Dutch language group petitions against use of
English on public transport
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10 August
2023, By Victoria Séveno
Being in a
country where you don’t speak the language can be a confusing and intimidating
experience - combine that with having to use an unfamiliar public transport
system, and it’s easy to get stressed out and find yourself lost in a random
part of an unknown city. In spite of this, however, one Dutch language group
advocates for trams and buses in The Hague to scrap their English-language
announcements, arguing that it discriminates against Dutch citizens.
Dutch group campaigning against Anglicisation of the
Netherlands
Stichting
Taalverdediging, a foundation made up of a group of Dutch language enthusiasts,
advocates “for the recovery and preservation of the Dutch language”, and fights
against “the threat to Dutch posed by Anglicisation / Americanisation”. The
group argues that, if nothing is done to ensure Dutch remains in use in the
Netherlands, the loss of the language “in a few year's time” will be “our own
fault”.
With this
in mind, back in the spring, Stichting Taalverdediging launched a new campaign
aimed at abolishing English-language public transport announcements in The
Hague. “At every stop that the trams and buses of the [city’s public transport
operator] HTM call at, the speaker on the audio tape explains the stop and
everything in the area, not only in Dutch, but also in English,” the group
writes on its website. “It is really unbearable.”
English on public transport discriminates against
Dutch speakers
Stichting
Taalverdediging has also launched a petition, calling on people in the
Netherlands to join their cause and fight against “this excessive use of the
English language”. While the group feels it is fair to cater to tourists in the
city, they argue that “HTM goes much too far” in its use of English on public
transport, as it results in expats and international students “not [taking] the
trouble to learn Dutch”.
The group
also feels that the use of English discriminates against Dutch-speaking
locals.“The Dutch constitution states that everyone in the Netherlands must be
treated equally in equal circumstances,” the petition states. “That is not the
case with the HTM. English speakers are favoured and the many other non-native
speakers are left behind.”
HTM and The Hague municipality unlikely to make any
changes
English-language
announcements on public transport in the Netherlands have been around for a
while, not just in The Hague but also in cities like Amsterdam. While some
Dutch-language activists may be annoyed by the prevalence of the English
language in the Netherlands, many locals don’t seem to share that frustration:
at the time of writing, the petition has just 94 signatures.
Regardless
of any potential sudden increase in signatures, Stichting Taalverdediging’s
campaign is unlikely to lead to anything. Talking to the AD, a spokesperson for
HTM said they understood the concerns, but emphasised that the company also
catered to “the many tourists and expats” in the city. “If there is a diversion
and we only broadcast in Dutch, they have no idea what’s going on,” the
spokesperson explained.
The local
municipality isn’t too impressed with the criticism either. “We are the
international city of peace and justice, where expats live and tourists come.
As a hospitable city, we like to make ourselves understandable, and that
sometimes requires more languages than just Dutch,” a spokesperson told the AD.
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