A direct discourse-based approach to the study of language attitudes: The case of tussentaal in Flanders

In this paper, the results are reported of a perception study conducted in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. 80 informants were subjected to an interview in which direct language-related questions were asked about intralingual variation in Flanders in general, and the omnipresent variety tussentaal (lit. in-between-language) in specific. These interviews were analysed by means of a qualitative discourse-based approach, both looking at the explicit metalinguistic discourse of the respondents and at their implicit metalinguistic awareness. The study shows that tussentaal is not denounced (as is the case by many linguists), but instead characterised as a quite neutral and even desirable variety. On the basis of this case-study, the approach used is evaluated, and considered valuable for explaining patterns of language use, in this case the omnipresence of tussentaal in Flanders.