Brusselian dialect

Brusselian, also known as the Brusselian dialect or Brusselian dialects, is a grouping of several traditional dialects native to Brussels, Belgium. Belonging to a broader Franco-Flemish dialect continuum, they are distinct from standard Dutch and French, and comprise several historically and socially defined varieties, such as Flemish Brusselian (a heavily-Francisised Brabantian Dutch dialect with some Spanish loanwords), Beulemans (a distinct local form of French), Alf-en-alf (a mixed Franco-Flemish variety), and Bargades (a traditional marginal slang related to Bargoens). Marollian is also sometimes considered as a distinct variety of Brusselian.

From the late 19th century, Brusselian was gradually replaced by French, and to a lesser extent, after the Second World War, by standard Dutch. As a result, only a small portion of the Brussels population now speaks the traditional dialects, which survive primarily among older generations and in cultural activities and folklore. Since the late 20th century, preservation efforts have been underway, and in 2021, Brusselian was included in the inventory of intangible cultural heritage of the Brussels-Capital Region.