Especially in the more isolated villages, local varieties of an old Hollandic dialect are still fairly common. When locals speak these dialects among each other, understanding it is a serious challenge for any visitor, even for Dutch natives. Fortunately, you'll find that everyone is also fluent in Dutch and often enough in English.
The dialect in the Zaan area (Zaanstreek) is called Zaans. It has some similarities to the more famous West-Frysian dialects that are spoken in the regions to the north, which are probably a result of the 13th to 15th century migration of westfrisian farmers to the area. Nevertheless, this influence is limited and "Zaans" is generally considered one of the oldest and few remaining original Hollandic dialects.
The Waterland's dialects differs significantly from Zaans, but have a similar origin and speakers of the two are generally able to understand each other. Volendam, which was a somewhat isolated village due to its Catholic character and focus on the sea, has by far one of the most lively versions of Waterland's dialect. It's the normal language for locals in every day life there. The evacuation of Schokland in the 1850's brought many of its people to Volendam. Their original dialect, the "Schokkers", has has a serious influence on Volendams. The little town of Marken has yet another specific own dialect, but time is quickly wearing of its particularities.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Waterland and Zaan Region
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Waterland and Zaan Region - updated May 2024
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Waterland and Zaan Region Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
