# Which countries suffer the most from being split up by language?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-countries-suffer-the-most-from-being-split-up-by-language/662700>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [July 5, 2013, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-countries-suffer-the-most-from-being-split-up-by-language/662700 "2013-07-05T06:49:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\
**Post date:** [July 9, 2013, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-countries-suffer-the-most-from-being-split-up-by-language/662700/41 "2013-07-09T23:41:02Z")

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> [@the\_apples\_fell](#):
>
> Most countries split by language are also split by ethnicity, though. For instance, Belgium is split between the Dutch-speaking Flemish and the French-speaking Walloons. I don’t know of any country divided by language but not also by ethnicity.

What is your definition of ethnicity? What makes Flemish and Walloons different, except their language?

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**Author:** ![the\_apples\_fell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@the\_apples\_fell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_apples_fell)\
**Post date:** [July 10, 2013, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-countries-suffer-the-most-from-being-split-up-by-language/662700/42 "2013-07-10T06:18:05Z")

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> [@clairobscur](#):
>
> What is your definition of ethnicity? What makes Flemish and Walloons different, except their language?

My definition of ethnicity is people who consider themselves an ethnic group/identify as one. Walloons and Flemish people see themselves as separate ethnicities, not all as “Belgians”, as far as I know.

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