Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
6
CHAPTER
Language
Field Note
What Should I Say?
Figure 6.1
Brussels, Belgium.
A health insurance offi ce in the bilingual capital city of Brussels displays
duplicates of each of their posters, one in French and one in Flemish.
© Erin H. Fouberg.
In stores throughout Brussels, Belgium, you can see the capital city's bilingualism
all around you—literally. From McDonald's to health insurance offi ces (Fig. 6.1) to
the metro, signs in Brussels are posted in duplicate, with one in Flemish (a variant
of Dutch) and one in French.
Walking into a travel agency in Brussels one afternoon, I immediately noticed
the signs in duplicate: two signs towered over the woman behind the counter; two
signs advertised a new budget airline carrier that would be serving the Brussels air-
port; two signs labeled the restrooms; and two signs announced the travel agency's
hours of operation.
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