Middle Dutch

Middle Dutch is a West Germanic language that was spoken in the Middle Ages. It is the predecessor of Modern Dutch. Middle Dutch was spoken in the Low Countries, which are now modern-day Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. It was also spoken in parts of France and Germany. The first known use of Middle Dutch dates back to 1150. It was used in the Holy Roman Empire until the 13th century. By the 14th century, the use of Middle Dutch began to decline as the use of Standard Dutch (which is now Modern Dutch) began to increase. Middle Dutch is a Germanic language that is closely related to Old Dutch, English, and German. It is considered to be one of the three major West Germanic languages. Middle Dutch literature is some of the oldest in the world. It includes works such as the 12th-century poem "Rose of the World" and the 13th-century "Alexander Romance". Middle Dutch was the language of commerce and government in the Low Countries. It was also the language of science and scholarship. Many important works of philosophy, theology, and law were written in Middle Dutch. The decline of Middle Dutch began in the 14th century. By the 16th century, the language was no longer spoken or understood by the majority of the population in the Low Countries. However, it continued to be used by some scholars and writers until the 18th century. Today, there are only a few hundred speakers of Middle Dutch. Most of them are older people who live in the Netherlands.