Answer

According to Flemish militants at the turn of the century, all too often Flemings still lacked respect for their own language and culture. Dutch or, to use the more common term, “Flemish” continued to be a low-status language. In comparison with the French language, Flemish enjoyed little prestige: French had for long been the country´s only official language and continued to be the dominant language in the national institutions; French was regarded more highly as a language of culture, education and science; French was the everyday language of Belgium´s elite, the language of its industrial circles, as well as a major international language; in addition, the French standard language had since long been widely accepted as a linguistic norm. Knowing French was a springboard to a higher social position. Dutch-speakers were under extreme pressure to adopt the French language and, in effect, become bilingual. In Brussels in particular, the process of Frenchification would proceed unabated after the First World War.

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