In the Netherlands language is not a bone of contention as in many other countries. But what languages are spoken are worth protecting. The Volkskrant interviewed former VVD politician Marieke Sanders-ten Holte, member of the Advice committee on European regional languages.

In the Netherlands Frisian, Limburgish, Lower Saxon, Yiddish and the Sinti/Roma languages are spoken. The European charter of regional and minority languages, which the Netherlands ratified, has given them protected status.
Every three to four years the committee checks up on the health of the protected languages of Europe, Sanders-ten Holte tells the paper. The committee can pick up on circumstances in which minority languages might be under threat but does not have the power to sanction governments in case of neglect.
Frisian
A recent threat identified by the committee is the new Media act. The position of regional television and radio stations will change, including those broadcasting in Frisian, the Netherlands second official language. ‘We are afraid that the freedom to broadcast in the regional language will be restricted’, Sanders-ten Holte explains, and Frisian is under pressure as it is. The justice system is being reformed. At the moment all procedures can be conducted in Frisian but in future cases may be transferred to Groningen, for instance cases involving family law. And what better way to express yourself, especially where sensitive matters are concerned, than in your own language? The court in Groningen doesn’t permit Frisian being spoken.’
Recognition
Some languages are more equal than others. Frisian is the only language of the five which has a ‘high protection level’. With the other four it is a matter of recognition more than anything else, Sanders-ten Holte says. And yes, different variations of Lower Saxon are spoken in the Netherlands, in Drenthe, Groningen and parts of Overijssel, all of them to be respected and cherished, she says, ‘as the key to the past and part of people’s identity.’
Although language is not a political hot potato in the Netherlands, some provinces, like Zeeland, complain about being ignored by the charter.
Dialect
‘Limburgish is considered a regional language while Zeeuws is seen as a dialect. And that doesn’t come with its own protection which costs money’, Sanders-ten Holte explains. ‘In Limburg people can do a spelling course in their language, for instance and Drenthe has its own dictionary, all initiatives backed by the charter.’
Yiddish and the Roma and Sinti languages are a case apart. These are not languages spoken in a specific region. The Netherlands has only a handful of Yiddish speakers left although many Yiddish words have crept into the Dutch language.
Roma
There are 7,000 Romani speaking gypsies in the Netherlands and the Netherlands should contribute to the European policy on the protection of their language, Sanders-ten Holte tells the paper. ‘The problem there is that the Netherlands hasn’t entered the Roma as an official minority in the European minority charters. The problem with the Sinti language is that it is not a written language, the Sinti culture forbids it. It’s difficult to keep the language alive because people are not living in one place. The charter’s importance lies in encouraging the authorities to enter into a dialogue with people who speak minority languages’.