Belgian Place Names
 

Is there a general rule for the correct spelling of place names in Belgian that end with "gem"

For the French version of a name it would end "ghem" whereas the Flemish (Dutch) version ends "gem" or are both versions used interchangeably and are not language dependent.

ie Everghem in French but Evergem in Flemish.

Best Regards

Andy Fletcher

Re: Belgian Place Names
 

I think this is a bit of a cultural minefield and depends on whether you're in a French- or Flemish-speaking area. Brussels is officially "neutral" and the destination signs on the buses oscillate between the two versions of each place name.

Re: Belgian Place Names
 

Hi Nick,

Many thanks for the reply. I agree with it probably being a bit of a minefield. I ask because looking at WWII era sources "ghem" AND "gem" seem to be used interchangeably but with RAF sources seeming to have a preponderance for the use of "ghem" which I assume is the French version.

Cheers

Andy Fletcher

Re: Belgian Place Names
 

Many place names have a different name in French and Dutch like Kortrijk/Courtrai or Leuven/Louvain. So which to use depends on what language you use. If you write in another language then French or Dutch (or German, which is the third official language in Belgium) I think it's best to use the spelling of the region the place is located in.

Concerning the ghem or gem at the end of a flemish place: AFAIR in 1946 they changed many spelling rules in Belgium. The place names ending on ghem were changed into gem in Dutch but not in French. So in French the old spelling is still used to date.

So in Dutch it's Evergem and in French it's still Everghem.

Re: Belgian Place Names
 

Hi Rudi,

Thank you for the explanation. From what I can see the RAF tended to use the French version of names, perhaps that is how their maps were labelled.

Best Regards

Andy Fletcher

Re: Belgian Place Names - Lille or Rijsel?
 

Car drivers beware if you're travelling on Belgian motorways (highways). In French-speaking areas the big French city of Lille is Lille. In the flemish areas it's… Rijsel! (Nobody knows this name except Flemish people). No turist from abroad including Japan, the USA, China, Spain, Italy, the UK etc. has a chance to understand. Suddenly Lille disappears from the road signs, later i'ts back, disappears again etc. I wonder how many car crashes and fatalities this stupidity has caused and is still causing. This is a good example of fanatism by morons and the consequences.

Re: Belgian Place Names - Lille or Rijsel?
 

And what does this have to do with the correct spelling of place names in Belgian that ends with "gem as asked by Andy in post #1?????
Besides not only Flemish people do this. The French for instance call Aachen Aix-la-Chapelle.