Frans-Vlaanderen 583 Streektaal / Langue régionale 9-6-2026 Mark Ingelaere

An important testimony: Thérèse can testify that in her youth, the priest of the village of the 'Manneken Pis' of French Flanders, located twelve kilometers from Saint-Omer, still preached in Flemish. The priest also heard confessions from the older inhabitants in Flemish. The 93-year-old Thérèse is still remarkably erudite. She is intelligent, reads the newspaper daily, and keeps her mind sharp with word games. Although she never had the opportunity to pursue further studies, she has continued to develop herself throughout her life. As the second child in a family of seven, she was put to work at a young age. At the age of fifteen, she took a sewing course three days a week at a school in Saint-Omer. On the remaining days, she helped out in her parents' inn and worked the land to support the large family. When she went to school, she did not speak a word of French. At home her parents spoke only Flemish, and Flemish was the everyday language in the entire village. Flemish was her mother tongue! ... Untémoignage important : Thérèse is a young woman, the village of the 'Manneken Pis', and a French woman, situated in the distance of Saint-Omer, a natural encore. I understand the nature of the person's age in the village in its own language. À 93 ans, Thérèse fait toujours preuve d'une érudition remarquable. Intelligent, elle lit le journal tous les jours et entretient son esprit en faisant des mots croisés. Bien qu'elle n'ait jamais eu l'occasion de poursuivre des études supérieures, elle n'a cessé d'apprendre all the way through the life. Deuxième enfant d'une famille de sept, elle a travaillé très jeune. After all, it is the last day of the couture course during the whole day of the Saint-Omer school. Les autres jours, elle aidait ses parents à l'auberge et travaillait la terre pour subvenir aux besoins de famille nombreuse. When it comes to commencé l'école, it is not necessary to use the French language. À la maison, ses parents par laient exclusivement le flamand, et c'était la langue parlée quotidiennement dans tout le village. Le flamand était sa langue maternelle!