Community Conflict in Belgium and its Linguistic Reflections
Community Conflict in Belgium and its Linguistic Reflections

Summary/Abstract: The paper analyses the difficult Flemish-Walloon relationship and its reflections in the language spoken by the inhabitants of Belgium. It examines, in turn, the language tensions between the two communities and their linguistic reflections, the linguistic implications of ideological, political and constitutional divisions and the "key words" for the regional identities as well as the (lack of) Belgian identity. The paper is based on a theoretical framework of Sapir-Whorf hypothesis which treats language as a product of a common culture of society. The material is drawn from newspaper articles in the Belgian French-speaking press and from the scientific literature. The analysis suggests that the numerous “belgicismes” (i.e. specifically Belgian expressions which have no equivalents in “standard” French or Dutch) are a reflection of the Belgian cultural, social and historical specificity and in particular the mutual reluctance of the two main ethno-linguistic groups in the country. Finally, the „key words” used by the inhabitants of the various parts of Belgium reveal differences in the regional (Flemish, Waloon and Brussels) identities and a weak sense of national identity.

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