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Making sense of the terminology surrounding lambic can be as complex as the beer itself. . Belgium is a country divided into very distinct linguistic regions whose inhabitants have their own words for many of the commonly used terms associated with the lambic tradition and process. Both Dutch and French speaking brewers and blenders are in operation today leaving many curious lambic drinkers wondering how this all came to be. In addition to the following article, readers may also find the [[Glossary|Lambic.Info Glossary]] a helpful resource as they browse this site.

The language diversity contained within the modern-day borders of Belgium provides a source of constant linguistic conflict in the Belgo-Dutch and Belgo-French speaking populations that dominates 94% of the population (56% and 38% respectively as a first language). Looking at a linguistic map of Belgium one notices that the capital of Brussels is squarely planted in an area dominated by the Belgo-Dutch dialect (sometimes referred to as Flemish in English). The capital area is officially regarded as bilingual by the Belgian government, but a survey of languages overheard walking around town leans toward the Bruxellois dialect of French. The dichotomy between these Belgo-Dutch speakers and Belgo-French speakers plays out on a number of social and political levels throughout the country, and within the lambic brewing and blending community one can still see and hear the differences today. The purpose of this article is to explore the historical, etymological, linguistic, and orthographic differences found among lambic terminology, labeling, and appellation. This article freely switches between Belgo-Dutch and Belgo-French where appropriate, though the orthographic difference is often minimal.

[[File:Belgium provinces regions striped.png|thumb|Map indicating the language areas of provinces of Belgium. Thinner black lines mark provinces. Yellow is Dutch-speaking/Flemish Region, red is French-speaking/Walloon region, blue is German-speaking, and orange is bilingual Dutch-French/Brussels Capital region.

Source: wikipedia]]

The provincial divisions in the Flemish Region are West Flanders, East Flanders, Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, and Limburg. The provincial divisions in the Walloon region are Hainaut, Walloon Brabant, Namure, Liège, and Luxembourg. It is important to note that most lambic breweries and blenders fall into either the Flemish region or the Brussels-Capital regions. From here, the brewery's languages can now be better understood.

Most present-day lambic breweries and blenders, as well as those that are no longer in operation, are situated in and around the [[An_Overview_of_Lambic#Lambic_Geography|Zenne valley]] in the [[An_Overview_of_Lambic#Lambic_Geography|Pajottenland]] area of Belgium. This area, consisting of mostly farmland, is part of the Flemish Brabant province and sits just west of the Brussels capital area. Though Brussels is primarily Belgo-French speaking, the area that surrounds the city to the north, east, and west is predominantly Belgo-Dutch speaking. This has led to very few breweries actually using the French terminology in lambic brewing on a consistent basis over the years. Currently, the only truly traditional lambic brewery located in Brussels using primarily French terminology for labeling, press, and first language tours is [[Brasserie Cantillon|Brasserie Cantillon]].

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[[File:OldBridgeOverSenne.jpg|thumb|Old postcard showing a bridge going into the town of Lembecq]]

Formerly home to many small pubs and breweries, especially during the industrial revolution, the town of Lembeek/Lembecq is now home to one of the most prolific lambic breweries and blenders, [[Brouwerij Boon|Brouwerij Boon]], which is situated a stone’s throw away from the Senne river. Lembeek is now part of Flemish Brabant and is primarily Belgo-Dutch speaking, resulting in the majority of Boon’s lambics receiving Dutch names. Additionally, the older French spellings of this town include ''Linbecq'' and ''Lambecq'' and could have come from an older French language description of the town as the ''village d'alambic'' or ''town of alambic'' (stills).<ref name=GeuzeKriek>Jef Van den Steen, [[Books#Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer|Geuze & Kriek: The Secret of Lambic Beer]], 2012</ref>

Concerning the word ''lambic'' itself, it is common to see three separate spellings that vary between locations, brewers, and even beers. The entry for ''lambic'' in the Oxford English Dictionary gives an alternate fourth English spelling as ''lambick'' initially published in the first edition of The Century Dictionary in New York between 1889-1891 and defined as “a kind of strong beer made in Belgium by the process called the self-fermentation of worts.” This conventional English spelling of the French term ''lambic'' has largely been dropped over time in favor of the French spelling among English Speakers. Past this, the etymological history of ''lambic'' is partly speculative, partly anecdotal, and partly verifiable.

As previously discussed, there is no proven etymological history with the word ''lambic''. It has also been noted that the word for the beer is just as likely to have originated from the town of Lembeek where [[Brouwerij Boon|Brouwerij Boon]] still produces lambic today. Lambic breweries outside of Brussels proper almost exclusively use Belgo-Dutch terminology. There are two commonly accepted spellings of lambic in the Belgo-Dutch dialect: lambiek and lambik. The absence of the ''/e/'' carries little phonological difference, and the spelling decision is one of personal preference only. [[De Cam Geuzestekerij|De Cam]], for example, labels an [[De_Cam_Geuzestekerij_Oude_Lambiek_De_Cam|Oude Lambiek De Cam]], while [[Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen|Brouwerij 3 Fonteinen]] has been known to use both Lambik and Lambiek on labels and in press. Thus, as the variation in ''lambic/lambiek/lambik'' and its etymological history remains up for debate, there are several historical strands that seem to help form its usage and spelling today.

[[File:FrenchFirstRepublic.png|thumb|France under The First Republic. The departement of Dyle, containing Brussels and much of the Pajottenland, can be seen in the Northeast corner in pink. Source: Wikipedia ]]

The use of ''gueuze'' and ''geuze'' today varies brewery by brewery just as the term lambic and lambi[e]k does. The spelling of the word generally follows the geographic-linguistic placement of the brewery using it, but it should be noted that this is not always the case. [[Brouwerij Girardin|Brouwerij Girardin]], which bears a mixed Dutch/French name and is situated in the Belgo-Dutch speaking region of St. Ulrik’s Kapelle, uses the French term ''gueuze'' for their [[Gueuze 1882 (Black label)|Gueuze Girardin]] bottlings. The same holds true for [[Brouwerij Lindemans|Brouwerij Lindemans]] who uses the mixed French-Dutch term for their [[Oude_Gueuze_Cuvée_René|Oude Gueuze Cuvée René]].

[[File:Label Cantillon Bruocsella2001.jpg|thumb|left|Grand Cru Bruocsella, 2001]]

In [[Books#Gueuze.2C_Faro_et_Kriek|''Gueuze, Faro, et Kriek'']], author Raymond Buren discusses the origin of the word "Bruoc-Sela". He notes that the village of Bruoc-Sela was founded in 979 when Charles of France, Duke of Lower Lorraine established a fort on a small island in the Senne River. Indeed, the city of Brussels officially held its first millennial celebration in 1979. However, the name appears over 200 years earlier in the historical record when Saint Vindicien, Bishop of Arras and Cambai passed away in the village of Bruc-selle in 706.<ref name=GeuzeFaroEtKriek>Raymond Buren, [[Books#Gueuze.2C_Faro_et_Kriek|Gueuze, Faro, et Kriek]], 1992</ref> Sociolinguist Michel de Coster notes that the word ''bruoc'' most likely derives from the Celtic word meaning a swampy or marshy place, while the word ''cella'' comes from the Latin term meaning temple, owning to the various Roman ruins in the area at the time.<ref name=BrusselsLanguage>Michel de Coster, Les Enjeux du Conflit Linguistique : Le Français à l’Epreuve des Modèles Belge, Suisse et Canadien, 2007</ref> Thus the area around present-day Brussels became known as Bruoc-selle or Bruoc-sella, depending on the year or text, eventually evolving into the French Bruxelles. This is further evidenced by two other etymological developments in old Dutch wherein the word ''broek'' at one time meant brook or marsh and ''zele'' meant settlement. In the Flemish-Dutch dialect, Broekzele still exists as a rare word to refer to the Belgian capital of Brussels. In the end, Grand Gru Bruocsella is the Brussels Grand Cru.

Perhaps one of the more interesting aspects of the language of lambic is the language of fruit. Fruit plays an integral part of flavoring lambics, but there is an interesting admixture of languages when it comes to naming these fruit lambics. The discerning lambic drinker will realize that they have rarely, if ever, seen a bottle of “''Lambic de Cerise'',” French for cherry lambic, in production anywhere. The breweries that generally use French terminology such as [[Brasserie Cantillon|Cantillon]] still refer to their cherry lambic by the specifically Flemish (not Dutch) word ''kriek'', which refers to the sour Morello cherry. The decision to use one term over the other generally does not fall along lambic/lambiek lines, at kriek is almost universally used among lambic brewers and blenders. The single known exception to this universal cherry trend is a beer brewed by Cantillon named [[Cantillon_Kersengueuze|Kersengueuze]]. ''Kers'' (''kersen'', plural) is the Dutch word for cherry and Kersengueuze was an experimental beer that used sweet cherries instead of sour cherries for the majority of the fruit.

Interestingly, one producer currently stands alone in their use of a particular fruit: the plum. [[Gueuzerie Tilquin]], in French Wallonia, uses plums in their [[Oude_Quetsche_Tilquin_à_L'Ancienne|Oude Quetsche Tilquin à l’Ancienne]]. ''Quetsche'', being the French word for a particular type of Damson plum, has its roots in the Germanic Moselle Franconia dialect as well as in Franco-Germanic dialect from Alsace. The word ''quetsche'' also has its German equivalent in the word ''Zwetschge.''

Even within the small subset of lambic brewing and blending, there is a rich linguistic history that is brought to light in the terminology and usage between two distinct language groups. Though it is true that Belgium has had a long history of linguistic division, it is also evident that, at least within the lambic brewing world, there is some friendly crossover. After 1794 when the territory of Belgium was integrated into the larger French empire, the French language was fully imposed upon all of its citizens. After Napoleon's defeat, the Congress of Vienna proclaimed the "Kingdom of the Netherlands" which included Belgium. The new king, a Dutchman, imposed the Dutch language on the entire kingdom. Both Walloon and Flemish people revolted against this authoritarian king and more revolts took place that eventually led to the creation of an independent Belgium in 1830. The current Belgian constitution calls for three economically autonomous regions in Belgium (Wallonia, Flanders, and Brussels), and lambic breweries are situated in all three of them. For the lambic fan, drinking in some of the language history can go a long way in helping to appreciate the rich story of the beer, its homeland, and its purveyors.