Belgium's multiple personalities

Language defines us as few other attributes can, and few things are harder fought for by the members of a culture than the right to the language that frequently defines them. Nations without unifying languages have even been known to resurrect dead or dying languages (see Irish Gaelic and Israeli Hebrew, respectively), largely in order to create the basis for the communal identity that almost universally exists between speakers of a language or dialect.

The strength of the feelings often held toward language lead to some fascinating behavior in cultures that do not share a single common tongue. In Brussels (a French-speaking island in the midst of Flemish-speaking northern Belgium) it has led to every street in the city having two names. I am currently living in a hostel just off of either Rue Royale or Konigsstraat, depending on which language you speak. If you (like me) have a much better capacity for remembering Dutch words (similar as they are to German) , but your taxi driver only speaks French, then you will simply be unable to convey your address to him, even though you know the name of the street you live on.

It's like there are two Brussels overlaid atop one another. If I take a French taxi, I have to go to Rue Royale - in his universe, Konigsstraat does not exist.