Wisconsin Walloon

Wisconsin Walloon is a dialect of the Walloon language brought to Wisconsin by immigrants from Wallonia, the largely French-speaking region of Belgium. It is spoken in the Door Peninsula in Wisconsin, United States.^[1]

Nativeto United States

Region Door Peninsula, Wisconsin

Native speakers

<50 (2021)^[1]

Language family

Indo-European

• Italic
  • Latino-Faliscan
    • Latin
      • Romance
        • Italo-Western
          • Western Romance
            • Gallo-Iberian?^[2]
              • Gallo-Romance
                • Gallo-Rhaetian?^[2]
                  • Arpitan–Oïl
                    • Oïl
                      • Walloon
                        • Central
                          • Wisconsin Walloon

Quick facts Native to, Region ...

Wisconsin Walloon
Native to	United States
Region	Door Peninsula, Wisconsin
Native speakers	<50 (2021)[1]
Language family	Indo-European Italic Latino-Faliscan Latin Romance Italo-Western Western Romance Gallo-Iberian?[2] Gallo-Romance Gallo-Rhaetian?[2] Arpitan–Oïl Oïl Walloon Central Wisconsin Walloon
Early forms	Old Latin Vulgar Latin Proto-Romance Old Gallo-Romance Old French
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	None

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The speakers of Wisconsin Walloon are descendants of the Belgian immigrants that came from the wave of immigration lasting from 1853 to 1857 that was recorded to have brought around 2,000 Belgians to Wisconsin.^[3] It is sometimes referred to by its speakers in English as "Belgian".^[4] Walloons in Wisconsin and descendants of native Walloon speakers have since switched to English, and as of 2021, it has fewer than 50 speakers.^[1]