Belgian language
Encyclopedia
Belgian is a hypothetical extinct
Indo-European
language. It was described by the Ghent
ian linguist Maurits Gysseling - who himself attributed the term to Prof. Dr. S.J. De Laet - as an Indo-European language that was spoken distinct from Celtic in late prehistory
, in certain parts of what has become known as Gaul
. According to this theory, which was further elaborated by Hans Kuhn and others, traces of it can be found in certain toponyms such as South-East-Flemish Bevere, Eine, Mater and Melden
.
The borders of the Belgian Sprachraum
are made up by the Canche
and the Authie in the south-west, the Weser and the Aller
in the east, and the Ardennes
and the German Mittelgebirge
in the south-east. It has been hypothetically associated with the Nordwestblock
, more specifically with the Hilversum culture
.
The use of the name Belgian for the language is to some extent supported by Caesar
's De Bello Gallico
which mentions that the Belgae
and the Galli
spoke different languages. It is furthermore supported by toponyms in present-day Belgium
which point at the existence of an Indo-European language that clearly distinguished itself from Celtic and Germanic. However, most sources consider the Belgae to have been Celtic-speaking.
During germanicization, Germanic did influence Belgian. For example, the Germanic sound shifts
(p → f, t → th, k → h, ǒ → ă) have affected toponyms which supposedly have a Belgian-language origin. This supposedly took place during a first, early germanicization in the third century B.C., not in the Frankish
colonization from the fifth to the eighth century.
Characteristic of Belgian are the retainment of the p after the sound shifts. Names of bodies of water ending in -ara (as in the name for the Dender
), -ănā or -ǒnā as in Matrǒnā (nowadays Mater) and settlement names ending in -iǒm are supposedly typically Belgian as well.
According to Gysseling, traces of Belgian are still visible. The diminutive
suffix
-ika, the feminizing
suffixes -agjōn and -astrjō and the collective
suffix -itja- (most likely a Finno-Ugric substratum) have been incorporated in Dutch
, sometimes very productively. In toponymy, apa, poel, broek, gaver, drecht, laar and ham are retained as Belgian loanwords.
Extinct language
An extinct language is a language that no longer has any speakers., or that is no longer in current use. Extinct languages are sometimes contrasted with dead languages, which are still known and used in special contexts in written form, but not as ordinary spoken languages for everyday communication...
Indo-European
Indo-European
Indo-European may refer to:* Indo-European languages** Aryan race, a 19th century and early 20th century term for those peoples who are the native speakers of Indo-European languages...
language. It was described by the Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
ian linguist Maurits Gysseling - who himself attributed the term to Prof. Dr. S.J. De Laet - as an Indo-European language that was spoken distinct from Celtic in late prehistory
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
, in certain parts of what has become known as Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
. According to this theory, which was further elaborated by Hans Kuhn and others, traces of it can be found in certain toponyms such as South-East-Flemish Bevere, Eine, Mater and Melden
Melden
Melden is a village belonging partly to the municipality of Oudenaarde and partly to the municipality of Kluisbergen. It is located in the Flemish Ardennes, the hilly southern part of the province of East Flanders, Belgium.- External links :* *...
.
The borders of the Belgian Sprachraum
Sprachraum
Sprachraum is a linguistic term used to designate a geographical region/district where a language, dialect, group or family of languages is spoken. The German word Sprachraum literally means "language area"....
are made up by the Canche
Canche
The river Canche is one of the rivers that flow from the plateau of the southern Boulonnais and Picardy, into the English Channel. The Somme is the largest example. The basin of the Canche extends to 1,274 square kilometres and lies in the southern end of the département of Pas-de-Calais...
and the Authie in the south-west, the Weser and the Aller
Aller
The Aller is a river, long, in the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony in Germany. It is a right-hand, and hence eastern, tributary of the River Weser and is also its largest tributary. Its last form the Lower Aller federal waterway...
in the east, and the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
and the German Mittelgebirge
Mittelgebirge
A Mittelgebirge is a relatively low mountain range, a typical geographical feature of Central Europe, especially Central and Southern Germany; it refers to something between hill country and a proper mountain range...
in the south-east. It has been hypothetically associated with the Nordwestblock
Nordwestblock
The Nordwestblock , is a hypothetical cultural region, that several 20th century scholars propose as a prehistoric culture, thought to be roughly bounded by the rivers Meuse, Elbe, Somme and Oise and possibly the eastern part of England during the Bronze and Iron Ages The Nordwestblock (English:...
, more specifically with the Hilversum culture
Hilversum culture
The Hilversum culture is a prehistoric material culture found in middle Bronze Age in the region of the southern Netherlands and northern Belgium...
.
The use of the name Belgian for the language is to some extent supported by Caesar
Julius Caesar
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
's De Bello Gallico
Commentarii de Bello Gallico
Commentarii de Bello Gallico is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine years he spent fighting local armies in Gaul that opposed Roman domination.The "Gaul" that Caesar...
which mentions that the Belgae
Belgae
The Belgae were a group of tribes living in northern Gaul, on the west bank of the Rhine, in the 3rd century BC, and later also in Britain, and possibly even Ireland...
and the Galli
Gauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
spoke different languages. It is furthermore supported by toponyms in present-day Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
which point at the existence of an Indo-European language that clearly distinguished itself from Celtic and Germanic. However, most sources consider the Belgae to have been Celtic-speaking.
During germanicization, Germanic did influence Belgian. For example, the Germanic sound shifts
Germanic sound shifts
Germanic sound shifts are the phonological developments from the Proto-Indo-European language to Proto-Germanic, in Proto-Germanic itself, and in various Germanic subfamilies and languages.- PIE to Proto-Germanic :* Germanic spirant law...
(p → f, t → th, k → h, ǒ → ă) have affected toponyms which supposedly have a Belgian-language origin. This supposedly took place during a first, early germanicization in the third century B.C., not in the Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
colonization from the fifth to the eighth century.
Characteristic of Belgian are the retainment of the p after the sound shifts. Names of bodies of water ending in -ara (as in the name for the Dender
Dender
The Dendre or Dender is a 65 km long river in Belgium, right tributary of the river Scheldt. The confluence of both rivers is in the Belgian town Dendermonde....
), -ănā or -ǒnā as in Matrǒnā (nowadays Mater) and settlement names ending in -iǒm are supposedly typically Belgian as well.
According to Gysseling, traces of Belgian are still visible. The diminutive
Diminutive
In language structure, a diminutive, or diminutive form , is a formation of a word used to convey a slight degree of the root meaning, smallness of the object or quality named, encapsulation, intimacy, or endearment...
suffix
Suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
-ika, the feminizing
Feminization
Feminization can refer to:*Feminization the hormonally induced development of female sexual characteristics*Feminization a sexual or lifestyle practice where a person assumes a female role...
suffixes -agjōn and -astrjō and the collective
Collective number
In linguistics, singulative number and collective number are terms used when the grammatical number for multiple items is the unmarked form of a noun, and the noun is specially marked to indicate a single item...
suffix -itja- (most likely a Finno-Ugric substratum) have been incorporated in Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
, sometimes very productively. In toponymy, apa, poel, broek, gaver, drecht, laar and ham are retained as Belgian loanwords.