Tobi Lakmaker writes the 2026 Great Amsterdam Dictation: ‘In achenebbisj I hear my mother’s gentle voice’

Author Tobi Lakmaker has been selected to write the text for the 2026 Great Amsterdam Dictation, an event organized by the Taalgoed Foundation and the newspaper Het Parool. Lakmaker aims to create a challenging text that reflects the city's linguistic diversity, incorporating a variety of influences including Yiddish, Arabic, and Surinamese words, alongside traditional Dutch terms. He believes that the Amsterdam dialect is evolving rather than dying out, rejecting the idea that it is limited to the traditional Jordaan dialect.

Lakmaker encourages participants to prepare by engaging with various cultural touchstones of the city, such as literature and television. He also highlights the physical aspect of the competition, which will be held on paper rather than digitally, requiring participants to practice their handwriting. By highlighting the complexity and hybrid nature of Amsterdam's speech, Lakmaker hopes to celebrate the city's rich cultural heritage through this linguistic challenge.