West Flemish

West Flemish (West Flemish: Vlaemsch, Dutch: West-Vlaams) is a group of dialects, spoken in parts of the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.

The West Flemish dialect is spoken by around 1.05 million people in West Flanders (in Belgium), 90,000 in the neighbouring Dutch coastal district of Zeelandic Flanders, and approximately 20,000 in the northern part of the French département of Nord where it is classified as one of the Languages of France.

The dialects of the Dutch province of Zeeland, Zealandic, are sometimes also classified under West Flemish Hollandic Dutch but this is sometimes disputed. The dialects of Zeelandic Flanders however do count as West Flemish variants. In fact, both dialects are linked by a dialect continuum, which proceeds further north into Hollandic.