LL-L "Language politics" 2007.11.25 (08) [E]

[Lowlands-L List]

L O W L A N D S - L  -  25 November 2007 - Volume 08
Song Contest: lowlands-l.net/contest/ (- 31 Dec. 2007)
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From:  Roger Thijs, Euro-Support, Inc. <roger.thijs at euro-support.be>
Subject: LL-L "Language politics" 2007.11.25 (04) [E]

About the road signs.

In Belgium we are faced with a trilingual situation
(Dutch/French/German) for the officiël languages.
*(I forget momentarily the regional languages, although in several
municipalities they are used for a second caption on street name plates,
often not a translation but the local version, often refering to an older
variant).*

We are used to double naming especially Dutch/French in the Brussels area,
and it is not uncommon to see:
Sch*aa*rbeek / Sch*ae*rbeek
or Scha*a/e*rbeek (with a little a above a little e or vice-versa)

It looks silly to foreigners but it is a consequence of an official
equivalence of languages.
I guess in Canada you will find similar things (I presume with a reduced
letter size for the English version in Quebec).

Regards,
Roger
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