“het is uijt groote nood dat ik myn kind hier brengen…”

This article discusses an exploratory study of the language use and choice in 19th-centuryfoundlings’ letters from Gent. Inspired by the 'language history from below’ tradition,this study aims to deepen our knowledge of language past regarding the written languageof 'ordinary people'. After focusing on the tension between non-standard writing practicesand standard norms, we look at the language choice in the foundlings' letters. It isremarkable that some of these letters were written in French, whereas it is generallyassumed that lower class people only spoke Dutch dialects. We will try and contextualizeour findings concerning language choice within the broader framework of tensionsbetween French and Dutch in Belgium.