University is a place where accents disappear
This week sees the publication of De atlas van het dialect in Nederland, a book in which Kristel Doreleijers and other linguists examine various accents and dialects from across the Netherlands. Dialects may therefore be very much alive as a field of research, but on campus you rarely hear a regional accent.
Ever wondered why someone from Groningen says moi when saying goodbye, while someone from Brabant says houdoe? Or where the difference between patat and friet comes from? It’s all covered in De atlas van het dialect in Nederland, which linguist Kristel Doreleijers contributed to. But while the Netherlands is home to a multitude of regional accents, there is little sign of them at the university.
It sometimes seems as though there is no place for regional accents at the UvA. Do you think that’s true?
“Yes, I do. It fits a pattern we have been seeing at universities for some time, and is related to a number of social developments that have pushed dialects into a corner.”
“In the past, everyone spoke a dialect. It was only from the sixteenth century onwards that a common standard language emerged. Dialects from the Randstad formed the basis of that standard language. That is why people still say that those from around a city such as Haarlem come closest to speaking ‘ABN’ (Algemeen Beschaafd Nederlands, or Standard Civilised Dutch). But that ‘B’ also implies that other regional dialects are somehow uncivilised. There are therefore very persistent prejudices about their speakers. They are seen as less intelligent or more rustic, for example. As a result, having a dialect clashes with the image people have of a university as an intellectual environment.”
So the UvA’s location in the Randstad does play a role?
“The Randstad has a kind of superior image anyway, and as the basis for standardised Dutch, it does indeed occupy a unique position. I haven’t researched this myself, but I can certainly imagine that there is more room for regional accents in Tilburg, for example, than in Amsterdam. I’ve heard a lot of Brabant accents on campus there, whereas you hear far fewer regional accents here in Amsterdam.”
The student accent dominates here, with the Gooise -r being its most recognisable characteristic.
“Yes, but that’s nothing new. The emergence of student language has been visible since the late nineteenth century. When students from all kinds of regional backgrounds come together at a university, they start looking for a common language. We call this a sociolect: a distinct way of speaking associated with a particular group culture. In such an environment, holding on to your Brabant, Limburg or Twente accent can make you the odd one out. The way you speak says something about who you are and where you want to belong.”
Is getting rid of an accent a conscious process, then?
“It happens partly automatically, but you do have some control over it yourself. For my research, I spoke to young people who said they consciously hide their accent when they go to university, while still speaking with an accent at home. Language can be very exclusionary. If you strike the wrong note, you can find yourself on the outside. Young people are also still at a stage in their personal development where they are very much figuring out where they belong. So they are highly flexible when it comes to adapting the way they speak. I actually notice that I have a tendency to adapt unconsciously. Suddenly, I hear myself using a kind of Gooise -r too.”
Why is the Gooise -r so characteristic of student language, then?
“It has to do with social class and wanting to belong to a higher, intellectual social stratum. The Gooise accent carries associations of wealth and higher education. That’s why that posh quality comes through in student language. At the same time, this way of speaking is also very playful, with euphemisms such as ‘feut’ (a new member of a student society) and ‘grondpizza’ (a puddle of vomit on the floor), and abbreviations such as ‘biba’ (bitterbal) and ‘hdp’ (heerlie de peerlie). It all comes back in the ‘Anne-Fleur’ and ‘Marie-Claire’ stereotypes.”
Kristel Doreleijers is a postdoctoral researcher at the Meertens Institute, where she studies youth language and street language. Together with three fellow linguists, she contributed to De atlas van het dialect in Nederland (published by Lannoo). The book is available to buy from today.
Are accents viewed differently now than they were, say, twenty years ago?
“There has been a shift. Especially in recent years, I get the impression that dialect is making a comeback, particularly in cultural expressions. We’re seeing more songs being performed in regional dialects, for example, and dialect influencers are emerging who are trying to make dialect fashionable again online, such as TikTok Tammo from Groningen.”
Can we therefore expect a resurgence of regional accents at university too?
“That’s possible, but I don’t expect us all to suddenly start speaking dialect again at the coffee machines. Perhaps accents or a few dialect words will be used more often as a stylistic device, to show where you come from. A joke or simply putting emphasis on a particular word can be a way of expressing your identity.”
Could the UvA play a role in preserving the Amsterdam dialect?
“I think so, even if it’s simply by raising awareness of this kind of linguistic variation. It would be very fun, for example, if there were a university-wide course on the Amsterdam dialect, because regional language and culture are an essential part of the place where you study. Offering such a course would show that dialect is a serious subject that can be properly researched. Or encourage UvA students to vote for the most beautiful Amsterdam word. Language is a social tool, and we shouldn’t lose sight of that. That’s why it’s important to give accents more space and visibility, including at university.”
