The History and Evolution of the Dutch Language

Learning Dutch can sometimes feel like unraveling a mystery novel. And in a way, it is. Understanding how Dutch evolved over time is not only fascinating but also practical for learners.

In this post, we’ll travel from the early Germanic roots of Dutch through Old, Middle, and Modern Dutch. We’ll peek at influences from Latin, French, German, and English, and see how Dutch spread to Belgium and far-flung places.

Along the way, you’ll discover why knowing a bit of history can actually help you learn Dutch today. Let’s dive in. And nee, no time machine needed!

Germanic Roots: From Ancient Franks to Old Dutch

Dutch is a West Germanic language, meaning it’s basically a cousin of English and German (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2025a). It began as the speech of the Western Franks – what linguists call Low Franconian – in the early Middle Ages (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2025a; Donaldson, 1983).

Around 500–700 CE, these Frankish dialects in the Low Countries started to take shape as Old Dutch. Old Dutch (6th–11th century) was the language of ordinary people in what is now the Netherlands and Flanders.

In medieval times, they called their language Diets or Duutsc – meaning “the people’s language” – to distinguish it from Latin, the lofty language of church and scholars (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2025a).

Fun fact: Duutsc is where the English word “Dutch” comes from. And yes, it’s related to Deutsch for German!

Historical records of Old Dutch are scarce but illuminating. The oldest known Dutch sentence appears in a Frankish legal text around 510 CE (van der Sijs, 2001).

By about the year 1100, a homesick Flemish monk jotted down a plaintive line:

“All birds have started making nests, except you and me – what are we waiting for?”

This little love note (or complaint!) is written in Old Dutch. It shows us that even 900 years ago, people were using Dutch to lament their dating life. Clearly, Dutch has been capturing everyday feelings for a long time!

Middle Dutch: A Medieval Makeover

By around 1150 CE, Old Dutch had evolved into Middle Dutch (1150–1500). Middle Dutch wasn’t one single uniform language. It was a collection of regional dialects that were mostly mutually intelligible (Willemyns, 2013).

People in medieval Flanders, Brabant, Holland, and other areas spoke slightly different versions of Middle Dutch. But they could generally understand each other.

There was no single “standard” Dutch yet. But writers still produced great literature – for example, the fable of Reynard the Fox (Van den vos Reynaerde) was written in Middle Dutch and is still famous today.

During this period, Latin remained the language of education and religion. But Dutch was increasingly used in writing for stories, letters, and commerce.

Importantly for learners, Middle Dutch started dropping some of the complicated grammar that Old Dutch (and German) had. For instance, Middle Dutch began simplifying noun cases – a trend that continued. That’s why modern Dutch no longer uses those tricky case endings like German does (Donaldson, 1983).

If you’ve ever been relieved that de and het are much easier than der/dem/des in German, you have history to thank!

Middle Dutch also absorbed many Latin and French words. Trade and cultural exchange brought in new vocabulary. This added variety to Dutch and set the stage for Modern Dutch.

Modern Dutch: Standardization and Global Influence

The transition to Modern Dutch started around 1500. It picked up steam in the 16th and 17th centuries – the era of Dutch explorers and the Dutch Golden Age.

During this time, Dutch started to standardize. The 1637 official Bible translation helped fix a common spelling and vocabulary across regions (Willemyns, 2013).

This “standard Dutch” was based largely on the Hollandic dialect (from the Holland area). That’s why even today, the language is sometimes casually called Hollands.

As the world changed, Dutch absorbed new words:

• Latin: Education and science
• French: Fashion, food, and culture
• German: Some technical and literary terms
• English: Technology, media, and business

Many words you’ll learn in Dutch class today are actually borrowed. Think of computer, weekend, restaurant, bureau, or emailen. Yep – English is everywhere now.

Modern Dutch is simpler than its ancestors. It dropped complicated grammar rules, which makes it more learner-friendly.

And while some sounds (like the famous Dutch “g”) take practice, the language overall has become more consistent and standardized.

Dutch Beyond the Netherlands

Dutch isn’t just spoken in the Netherlands. It’s also used in:

• Flanders (Belgium): Known as Flemish – same language, slightly different accent and vocabulary.
• Suriname: Dutch is the official language, a remnant of colonial history.
• Caribbean (Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten): Dutch is used officially alongside local languages like Papiamento.
• South Africa: Afrikaans, a daughter language of Dutch, developed from 17th-century settlers.

Each of these regions added their own flavor to Dutch. But the core remains recognizable.

Why This Helps You as a Learner

Understanding Dutch history helps you:

• Recognize borrowed words from French, German, and English
• Understand why grammar rules are the way they are
• See connections between Dutch, English, and German
• Appreciate the logic and quirks in pronunciation and spelling

History makes Dutch more than just words and rules – it gives it character.

Want to Learn More?

Use your curiosity about Dutch history to boost your learning.

Explore our DutchFluency courses and the DutchFluency app. They’ll help you connect the past with your present progress.

Knowing where a language comes from helps you know where you can go with it.

Veel leerplezier!

References

Donaldson, B. (1983). Dutch: A Linguistic History of Holland and Belgium. Dordrecht: Foris Publications.

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2025a). Dutch language. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online.

Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2025b). Afrikaans language. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online.

Lendering, J. (n.d.). Dutch Language. Livius.org.

Van der Sijs, N. (2001). Chronologisch woordenboek: De ouderdom en herkomst van onze woorden en betekenissen. Amsterdam: L.J. Veen.

Willemyns, R. (2013). Dutch: Biography of a Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press.