Belgian French

Belgian French is a regional variant of the French language in Belgium. It mainly differs in emphasis from the Swiss French and the French, as it is spoken in France. It is characterized by archaisms and Belgizismen.

Furthermore, Belgian French from the likewise recognized in Belgium Oïl languages ​​Walloon, Picard, Champenois and Lorraine different.

Since the founding of the state in 1830 was the French de facto nationwide the language of the administration, the judiciary and the school system. Only in the 20th century, the French were pushed back in the Flemish part of the country and the majority of Flemings could enforce the full equality of their Dutch language.

Phonetics / phonology

The French used in Belgium ( BF) can be characterized by linguistic features, many of the characteristics described are due to the Walloon substrate.

Vowel system

In BF, the phoneme [/ œ / ], which coincides in France since the mid-20th century [/ ɛ / ] ( minimal pair in BF: [ bʁœ ]: [ bʁɛ ] ) receives more.

The vowel quantity is distinctively phone perk in BF, which can be shown to minimal pairs:

  • The opposition / a /: / a ː / is instead of the (now in favor of / a / largely discontinued ) opposition / a /: / ɑ / of France French (eg [ pat ]: [ pa ː t] );
  • / e /: / e ː /, eg in : , that is, the grammatical category gender is also realized phonetically;
  • / ɛ /: / ɛ ː /, eg in : ;
  • / I /: / I ː / for example in : ;
  • / Y /: / y ː / for example in : (again, marking of the genus ).

In Bernhard Poell, the following notice applies to another vowel quantity in question feature:

" The elongation of other vowels ( vortonig, or stressed before [l ] or voiced occlusive ) [ ... ] is realized in younger speakers and members of higher social classes in the disappearance. "

Some phenomena in the vocal quality of the BF also typical: in the final position of the opening [o ]> [ ɔ ] and [E ]> [ ɛ ] is possible: [ kafɛ ] [ velɔ ] ; occasionally medially: [ diplɔm ] . Word final [e ː ] can be diphthongised to [ eɪ ]: [ aleɪ ] . The group / ɥi / coincides with / wi / together: [ wi (t)] (instead of [ ɥi (t)] ). such as [ wi ] . Finally, oral vowels may occur before nasals / m /, / n / are nasalized: [ pɔɛm ] , [ ʁɛn ] .

The usual in France French strategy to Hiatvermeidung in words like lion, avion - weakening of the [i ] to the semi-vowel [j ], so: [ ljɔ ], [ avjɔ ] - is, except for words in -tion, - lion, used less frequently: [ liɔ ], [ aviɔ ]. In other cases, a glide [ w] or [ j] is between the two colliding vowels inserted: [ fuwɛ ] , [ tɛja ː tʁ ] ( in France: [ fwɛ ], [ tea ː tʁ / teɑtʁ ] ).

  • vowel, eg in , - ortho epic [ lj ] - can be treated as a simple semi-vowel [j ]: [ mijo ], [ mija ː ʁ ].

    Consonantism

    The BF knows one of devoicing in German, Dutch and other languages ​​comparable Desonorisierung word-final obstruents, so [b ]> [ p ], [ ɡ ]> [k ], [ z] > [s ], [ ʒ ]> [ ʃ ] and [v ]> [ f]. Examples: [ bɔp ] , [ dɔk ] , [ ʁos ] , [ bɛlʃ ] , [ ynif ] . ( The phoneme affected are in French in opposition [eg / dɔɡ / : / dɔk / ], which is therefore canceled in the BF in Wortauslaut. )

    The Desonorisierung, in conjunction with the reduction of consonant clusters in final cause unusual sound pictures ( [ ta ː p]

    ).

    In words such as terrible, in which is to be expected after what has been said with a debate like [ tɛʁi ː p] comes, especially in Brussels, a resolution of [b ] [ l] to [ bǝl ] ( with inserted schwa ) in question.

    In place of the combinations [ tj ] and [ dj ] with palatal approximant, eg in Moitié, Didier, can, depending on the preceding plosive, affricate with the voiced and the voiceless postalveolar fricative occur ( [ mwaʧe ( ː ) / mwaʧeɪ ], [ diʤe ( ː ) / diʤeɪ ] ).

    Others

    The pronunciation of the Dutch -derived proper names with BF- speaker comes the Dutch pronunciation usually closer than the pronunciation of these names by speakers of French outside Belgium. The proper name Vandervelde ( larger needles [ v̊ɑndərv̊ɛɫdə ] ) as would be pronounced, while in Belgium with a rather more similar to the Dutch pronunciation as [ fandɛʁfɛldə ] is to be expected by many Francophones in France probably [ vɑndɛʁvɛld ( ə ) ]. This phenomenon can be observed for example in the Belgian news programs in which the policy coverage often carriers of the Dutch name is mentioned. Similar phenomena can be observed, in which the speaker must often deal with foreign language for them proper names in other multilingual societies such as Canada or Switzerland.

    In the active bilingual speakers of Belgian French, which are found primarily in Brussels, may be added to the above, nor interference effects on phonetic- phonological level:

    " Too little tense pronunciation of the vowels, combined with a tendency to elongation Desonorisierung the voiced Auslautkonsonanten, rolled r and velar (" thick "or" Rhenish " ) l characterize the Brussels [ ... ] "

    The name could therefore Bruxelles [ brysɛɫ ] be imposed on normfranzösischem [ bʁysɛl ] or [ bʁyksɛl ] ( cf. Dutch [ brɵsəɫ ] ).

    Spelling

    A river is written in Belgium " Semois " and in France " Semoy ".

    Lexis and semantics

    Part of the Belgizismen are names for specific Belgian institutions ( Statalismen ), on the outside Belgium rarely referred to them include for example the following expressions: bourgmestre ( Q: maire ), échevin ( Q: adjoint au maire ), commune ( Q: municipalité ) candidature ( akadem. degrees), as well as communauté and its derivatives ( communautaire, communautariser ... ) that refer to the division of the country into linguistic communities and flamingant, wallingant and belgicain as names for the representatives of the Flemish and Walloon autonomy aspirations and the advocates of centralism.

    The Belgizismen include some Niederlandismen, eg babeler = causer, see ndl. babbelen ( talk German, chat ) or the expression ça ça colle = cloppe, see ndl. dat klopt (German it is true).

    Instead of soixante - dix (70) and quatre - vingt- dix (90 ) are septante in Belgium (as in the French-speaking Switzerland ) and nonante used. Note, however, that the commonly used in French-speaking Switzerland expressions huitante and octante instead of quatre - vingt (80 ) can not be used in Belgium.

    Also regionalism can be numbered among the Belgizismen if their distribution area largely coincides with Belgium. An example is gosette, the name for a pastry, which comes from the Walloon, or even as a la dragon only in Belgium usual word for rain. La dragon is the national rain, the almost traditionally descends on the national holiday on July 21.

    Finally, some expressions are considered, which are used in Belgium, outside Belgium but have been deprecated. Examples are entièreté totalité instead of Latinism and endéans. Examples of such archaisms are also some anglicisms in the field of sport such as back, forward or keeper that were adopted into French, as the British-born sport of football in the continent became popular, but they were now supplanted in France by French expressions.

    In addition, there are in the BF but also innovations that have not caught on outside Belgium, including those neologisms that are formed by using derivatives (eg navetteur < navette ).

    Walloon language Lorrain dialect Champenois dialect Belgian Revolution Flemish people Social equality Syllable#Coda Vowel reduction Palatal consonant Approximant consonant Fricative consonant Proper noun Language transfer Velar consonant Speech community Centralised government Regionalism (politics) England
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