The Dutch language, part of the West Germanic language family, evolved from Old Dutch, spoken between the 5th and 12th centuries. It developed from the Germanic dialects brought to the Low Countries by tribes like the Franks and the Saxons. The earliest known texts in Old Dutch date back to around the 9th century. By the 12th century, the language began to emerge as Middle Dutch, which was marked by significant regional variations. During this period, Dutch became increasingly influenced by Latin, particularly in the areas of religion and scholarship, as the Catholic Church played a central role in society.

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In the 16th century, with the rise of the Dutch Republic, the language started to standardize, particularly in written form, largely due to the efforts of scholars and the printing press. The publication of the "Statenbijbel" (States Bible) in 1637, a Dutch translation of the Bible, helped further solidify the Dutch language. Over time, Dutch expanded globally due to colonialism, particularly in regions like Indonesia, Suriname, and the Caribbean. Today, Dutch is spoken by over 23 million people worldwide, and it remains a key language in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, with strong cultural ties in regions influenced by its colonial past.

​Dutch is in the West Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family and is spoken by around 16 million people in the Netherlands (Holland ), the northern half of Belgium (Flanders). You can also find Dutch speakers in Aruba, Brazil, Canada, Germany, and many other countries and areas around the world.