Commentators? Language?

[DirtyWorks]

These are easy questions for some, but I'm a sheltered Yankee...

What language are these guys speaking? Flemish? Dutch? http://www.youtube.com/user/cyclocrosschannel#p/u/1/Mm2OL7a8-Bs

I watch the videos as they become available and like the lead commentator on the above URL the most. I don't even understand what he's saying. Who is he?

 

[Barrus]

These are easy questions for some, but I'm a sheltered Yankee...

What language are these guys speaking? Flemish? Dutch? http://www.youtube.com/user/cyclocrosschannel#p/u/1/Mm2OL7a8-Bs

I watch the videos as they become available and like the lead commentator on the above URL the most. I don't even understand what he's saying. Who is he?

They are speaking Dutch, they are Flemish, but Flemish people speak Dutch. It is the same language The lead commentator is Michel Wuyts, lead commentator of most of Sporza's cycling

 

[El Pistolero]

Michel Wuyts is an amazing commentator

 

[Echoes]

Yeah he's great.

Wuyts and Herygers are not Flemish by the way. They resp. come from Leuven and Herentals.


I can't get enough of that sprint. Most beautiful sprint I've ever seen.

 

[Barrus]

Yeah he's great.

Wuyts and Herygers are not Flemish by the way. They resp. come from Leuven and Herentals.


I can't get enough of that sprint. Most beautiful sprint I've ever seen.

I thought everything not Wallonian was Flemish At least that's the way we thingk about them

 

[Echoes]

Of course, not. Flanders in Belgium are roughly two provinces, East and West.

 

[Barrus]

Of course, not. Flanders in Belgium are roughly two provinces, East and West.

Strangely enough I know this girl from Leuven and she says she is Flemish

 

[Hugh Januss]

Strangely enough I know this girl from Leuven and she says she is Flemish

That sounds like the beginning of a limerick.

 

[The Gnome]

Not sure what is meant by the comment that someone from Leuven or Herentals does not speak Flemish...the guy in the video is speaking Flemish, period...you can call it Dutch but I wouldn't do that to a Flemish person's face actually...maybe the guy is referring to dialect...each village seems to have a slightly different dialect but it is all Vlaams...I lived in Leuven for quite awhile so unless I missed something then I don't know. I think the guy is being sorta a smart#ss...which wouldn't surprise me if he were Flemish...

 

[The Gnome]

Not sure what is meant by the comment that someone from Leuven or Herentals does not speak Flemish...the guy in the video is speaking Vlaams, period...maybe the guy is referring to dialect...each village seems to have a slightly different dialect but it is all Vlaams, which IS of course Dutch but I would not say that to a Flemish fellow's face as he most likely would smack you with a waffle or even a Stella bottle...I lived in Leuven for quite awhile so unless I missed something then I don't know. I think the guy is being sorta a smart#ss...which wouldn't surprise me if he were Flemish...

 

[GreggGermer]

Quick geography and linguilstic lesson on the small but complicated Democratic Monarchy that is Belgium.

Belgium is officially TRI-lingual, with the northern part, Flanders, speaking Flemish, the south Wallonia, speaking French and Brussels-Halle-Villvorde (dispite being surrounded by the region of Flanders) is bi-lingual. Finally, there is a small part of Belgium next to the German border that is german speaking officially.

Now, when it comes to who is and isn't Flemish I would say that most people who live in a community that speaks Vlaams (Flemish) identify themselves with being Flemish.

And Vlaams is a version/dialect of Dutch much in the same way in English we have different dialects for US/CanadaIrish/South African/Welsch/Scottish/Australian/ etc. etc ... it's all English, but not always the same words or spelling for things (pram and stroller, or the wonderful Aluminum-Aliuminium debate I just heard the other day).

If you come from Leuven or Herentals you are coming from the Vlaams-Brabant or Antwerpen Provence and the region of Flanders (Vlaanderen) ... I consider you to be Flemish AND Belgian, which you prefer to refer to yourself as is your choice ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flemish_Region

And after all that ... I do like the commentary of Marcel Wuyts ... I'm not 100% fluent in Flemish and tend to watch rather than listen to the commentary these days if I do catch a race on TV. My favorite is his use of English phrases in the middle of commentary to describe an action that just took place.

And if you really want to see why Belgium hasn't formed a government, watch this video on the insane way they structured the government:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlwHotpl9DA

I think it was made so complicated that no country dare invade for fear of wrapping themselves in mounds of Belgian red-tape, nope, it's better to move on to a less-complicated country to conquer.

 

[Echoes]

Not sure what is meant by the comment that someone from Leuven or Herentals does not speak Flemish...the guy in the video is speaking Vlaams, period...maybe the guy is referring to dialect...each village seems to have a slightly different dialect but it is all Vlaams, which IS of course Dutch but I would not say that to a Flemish fellow's face as he most likely would smack you with a waffle or even a Stella bottle...I lived in Leuven for quite awhile so unless I missed something then I don't know. I think the guy is being sorta a smart#ss...which wouldn't surprise me if he were Flemish...

Then why d'you say it's Flemish?

Of course these are varieties of Dutch. Dialect spoken in Leuven is Brabants. Dialect spoken in Herentals is Antwerps. Flemish dialects are spoken in East and West Flanders.

And you notice that Wuyts speaks perfect standard Dutch.

But he's a Brabander and Herijgers is a Campiner, like so many crossers by the way. He comes from the same town as Van Looy who never considered himself as Flemish.

By the way, I'm Flemish by my dad, Brabander (Brussels) by my mum, Walloon born and raised. Belgian on my ID. And Orangist by heart.
Lol at this second YT clip. So true.

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

Echoes, stop spreading this crap here.

Flanders is the whole dutch speaking part of Belgium, not only this 2 provinces.
(i'm speaking of 2011, not of 1302)

 

[Hoekstyn]

Then why d'you say it's Flemish?

Of course these are varieties of Dutch. Dialect spoken in Leuven is Brabants. Dialect spoken in Herentals is Antwerps. Flemish dialects are spoken in East and West Flanders.

And you notice that Wuyts speaks perfect standard Dutch.

By the way, I'm Flemish by my dad, Brabander (Brussels) by my mum, Walloon born and raised. Belgian on my ID. And Orangist by heart.
Lol at this second YT clip. So true.

Maybe to you he speaks perfect Dutch. I was born and raised in Haarlem, the socalled cradle of perfect Dutch (decided by whomever decides that) and I love to listen to him because of his "Flemish twist" on the Dutch language. They also speak Dutch in Limburg, can't understand a word they are saying. How about Enschede, ever heard a true Mokumer (Amsterdammer)? What is perfect Dutch? Just the same I love their broadcasts and they have a grand store of knowledge and trivia that makes it that much more entertaining.
Many more years to him and his sidekick (en zien ganze familie LOL).

Hoek.

 

[L'arriviste]

Maybe to you he speaks perfect Dutch. I was born and raised in Haarlem, the socalled cradle of perfect Dutch (decided by whomever decides that) and I love to listen to him because of his "Flemish twist" on the Dutch language. They also speak Dutch in Limburg, can't understand a word they are saying. How about Enschede, ever heard a true Mokumer (Amsterdammer)? What is perfect Dutch? Just the same I love their broadcasts and they have a grand store of knowledge and trivia that makes it that much more entertaining.
Many more years to him and his sidekick (en zien ganze familie LOL).

Hoek.

Argh! Another Flemish-Dutch debate begins!

I like Wuyts for a sort of "grainy" quality he has.

His voice takes me straight back to the cigarette-smoking, sheepskin-coating commentaries of Alex Murphy and Ray French doing the Rugby League on the BBC when I was a kid.

Plus he also gets strangely conversational when he's pretty tense, just like all of us watching at home, until he bursts out with some odd, high-pitched statement like "Photofinish! Photofinish!"

 

[Buffalo Soldier]

They made a dutch/flemish thread for this: http://forum.cyclingnews.com/showthread.php?t=12788&page=3

 

[Michielveedeebee]

Not sure what is meant by the comment that someone from Leuven or Herentals does not speak Flemish...the guy in the video is speaking Vlaams, period...maybe the guy is referring to dialect...each village seems to have a slightly different dialect but it is all Vlaams, which IS of course Dutch but I would not say that to a Flemish fellow's face as he most likely would smack you with a waffle or even a Stella bottle...I lived in Leuven for quite awhile so unless I missed something then I don't know. I think the guy is being sorta a smart#ss...which wouldn't surprise me if he were Flemish...

Brabants actually