History of the Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic language, that originated from the Old Frankish dialects.

Among the words with which Dutch has enriched the English vocabulary are: brandy, coleslaw, cookie, cruiser, dock, easel, freight, landscape, spook, stoop, and yacht. Dutch is noteworthy as the language of an outstanding literature,^{[citation needed]} but it also became important as the tongue of an enterprising people,^{[peacock prose]} who, though comparatively few in number, made their mark on the world community through trade and empire. Dutch is also among some of the earliest recorded languages of Europe. Countries that have Dutch as an official language are the Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, Curaçao and Aruba.