Dutch
or a variety of Dutch is spoken in The Netherlands, the northern
half of Belgium, where it is called Flemish, and is an official
language in the Netherlands Antilles as well as in Surinam.
Dutch is also the basis for one of the official languages of
South Africa, Afrikaans. Approximately 21 million people speak
Dutch today throughout the world. Dutch, like English, is one
of the Germanic languages, and thus part of the Indo-European
family. It stands about midway between English and German and
is the closest to English of any of the major languages.
Long
a maritime nation, the Dutch have left their imprint on many
languages of the world. Many Dutch nautical terms have been
adopted into other languages. Dutch idioms and syntax are still
evident in present-day Indonesian. English words of Dutch origin
include deck, yacht, easel, freight. furlough, brandy, cookie,
cruller, waffle, maelstrom, isinglass, and Santa Claus. Many
place names in New York City, such as Brooklyn, Flushing, Harlem,
Staten Island, and the Bowery, are reminders of the old Dutch
colony of New Amsterdam.
