History of the Dutch language

collective name of Dutch dialects of the High and Late Middle Ages

set of Franconian dialects spoke in the Low Countries during the Early Middle Ages

language shift from Dutch to French in Brussels

aspect of history

inscription discovered on the scabbard of a 5th-century sword

''''' (in Medieval Latin, corresponding to Old English þēodisc, Old High German diutisc and other early Germanic reflexes of Proto-Germanic *þiudiskaz', meaning "popular" or "of the people") was a term used in the early Middle Ages to refer to the West Germanic languages. The Latin term was borrowed from the Germanic adjective meaning "of the people" but, unlike it, was used only to refer to languages. In Medieval Western Europe non-native Latin was the language of science, church and administration, hence Latin theodiscus and its Germanic counterparts were used as antonyms of Latin, to refer