22-05-2026, 10:56 AM
I agree, the majority of the places that stand out have either been part of Flanders historically or, like Hainaut, connected to it through the Burgundians.
More broadly speaking, it is extremely plausible in these places to presume language mixing:
In the areas highlighted by our search, there's a good chance for any literate individual to have been in one of those cases. Basically modern day Belgium and large parts of northern France. If you consider the whole area of Burgundian influence, you can even go broader.
The main outlier might remain the Norman entry?
More broadly speaking, it is extremely plausible in these places to presume language mixing:
- Someone who grew up in a Flemish dialect but learned French.
- Someone who grew up bilingually.
- Someone who grew up speaking French but had a lot of contact with Flemish speakers.
In the areas highlighted by our search, there's a good chance for any literate individual to have been in one of those cases. Basically modern day Belgium and large parts of northern France. If you consider the whole area of Burgundian influence, you can even go broader.
The main outlier might remain the Norman entry?