Dutch language
Dutch (Nederlands) is a West Germanic language spoken by approximately 22 million people. It is the main language of the Netherlands and Suriname, and one of the official languages of Belgium. The Dutch language in the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname is regulated by the Nederlandse Taalunie.
Use of apostrophe
Apostrophe + lower case s ('s) + word beginning with upper case letter can often be found at the beginning of a sentence, e.g.
- 's Ochtends/'s Middags/'s Avonds
This derives from the old Dutch des ochtends, des middags and des avonds, in which des is an inflected article, meaning "of the morning/afternoon/evening". Some Southern dialects use the terms "vandemorgend, vandemiddag, and vandenavond literally translating the more archaic forms of "des" with "vande(n)".[1]
Status in Belgium
Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French and German. Only in the five northern provinces, collectively known as the "Flemish Region" (Vlaams Gewest), is Dutch the official language where it is also unofficially called Vlaams meaning Flemish.