what language does people in netherlands speak?
Frisian languages West Flemish Dutch Language
entailment
 The Netherlands ( United Provinces ) were , in the 18th century , very tolerant in matters of freedom of the press and religious freedom . Compared to most contemporary countries , such as France , Great Britain or the Holy Roman Empire , there was little government interference ( censorship or monopolies ) . Many Huguenots fled France for the Netherlands during the reign of Louis XIV , particularly after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 . Several of them began publishing French @-@ language newspapers ( French being both their language and internationally used - see lingua franca ) in a number of European cities covering political news in France and Europe . Read by the European elite , these papers were known in France as the " foreign gazettes " ( fr. gazettes étrangères ) . 

entailment
 Many regional international organisations such as the European Free Trade Association , Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ) , and Asia @-@ Pacific Economic Cooperation ( APEC ) set English as their organisation 's sole working language even though most members are not countries with a majority of native English speakers . While the European Union ( EU ) allows member states to designate any of the national languages as an official language of the Union , in practice English is the main working language of EU organisations . 

neutral
 Decades , and in some cases centuries , of British rule and emigration have left their mark on the independent nations that arose from the British Empire . The empire established the use of English in regions around the world . Today it is the primary language of up to 400 million people and is spoken by about one and a half billion as a first , second or foreign language . 

entailment
 As the independent state of Belgium consolidated after the Revolution , the issue of a consensus language in the country became an increasingly important political question . At the start of the period , French was the dominant language , and was the only language that was approved for use in legal and government business anywhere in the country . It was also the language of the economic and social elite , even in Flanders . By the 1860s , with Flemish dialects in decline , increasing numbers of Flemish people of all social classes were bilingual , paralleling a similar decline in northern France . However , partly inspired by a resurgence in Flemish literature and culture , the Flamingant political movement began to develop , with their first political parties formed in the 1860s and 70s . Political agitation by Flamingant groups , often directed by local priests , led to Belgium becoming officially bilingual in 1870 . Teaching Dutch in all secondary schools in Flanders became compulsory , reinforcing the language 's presence . By 1898 , Dutch was officially recognized as an equal language to French in legal matters . During the first decades of the 20th century , the Flemish Movement became increasingly radicalized and began to develop as a mass political movement ( although not a united one ) , fully emerging during the First World War . 

contradiction
 English language learning and teaching is an important economic activity , and includes language schooling , tourism spending , and publishing . There is no legislation mandating an official language for England , but English is the only language used for official business . Despite the country 's relatively small size , there are many distinct regional accents , and individuals with particularly strong accents may not be easily understood everywhere in the country . 
