during his or her studies getting to know either Amsterdam or Antwerp. The Dutch Language Union makes it possible for many students to do this, with the Dutch Language and Culture summer courses it organises every year in the Netherlands and Flanders. For three weeks, students are immersed in the Dutch language and the culture it represents. These courses bring over three hundred students to the Low Countries every summer.
taalunieversum.org/taalunie/zomercursus_voor_studenten
You’ll be hearing from us
The Dutch Language Union’s work is never finished. New initiatives are happening all the time. Our website, electronic newsletter and annual magazine will make sure you don’t miss a thing. The Dutch Language Union is also represented at various conferences, workshops and events organised by others throughout the year.
Taalunieversum
Taalunieversum.org is the Dutch Language Union’s main channel for communication with speakers of Dutch all over the world. It covers all the Language Union’s activities and gives access to the complete range of the Language Union’s knowledge base.
taalunieversum.org
Taalschrift, the Dutch Language Union’s monthly language magazine
Taalschrift is the Dutch Language Union’s monthly electronic magazine, presenting the language-interested public with reports, discussions, web tips and current issues in language and language policy. Some 2, 000 people subscribe to the e-mail notification of the web publication of Taalschrift, which is read on the web by 600 to 700 visitors daily.
taalschrift.org
Taalpeil
Taalpeil is the Dutch Language Union’s annual journal. It is published in a circulation of approximately 250,000 copies per year. Each issue features a survey on a specific aspect of the Dutch language conducted over the preceding year commissioned by the Dutch Language Union. The results are checked against the opinions of scholars and experts and presented in the Taalpeil in an accessible way that makes the material interesting to a general audience but also suitable for classroom use. Previous issues are also available on the internet.
taalpeil.org
Wegwijzer – Colofon – Contact – Vrijwaring – Opmerkingen en reacties
