Linguists are entitled to set spelling rules. The French linguist Jean-Louis Marteel wrote in his Cours de flamand (p. 21) : "That the language has been used for about 200 years more or less only orally makes it necessary to be acquainted with little phonetics and phonology for anyone who plans to transcribe it ; studying the language would otherwise prove unsubstantial".

The Institut de la Langue Régionale Flamande ANVT-ILRF has opted for the spelling conventions recommended by the commission for norms. That advisory body has been active for several years under the leadership of three linguists (Jean-Louis Marteel, Philippe Simon, Dr Christian Ghillebaert) thanks to the help and support of a network of native speakers. Any one who wanted to participate in the working sessions was admitted.