Historical Overview
See also: Netherlands (terminology)In English the language of the people of the Netherlands and Flanders is referred to as Dutch; or rarely as Netherlandic, a term with multiple meanings. Dutch as a word is derived from Middle Dutch duutsch, dūtsch and was originally applied to continental West-Germanic speakers, be it of Dutch, Frisian or German origin. By 1600, it had come to be used exclusively as the language spoken in Flanders and the current Netherlands. The exclusive use of Dutch for the people of the Netherlands occurred after the Dutch formed an independent state and became the focus of English commercial rivalry.
Read more about this topic: Names For The Dutch Language
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