PHP - GetText not working -

i'm trying add translations webpage. unfortunately translation isn't being read.

however, 1 translation read (even though ask different one).

my php code looks this:

$language = "en_us"; //hardcoded debugging purposes define("folder_specification", "./locale/"); define("domain", "messages"); define("code_set", "utf-8");  putenv("lang=" . $language); setlocale(lc_all, $language);  bindtextdomain(domain, folder_specification); bind_textdomain_codeset(domain, code_set);  textdomain(domain); 

my folder structure looks this:

root >      locale >        en_us >            lc_messages >              messages.mo              messages.po         nl_nl >            lc_messages >              messages.mo              messages.po 

if change $language variable en_us or nl_nl still grabs translation nl_nl, if remove nl_nl folder doesnt translate @ all, means 1 thing: en_us translation isn't being read.

both messages.po contain headers , such , both valid (i loaded them in poedit).

my question is: why grab nl_nl though never told code grab it, , why isn't other translation (en_us) being read?

both .po files (the 'language' tag in headers different):

msgid "" msgstr "" "project-id-version: project\n" "pot-creation-date: 2014-08-05 13:32+0100\n" "po-revision-date: 2016-04-19 10:43+0200\n" "last-translator: \n" "language-team: <s.omeone@something.com> \n" "mime-version: 1.0\n" "content-type: text/plain; charset=utf-8\n" "content-transfer-encoding: 8bit\n" "x-generator: poedit 1.8.7\n" "x-poedit-basepath: .\n" "plural-forms: nplurals=2; plural=(n != 1);\n" "language: nl_ul\n" "x-poedit-sourcecharset: utf-8\n"  msgid "banaan" msgstr "banana"  msgid "appel" msgstr "apple"