Dutch, also known as Flemish or Netherlandic, is the national language of the Netherlands and one of three official languages in Belgium.
Dutch is the language of administration in the Dutch-influenced country of Suriname in South America and several of the Caribbean islands, formerly known as the Netherlands Antilles.
Many are not aware that Afrikaans of South Africa is a derivation of Dutch and is mutually intelligible.
Approximately 28 million people worldwide speak Dutch as a first or second language.
Dutch is a descendant of Old Frankish and is closely related to other West Germanic languages such as German and English.
Most Dutch speakers are in the Netherlands, where Dutch is the official language. It is also the official language in Antilles and Surinam.
The English language uses many Dutch loanwords, including cookie, gherkin, iceberg, brandy, coleslaw, and bamboo. Likewise, Dutch borrows many words from the English vocabulary, like e-mail, and outfit.
There are many compound words in Dutch. The longest example is Kindercarnavalsoptochtvoorbereidingswerkzaamhedenplan, which means “preparation activities for a children’s carnival procession.”