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Abstract:

Continuing the line of research set out in Geeraerts (1999), the present article has a closer look at the long-term developments of the vocabulary of Dutch, specifically with respect to the relationship between Netherlandic Dutch and Belgian Dutch, and the role that the 19th century plays in that relationship. Based on the materials that can be found in the Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal and in the ConDiv-corpus of contemporary Dutch, a longitudinal empirical study is presented of the onomasiological variation that exists for the concepts butcher and neighbour. The study reveals that the 19th century is a crucial period in the evolution towards the present-day situation. In The Netherlands, words that now constitute the only available alternative for a specific concept appear to attain onomasiological dominance only in the 19th century. In Belgium as well, the contemporary situation (characterized by a specific combination of converging and diverging tendencies with regard to Netherlandic Dutch) appears to have its roots in the 19th century situation.