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Case study: Belgium

Belgium is home to a complex linguistic landscape that profoundly impacts its society, politics and daily life.

The country is divided into two main language groups: the Dutch-speaking Flemings in the northern Flanders region and the French-speaking Walloons in the southern region of Wallonia. There is also a small German-speaking community in the east and the Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual, where both French and Dutch are spoken. These linguistic divides led lawyer and politician Jules Destrée to write a letter to King Albert I in 1912. In it, he wrote:

“Sire, you reign over two peoples. In Belgium, there are Walloons and Flemings, there are no Belgians.” (Destrée, 1912)

This sentiment highlights how language has historically functioned as a dividing line between the people of Belgium, a line that was first made official in 1878 (Touriel, 2023). This linguistic border was revised 1921 and 1932, but the divisions proved so contentious that it was fixed permanently in 1962 and has not adapted to population changes since.

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The Power of Languages

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National team, linguistic division

Even in sport, language creates borders. The Belgian national football team, the Diables Rouges or the Rode Duivels, notably adopted English as their training language in 2018 to bypass communication difficulties between the French and Dutch-speaking players (Grond, 2018). While this use of English is unlikely to hinder the team’s performance on the field, it demonstrates the lack of cohesion between Belgium’s linguistic communities. So entrenched is the division that players have to rely on a lingua franca which is not their first language. Nevertheless, attempts have been made to inspire national unity on the pitch. For many years, players sang a version of the national anthem “la Brabançonne” in their first language. However, in 2023 the Belgian Football Association (RBFA) introduced a new version of the song, incorporating all three official languages to foster a sense of unity and address “community or linguistic quarrels” (Azouze, 2023).

In Brussel, we spreken Frans en Vlaams, oké?

The divide is even acknowledged by some of the country’s most prominent artists. During a 2013 performance at the Fête de la Communauté Française, French-speaking singer Stromae famously exclaimed:

“Spreken jullie Vlaams ? In Brussel, we spreken Frans en Vlaams, oké?” (Do you speak Flemish? In Brussels, we speak French and Flemish, OK?”

While some argued against the political stance, the pronouncement was met with cheers and approval from both sides of the linguistic divide (RTL, 2013). Angèle, another popular Belgian singer, also addressed linguistic tensions in her song ‘Bruxelles, je t’aime (Brussels, I love you)’. She laments the possibility of having to choose a side, singing:

“J’ai vécu mes plus belles histoires en français et en flamand. Laat mij het zeggen in het Vlaams, dank je Brussel.” (“I have had my most beautiful experiences in French and Flemish. Let me say it in Flemish, thank you Bruxelles.”)

Although they may not be the force that unites all Belgians, artists like Stromae and Angèle bring greater visibility to Belgium’s linguistic challenges, using their platform to encourage reflection on questions of identity, language and belonging.

Dire consequences

While sports teams and artists reveal the everyday social and cultural consequences of Belgium’s linguistic divide, the separation of these communities can have grave consequences. In March 2001, in the small Walloon village of Pécrot, a French-speaking signalman tried to warn his Dutch-speaking counterpart in Leuven about a train that had departed against a red signal. However, the language barrier between the two meant that the message was not understood, leading to a head-on collision in Pécrot that killed eight people and injured 12. The disaster brought to light the absence of a single operational language for railway workers or requirement for them to understand French and Dutch. In response, emergency codes were established to facilitate communication, bilingualism was imposed on trains in Brussels and conductors were required to speak the language of the region that they worked in (Duculot, 2021). A later trial established that it was not just the language barrier that caused the crash – the reception was poor in the region and there was no automatic train control system – but the case nonetheless demonstrates how such deep linguistic divisions can have fatal consequences.

Belgium’s internal borders were drawn on linguistic grounds, meaning that modern-day tensions between communities are based almost entirely in language. It is a textbook example of language creating borders, shaping regional identity and driving politics. Despite efforts to bridge the divide, the deep-rooted linguistic separation in Belgium continues to affect every facet of life.