Editing Flanders (section)

==== Languages ====
At the creation of the Belgian state, French was the only official language. Historically Flanders was a Dutch-speaking region. For a long period, French was used as a [[second language]] and, like elsewhere in Europe, commonly spoken among the aristocracy. There is still a French-speaking minority in Flanders, especially in the [[municipalities with language facilities]], along the language border and the [[municipalities with language facilities#Rim municipalities|Brussels periphery]] (Vlaamse Rand), though many of them are French-speakers that migrated to Flanders in recent decades.

In [[French Flanders]], French is the only official language and now the native language of the majority of the population, but there is still a minority of Dutch-speakers living there. French is also the primary language in the officially bilingual [[Brussels Capital Region]] (see [[Francization of Brussels]]).

Many Flemings are also able to speak French, children in Flanders generally get their first French lessons in the 5th primary year (normally around 10 years). But the current lack of French outside the educational context makes it hard to maintain a decent level of French. As such, the proficiency of French is declining. Flemish pupils are also obligated to follow English lessons as their third language. Normally from the second secondary year (around 14 years old), but the ubiquity of English in movies, music, IT and even advertisements makes it easier to learn and maintain the English language.