Editing Dunkirk (section)

==Etymology and language use==
The name of Dunkirk derives from [[West Flemish]] {{lang|vls|dun(e)}} '[[dune]]' or '[[dun (fortification)|dun]]' and {{lang|vls|kerke}} 'church', thus 'church in the dunes'.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pul |first=Paul Van |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u__RAwAAQBAJ&q=Dunkirk+church+on+a+dune+flemish |title=In Flanders Flooded Fields: Before Ypres There Was Yser |date=2007 |publisher=Pen and Sword |isbn=978-1-4738-1431-8 |page=89 |quote=The French name of {{lang|fr|Dunkerque}} in fact is derived from the Flemish {{lang |vls |Duinkerke}}, which means 'church in the dunes'!}}</ref> A smaller town 25&nbsp;km (15 miles) farther up the Flemish coast originally shared the same name, but was later renamed [[Oostduinkerke]](n) in order to avoid confusion.

Until the middle of the 20th century, [[French Flemish]] (the local variety of [[Dutch language|Dutch]]) was commonly spoken.