Foreign language teaching and learning in the Netherlands* 1500–2000: an overview

Abstract

The Netherlands are quite unique in that the Dutch have always learned various foreign languages. Until 1940, French was the most important foreign language. Between roughly 1870 and 1970, Dutch learners in grammar schools and higher secondary schools were even obliged to learn three foreign languages: French, German and English. Since 1970, however, English has become the first foreign language, and proficiency in French and German has declined. As for methodology, Dutch foreign language teaching/learning (FLT) has always taken a practical stand, in which the question ‘does it work?’ is paramount. This article provides an overview of the developments that have characterised Dutch FLT from approximately 1500 to the present day.