This contribution deals with several aspects of the sociolinguistic situationduring the brief reunification of the Low Countries under the reign ofWilliam I (1814-1830). After giving an overview of the government's rigorousDutchification policy, the author focuses on the metalinguistic discoursein Flanders at the time, analyzing how Flemish authors and grammarians perceivedthe Northern linguistic norms. Spelling will be taken as a prime exampleof the overlap between language and politics, mapping out the social valueattached to various writing systems in the context of the debate about linguisticconvergence or divergence between North and South.