Hyperstandaardisering

Samenvatting

Abstract – We argue in this article that the 1950s through the 1980s mark an exceptional period in Flemish linguistic history that is best described as an era of hyperstandardisation. These decades witnessed a propagandistic, large-scale and highly mediatised linguistic standardisation campaign that has thoroughly ideologised and hierarchised language use in all corners of Flemish society. We will substantiate this by discursively analysing the available sources from this period, proposing that the Flemish ‘intermediate variety’ (tussentaal) should probably be seen as a side effect of hyperstandardisation rather than as the symptom of a transitional stage on the road to full standardisation or the result of a recent decline in standardisation efforts.