Drift in Dutch: Fleshing out the factors of change

Abstract

"A well-known adage in linguistics has it that all languages change over time. The Dutch language is certainly no exception to this rule, whether over the full course of its documented history or even in the relatively short space of just a century. For instance, anyone who looks at texts from the late 19th century cannot help being struck by differences in the language of that day vis-à-vis its 21st century descendant"