Is there no end to the decline of the French language? This happened ion the same week that Morocco banned French spoken in its schools in favour of Arabic -
Britons on their way to the spectacular canals of Bruges will be forced to follow signs for "Brugge" in future because French city names are to be banned in favour of obscure Flemish versions.
Thirty-eight cities will be known exclusively by their Flemish names on road signs and in all official documentation when the Flemish regional parliament approves the law this month.
Some Flemish place names, such as Antwerpen, will remain easily recognisable but visitors arriving on the ferry this summer will have to ask for directions to Brugge (pronounced "bruchu", like the guttural sound in "loch"), rather than the place, famous for its lace and chocolates, formerly known as Bruges.
The route through Flanders to France will be sown with confusion. Those who thought they were heading to Mons will be baffled to find themselves on the road to Bergen; both names are derivatives of words for "mountain". Anyone driving to the Eurotunnel terminal at Lille, just across the French border, will need to know the city's Flemish name, Rijsel.
Courtrai will become Kortrijk, Malines will become Mechelen and Louvain will be known as Leuven under the new law, which is the latest salvo in a long-running linguistic battle between the two largest Belgian communities.
"This is Flemish land and we should only be using Flemish in these cities," said Johan Sauwens, the regional MP who put forward the idea.
"French speakers in these areas still think you have the right to use both languages, which is not true. Many of my colleagues in the Flemish parliament feel the same way as I do and I don't think we will have any problem getting the majority we need."
Mr Sauwens said he wanted the switch to take place before elections this autumn. "We will not be able to change all the signposts overnight, but that will happen. Whatever the name, tourists are still welcome."
While the law would create difficulties for English speakers, Mr Sauwens admitted that its real objective was to remove the rights of French-speakers in the bilingual communities surrounding Brussels, known as the "facility communes".
Although these communities are officially in Flanders, French speakers have the right to address local authorities, including the police and courts, in their mother tongue. Mr Sauwens said his law would end this special arrangement.
The language battle may seem trivial to outsiders, but it is taken very seriously in Belgium.
Years of protest and student riots over which language should be used in the lecture hall led to the splitting of Louvain University in 1968.
Many Flemish people are still smarting from injustices caused by the creation of Belgium in the early 19th century, when the French language was imposed on the whole country and Flemish - which is a variant of Dutch - was banished from schools.
Brussels, which lies roughly in the middle of the two communities, is officially a bilingual city, although most of its inhabitants speak French. Many believe that Belgium would split into two countries if it were not for lack of agreement on which should be allowed to keep the capital.
www.telegraph.co.uk . . .
Britons on their way to the spectacular canals of Bruges will be forced to follow signs for "Brugge" in future because French city names are to be banned in favour of obscure Flemish versions.
Thirty-eight cities will be known exclusively by their Flemish names on road signs and in all official documentation when the Flemish regional parliament approves the law this month.
Some Flemish place names, such as Antwerpen, will remain easily recognisable but visitors arriving on the ferry this summer will have to ask for directions to Brugge (pronounced "bruchu", like the guttural sound in "loch"), rather than the place, famous for its lace and chocolates, formerly known as Bruges.
The route through Flanders to France will be sown with confusion. Those who thought they were heading to Mons will be baffled to find themselves on the road to Bergen; both names are derivatives of words for "mountain". Anyone driving to the Eurotunnel terminal at Lille, just across the French border, will need to know the city's Flemish name, Rijsel.
Courtrai will become Kortrijk, Malines will become Mechelen and Louvain will be known as Leuven under the new law, which is the latest salvo in a long-running linguistic battle between the two largest Belgian communities.
"This is Flemish land and we should only be using Flemish in these cities," said Johan Sauwens, the regional MP who put forward the idea.
"French speakers in these areas still think you have the right to use both languages, which is not true. Many of my colleagues in the Flemish parliament feel the same way as I do and I don't think we will have any problem getting the majority we need."
Mr Sauwens said he wanted the switch to take place before elections this autumn. "We will not be able to change all the signposts overnight, but that will happen. Whatever the name, tourists are still welcome."
While the law would create difficulties for English speakers, Mr Sauwens admitted that its real objective was to remove the rights of French-speakers in the bilingual communities surrounding Brussels, known as the "facility communes".
Although these communities are officially in Flanders, French speakers have the right to address local authorities, including the police and courts, in their mother tongue. Mr Sauwens said his law would end this special arrangement.
The language battle may seem trivial to outsiders, but it is taken very seriously in Belgium.
Years of protest and student riots over which language should be used in the lecture hall led to the splitting of Louvain University in 1968.
Many Flemish people are still smarting from injustices caused by the creation of Belgium in the early 19th century, when the French language was imposed on the whole country and Flemish - which is a variant of Dutch - was banished from schools.
Brussels, which lies roughly in the middle of the two communities, is officially a bilingual city, although most of its inhabitants speak French. Many believe that Belgium would split into two countries if it were not for lack of agreement on which should be allowed to keep the capital.
www.telegraph.co.uk . . .