“Ma crotje”, a nice name? Is “gosette” a pastry? Is “moeilezel” an animal? Bruxellois, also spelled “brusseleir”, was born in Brussels in the 19th century. However, it became more widespread in the capital a little later, in the course of the 20th century, through the fusion of Brabançon, the German-Dutch language used at the time, and French, imposed during the French occupation (1792-1814). It was even recognized as the only official language following the country’s independence in 1831! Full of typical expressions and variants, Brussels is fascinating for its abundance of Germanic syntax blending with the roots of French speech. Here’s everything you need to know about this capital city dialect!
The history of Brussels dialect
When Belgium declared its independence in 1830, most Belgians still spoke Flemish and Walloon dialects, including Brabant. Although French had just been elected the country’s only official language, it was only spoken by some of the nobility, the bourgeoisie and the population with secondary education.
In 1914,French became compulsory for all pupils aged 6 to 14. With the arrival in Brussels of French-speaking middle-class residents from the south of the country, a change occurred. From then on, French spread to the working classes. Then the ex-Brabant and its German-Dutch roots mixed with French to give birth to… the Brussels language.
“Alleï, fieu, dis!
French has a rich presence in Brabant and is regularly found in words with a French root and a Germanic suffix. Examples include “autoriseire” (to authorize), “applaudisseire” (to applaud) and “constateire” (to note). This “brusseleir” can also vary according to neighborhood: vloms (or Flemish Bruxellois) is more commonly used in the Marolles district, while bargoensch is a slang specific to Molenbeek and was used by thugs of the time.
Does Tintin speak Brussels?
The Bruxellois language is quickly making its mark on culture. Its humor and zwanze (a type of exaggerated humor and art of living born of Brussels) are clearly identifiable in Fonson and Wicheler’s play “Le Mariage de Mademoiselle Beulemans” (1910), as well as in D’Hanswyck and Van Stalle’s “Bossemans et Coppenolle” (1938). Hergé himself made regular use of them in his “Tintin ” and “Quick et Flupke” comics. And even Jacques Brel alluded to it in his song “Bruxelles”!
“Fais pas ton zievereir”!
But then, is “bruxellois” still used today? Sadly, no… As you probably already know, the vast majority of people in Brussels have now completely switched over to French. Nevertheless, a few words have survived and are still used. These include: a “babbeleir” (talkative), a “zievereir” (storyteller), a “brol” (bazaar, mess), a “dikkenek” (pretentious), a “peï” (the equivalent of “mec”) and the famous “drache ” (torrential rain), also used by the French of northern France. Now that’s some “brol”!
Sources: Brussels Life / Wikipedia / La Bruxelloise de Liège
*In French: “Allez, mec, raconte!