French Flanders has been fought over numerous times in the thousand years between the Middle Ages and World War II. Language The traditional language of northern French Flanders (Westhoek), related to the Dutch language, is known as West Flemish, specifically, a subdialect known as French Flemish, spoken by around 20,000 daily speakers and 40,000 occasional users. The traditional language of Walloon Flanders (part of Romance Flanders) is Picard (and its dialects, such as or Rouchi). Many schools in this region teach Flemish to schoolchildren, partially in an effort to revive the language. Culture In 2008, the success of the movie Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis illuminated this part of France to a wide audience. See also Walloon Flanders Burgundian Netherlands Frisians Greater Netherlands Seventeen Provinces Wallonia Sources and references Nouveau Petit Larousse Illustré, 1952. French Flanders Ethnologue Report for West Flemish Flemish in France External links The Extent of Flemish in France in 1970, contains language maps County of Flanders History of Nord (French department) Geography of Nord (French department) Geographical, historical and cultural regions of France Former provinces of France