Brusselian, also known as the Brusselian dialect or Brusselian dialects, is a grouping of several traditional dialects native to Brussels, Belgium. Belonging to a broader Franco-Flemish dialect continuum, they are distinct from standard Dutch and French, and comprise several historically and socially defined varieties, such as Flemish Brusselian (a heavily-Francisised Brabantian Dutch dialect with some Spanish loanwords), Beulemans (a distinct local form of French), Alf-en-alf (a mixed Franco-Flemish variety), and Bargades (a traditional marginal slang related to Bargoens). Marollian is also sometimes considered as a distinct variety of Brusselian.
From the late 19th century, Brusselian was gradually replaced by French, and to a lesser extent, after the Second World War, by standard Dutch. As a result, only a small portion of the Brussels population now speaks the traditional dialects, which survive primarily among older generations and in cultural activities and folklore. Since the late 20th century, preservation efforts have been underway, and in 2021, Brusselian was included in the inventory of intangible cultural heritage of the Brussels-Capital Region.
On 15 December 2021, the Brusselian dialects were added to the inventory of intangible cultural heritage of the Brussels-Capital Region.
The Royal Theatre Toone, a folkloric theatre of marionettes in central Brussels, still puts on puppet plays in Brusselian.
The Brusselian dialects are not homogeneous. They have exhibited significant variations over time and between the different neighbourhoods of Brussels. The best-identified varieties are:
Although there is no consensus, Marollian is sometimes considered by some speakers and linguists as a distinct variety of Brusselian. A mixture of French, Picard and Flemish Brusselian, it was widely spoken in the Marolles/Marollen neighbourhood of the City of Brussels, from which it takes its name, until the 20th century. It still survives among a small minority of inhabitants called Brusseleers (or Brusseleirs), many of them quite bi- and multilingual in French and Dutch.
The Brusselian word zwanze is commonly applied by speakers of French and Dutch to denote a sarcastic form of folk humour considered typical of Brussels.