Samenvatting
This article discusses an exploratory study of the language use and choice in 19th-century foundlings’ letters from Gent. Inspired by the ‘language history from below’ tradition, this study aims to deepen our knowledge of language past regarding the written language of ‘ordinary people’. After focusing on the tension between non-standard writing prac- tices and standard norms, we look at the language choice in the foundlings’ letters. It is remarkable that some of these letters were written in French, whereas it is generally assumed that lower class people only spoke Dutch dialects. We will try and contextualize our findings concerning language choice within the broader framework of tensions between French and Dutch in Belgium.
Originele taal-2 | English |
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Pagina's (van-tot) | 269-287 |
Aantal pagina's | 19 |
Tijdschrift | Handelingen van de Koninklijke Zuid-Nederlandse Maatschappij voor Taal- en Letterkunde en Geschiedenis |
Volume | LXVII |
Status | Published - 2014 |