In the future, the Drenthe village name may appear on place name signs in the municipalities of Aa and Hunze. So ‘t Nieveen instead of Gasselternijveen and Raol instead of Rolde.
The mayor and aldermen and the entire municipal council see something in a plan by VVD, GroenLinks and the CDA to investigate what is needed to make the signs bilingual.
The parties write in a motion about the importance of preserving the regional language. In addition, bilingual signs would be attractive to tourists.
VVD councilor Jacco Fluks acknowledges in his argument that installing new signs costs money. He only points out that the place name signs will probably have to be replaced soon due to changing European regulations.
Other municipalities in Drenthe have already partially switched to bilingual signs. In Noordenveld, Midden-Drenthe, Tynaarlo and Coevorden you will be greeted in Dutch and Drenthe when you enter a number of places. That seems like a good idea to Aa and Hunzer’s politics.
However, the parties first want to know whether residents even need to translate the village names on the welcome signs. “Perhaps this can be investigated through a citizens’ panel or village interest groups,” says Fluks.
In any case, Councilor Ivo Berghuis (Municipal Interests) is enthusiastic about the idea. But he does have an addition. “Let’s greet people on the signs immediately with ‘moi’. That can also be done on both sides.”