On Flemish-Dutch Dictionaries

Abstract

The contemporary Dutch language belongs to European multi-centered languages and has three variations: Dutch of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dutch in Northern Belgium, and Dutch in Surinam. There are differences among the above variations which mainly regard the pronunciation and lexicon. The Flemish and Surinam variations pose a great challenge, especially for the translators of the Flemish and Surinam literature. Similarly, they pose also a significant theoretical and practical problem for the authors of one and two-language dictionaries of the Dutch language. The contemporary lexicography attempts to register the differences which one can find between the standard of the Dutch language and: its Northern Belgium variation, as well as its Surinam variation. It needs to be noted that lexicographers so far have been paying much attention to lexical differences between Dutch of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Dutch of the Northern Belgium. In this very paper there are described four printed Flemish-Dutch dictionaries and one online dictionary, we also characterize the Prisma Handwoordenboek Nederlands met onderscheid tussen het Belgisch-Nederlands en Nederlands-Nederlands met medewerking van W. Martin en W. Smedts.