Dutch spelling

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The spelling of Dutch describes the correct written representation of the Dutch language. It has an official character in the Netherlands , Flanders and Suriname . Dutch was first codified by Matthias de Vries and LA te Winkel in 1863. This orthography was introduced in Belgium in 1863 and not until 1883 in the Netherlands. It has been adapted several times:

  • 1946 in Belgium,
  • 1947 in the Netherlands,
  • 1996 in Flanders and the Netherlands under the now established Nederlandse Taalunie (Dutch Language Union ),
  • 2006 in Flanders and the Netherlands.

As in Germany, the established orthography is only mandatory for government bodies and schools , but most Dutch people still follow it. The Woordenlijst Nederlandse Taal (Dutch language list of words), better known as the Green Booklet ( het groene boekje ), serves as a guideline .

To keep up with the changing language , the spelling is adjusted every ten years. The Taalunie justifies this with the continuous changes that take place in Dutch as in all other languages. New words are added and obsolete words are removed.

history

Representation of the phonemes

The representation of the phonemes by graphemes is quite clear in Dutch. Difficulties exist in particular in the correct representation of the final ( final hardening ).

Consonantic Phonemes

  • / bdfsvzhwjmnlr / are represented by the corresponding graphemes.
  • / p / is represented by <p> (also <b> in the end)
  • / t / is represented by <t> (also <d> in the end)
  • / k / is represented by <k>. In addition, <c> is also possible in foreign words and <g> as the final word.
  • / x / is represented by <ch>.
  • / ç / is represented by <g>. In parts of the language area / x / and / ç / coincide.
  • / ʃ / is represented by <sj>
  • / tʃ / is represented by <tj> or <tsj>
  • / ts / is represented by <ts>, in foreign words also as <t> ( democratie )
  • / ŋ / is represented by <ng>

Vowel phonemes

Representing vocal morphemes is less straightforward. The representation of the vowel length requires special attention . Knowledge of the syllable structure is important for this. The following rules apply:

  • Long vowels are represented by one vowel letter in open syllables and by two in closed syllables. Unlike in German, the spelling of a stem can change through inflection ( b oo t Boot, b o -ten Boats).
  • Short vowels are represented by a vowel letter. If they occur in an open syllable, the following consonant letter is doubled ( na t wet, na tt e broeken wet pants).
  • A long / i: / is represented by <ie>. This is always the case in closed syllables, but also occurs in open syllables ( kliniek clinic, klinieken clinics).
  • A long / e: / at the end of the word is indicated by doubling ( zee Meer) or (mainly in words of French origin) with Akut ( café bar).
  • / u / and / u: / are represented by <oe>.
  • / ø: / is represented by <eu> (a corresponding short vowel does not exist).
  • schwa is represented by <e> or <ij>. ( b e lach e l ij k ridiculous). The apostrophe can be used in monosyllabic words ( m ' n broek mein trousers).

Diphthongs

  • / ɛɪ̯ / is represented by <ei> ( korte ei ) or <ij> ( long ij ) ( suffering to lead, lijden to suffer, pronunciation identical).
  • / au / is represented by <au> or <ou> ( pauw peacock, hout wood).
  • / œʏ̯ / is represented by <ui> ( huid skin).

particularities

If two vowels meet in writing that could be read as a long vowel or diphthong, although this is not intended, the second is marked with a trema ( zoölogie , geïdentificeerd ).

Sometimes foreign words are adapted to the Dutch orthography ( paraplu , from the French parapluie , umbrella), but diacritical marks are often retained ( general , stage , enquête , crèche ).

Legal Status

Netherlands

In the Netherlands, spelling is regulated by the Wet voorschriften schrijfwijze Nederlandsche taal (Act regulating the spelling of the Dutch language) of February 14, 1947. In the 1947 law, the government made use compulsory for its organs and educational institutions. Educational institutions whose exams do not follow official spelling cannot award government-recognized diplomas .

In 1996 the Spellingsbesluit (spelling decision) was passed, which placed the Dutch and Belgian orthography under common aegis.

Flanders

The legal basis for spelling in Flanders is the Spellingsbesluit of Prince Regent Charles of Belgium of March 9, 1946. It stipulates that official spelling is mandatory for government bodies and educational institutions. However, there is no penalty for failure to comply.

In 1996 the Spellingsbesluit (spelling decision) was taken, which puts the Dutch and Belgian orthography under common aegis.

Documents

The following documents have legal force through the Spellingsbesluit in both countries:

  • the Leidraad Nederlandse Spelling (Appendix 1 to the decisions of both countries in 1996),
  • a word list of approximately 16,000 words (Appendix 2).

The above mentioned Woordenlijst Nederlandse taal is an extension of these supplements. This means that not all words in the Green Booklet enjoy official status: A word in the Green Booklet that is neither included in Appendix 2 nor falls under one of the rules mentioned in Appendix 1 has no official status.

Different orthographies

In a number of dictionaries and other reference materials after 1995 the spelling deviated from the Green Booklet in some points. This particularly affected the dictionaries by Van Dale , Het Spectrum and the White Booklet (see below). Since 2005, all of these works have again followed the official spelling.

Since these reference works were created at the same time on the basis of interpretable rules, they contain a number of different manipulations. The following list does not claim to be complete:

  • actievoeren (Groene Boekje, GB), actie voeren (Van Dale, VD)
  • handenvol werk (GB), handen vol werk (VD)
  • een Onzevader (GB), een onzevader (VD)
  • Qatar (GB), Qatar (VD)

Furthermore, the Genootschap Onze Taal has put together its own spelling guide, in which a system that deliberately deviates from the official regulations is used: the Witte Boekje (White Booklet). The White Booklet strives for greater confidence in the speaker's own feeling for language and therefore, according to its own statement, presents rules that are easier to understand. What is remarkable about the White Booklet is that every word bears a reference to the spelling rules that apply to it. The White Booklet still retains some rules that became obsolete with the 1995 reform, such as: B. the rule that temporal nouns like Middeleeuwen Mittelalter or Quartair Quaternary begin with capital letters.