Topmusicanswers
- How do Belgians count in French?
- Is the French spoken in Belgium the same as in France?
- Is there a Belgian French accent?
- Why does half of Belgium speak French?
How do Belgians count in French?
In Belgium and Switzerland, 70 and 90 are numbers that respect the Latin root: septante and nonante. However, the Belgians, with their picky humour, have left traps with the number 80, they say like the French: quatre-vingt… That gives septante (70), quatre-vingt (80) and nonante (90).
Is the French spoken in Belgium the same as in France?
The French language spoken in Belgium differs very little from that of France or Switzerland. It is characterized by the use of some terms that are considered archaic in France, as well as loanwords from languages such as Walloon, Picard and Dutch.
Is there a Belgian French accent?
Belgium. French is spoken by a little less than 40% of the population of Belgium, and although there are different regional accents, a few things reunite all Belgian accents. The Belgian and French accents are quite similar (although both sides would probably disagree!), given that they have a common ancestry.
Why does half of Belgium speak French?
The tension between the two regions only got more intense after Belgium gained independence in 1830 from the Netherlands. French became the official language, which highlighted existing class tensions between the nobility (who generally spoke French) and the Flemish (who were seen as lower-class).
