For many reasons, some of which go back several centuries, the Flemish don’t like to think that they are speaking another people’s language. They insist on calling the language they use Flemish rather than Dutch. Some also think that Dutch as it is used in the Netherlands sounds cold and isn’t very expressive, while secretly being jealous of what they perceive as Dutch people’s perfect command of the language.

The Dutch, on the other hand, often think that Flemish is very colourful, or that the Flemish are very meticulous in their use of the language. Others think it is a bit of a funny little lingo.

In fact, the Dutch and the Flemish speak many variants of the same language. It even varies within one country: the language in Amsterdam is as different from that in Eindhoven as Cockney is different from Geordie, and the sounds you hear in Bruges are as different from those in Brussels as the speech of Dallas is from that of New York .

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