Editing Maastricht (section)

=== Languages ===
Maastricht is a city of linguistic diversity, partly as a result of its location at the crossroads of multiple language areas and its international student population.

* [[Dutch language|Dutch]] is the national language and the language of elementary and secondary education (excluding international institutions) as well as administration. Dutch in Maastricht is often spoken with a distinctive Limburgish [[Accent (dialect)|accent]], which should not be confused with the Limburgish language.
* [[Limburgish]] (or ''Limburgian'') is the overlapping term of the [[tonal languages|tonal]] dialects spoken in [[Limburg (Netherlands)|the Dutch]] and [[Limburg (Belgium)|the Belgian]] provinces of Limburg. The [[Maastrichtian dialect]] (''Mestreechs'') is only one of many variants of Limburgish. It is characterised by stretched [[vowel]]s and some French influence on its vocabulary. In recent years the Maastricht dialect has been in decline (see [[dialect levelling]]) and a language switch to Standard Dutch has been noted.<ref name="Dialect of Maastricht">{{cite web|title=The dialect of Maastricht |year=1999 |publisher=University of Nijmegen, Centre for Language Studies |url=http://www.let.kun.nl/gep/carlos/Maastrich2ipa.pdf |author1=Gussenhoven, C. |author2=Aarts, F. |name-list-style=amp |access-date=12 July 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612092141/http://www.let.kun.nl/gep/carlos/Maastrich2ipa.pdf |archive-date=12 June 2011 }}</ref>
* [[French language|French]] used to be the language of education and culture in Maastricht. In the late 18th century the language gained a powerful position as the judicial and administrative language, and throughout the following century it was the preferred language of the upper classes. Between 1851 and 1892 a Francophone newspaper (''Le Courrier de la Meuse'') was published in Maastricht.<ref name="Kessels-van der Heijde">{{cite book |title=Maastricht, Maestricht, Mestreech |last=Kessels-van der Heijde |first=Maria |year=2002 |publisher=Uitgeverij Verloren |location=Hilversum, Netherlands |isbn= 9065507132|pages=11–12 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NP3deKbb9QoC&q=maastricht+tussen+1813+en+1830&pg=PA5|access-date=11 February 2012}}</ref> The language is often part of secondary school curricula. Many proper names are French and the language has left many traces in the local dialect.
* [[German language|German]], like French, is often part of secondary school curricula. Due to Maastricht's geographic proximity to Germany and the great number of German students in the city, German is widely spoken.
* [[English language|English]] has become an important language in education. At [[Maastricht University]] and [[Hogeschool Zuyd]] it is the language of instruction for many courses. Many foreign students and [[expatriates]] use English as a [[lingua franca]]. English is also a mandatory subject in Dutch secondary schools.