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Discusses the situation of German Minorities in Old and New Belgium. Describes the process of federalization and its repercussions for East Belgium. Examines linguistic factors vis-a-vis these minorities located along the Germanic-Romance linguistic border. Looks at external linguistic factors and one internal factor and concludes by focusing on issues that broadly characterize research on Old and New Belgium. (Author/VWL)

Examines the competing principles of territoriality and personality as key concepts in the provision of language-related services and rights in multilingual societies. Drawing on recent legislative and sociopolitical change in Belgium, Quebec, and Canada, the extent to which the adoption of such principles increases or neutralizes language-related conflict is examined. (37 references) (VWL)

Using Belgium as an example, argues that a linguistic ecological viewpoint is important for the description of linguistic/ethnic contact areas in which one or more languages are in danger of dying without any apparent political decisions. It is not as important for the description of stable, diglossic, or multilingual areas or for open bilingual conflict zones. (SED)

Describes contact linguistic backgrounds in three distinct sociolinguistic areas in Old Belgium, illustrating the importance of ecological approaches in analyzing areas in which one or more languages or varieties are in danger of dying out. Data collection methods that discover, rather than conceal, linguistic realities are revealed. 29 references. (Author/CB)

Examines language frontier and transitional zones along the Belgium-northwestern France linguistic border as area occupying important position in linguistic contact research. Gives examples of variant forms in the morphosyntactic, semantic, stylistic, and lexical forms. (Author/BK)