Frisian languages

The Frisian languages are a group of closely related languages spoken by Frisian people living near the North Sea in the Netherlands and Germany. These languages belong to the West Germanic languages family and are close to the Anglic languages, which include English. Frisian and English are part of the Anglo-Frisian languages group. Even though they share a common ancestor, modern English and Frisian are not easy for each other’s speakers to understand.

Frisian is usually divided into three main branches. The most widely spoken is West Frisian, an official language in the Dutch province of Friesland. It is also spoken in some areas of nearby Groningen and on islands like Terschelling and Schiermonnikoog. The second branch is North Frisian, spoken in Germany’s Schleswig-Holstein state, especially in Nordfriesland, and on islands such as Sylt and Föhr. The third branch, East Frisian, now survives only in one form called Sater Frisian, spoken in the area of Saterland.

For many years, Frisian has been shaped by nearby Dutch language and culture. Because of this long shared history, Dutch is often the language most similar to Frisian, even though Frisian is more closely related to English in its origins. Studies show that while Dutch and Frisian are not fully understandable to each other, they are closer in some ways than languages that people usually think of as similar.

Division

There are three main groups of Frisian varieties: West Frisian, Saterland Frisian, and North Frisian. Some experts think these are all just dialects of one Frisian language, while others think they are separate languages.

Frisian languages belong to the West Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. They are most closely related to the Anglic languages, like English and Scots.

Speakers

Most people who speak Frisian live in the Netherlands, in a place called Friesland, now known as Fryslân. About 400,000 people there speak Frisian as their first language, and more people in the Netherlands are learning it as a second language.

In Germany, around 2,000 people speak Saterland Frisian in a place called Saterland in Lower Saxony. This language has stayed strong for a long time but is in danger because so few people still speak it.

In another part of Germany called North Frisia in Schleswig-Holstein, about 10,000 people speak North Frisian. Many of them live on islands such as Sylt, Föhr, Amrum, and Heligoland.

Further information: Languages of Denmark § Frisian

Status

Saterland and North Frisian are recognized and protected as minority languages in Germany. West Frisian is one of the two official languages in the Netherlands, along with Dutch.

Special codes help identify these languages. The code stq is used for Saterland Frisian, and the code frr is used for North Frisian.

Groups like the Ried fan de Fryske Beweging and the Fryske Academy work to protect and study the West Frisian language and culture. There have been efforts to use Frisian more in schools, media, and government, but it still faces challenges. Some versions of Frisian are at risk of disappearing, and it is often seen more as a dialect than a main language.

History

Old Frisian

Main article: Old Frisian

In the Early Middle Ages, the Frisian lands reached from Bruges, in Belgium, to the Weser river in Germany. Frisian was spoken along the North Sea coast. Today, this area is called Great Frisia or Frisia Magna, and many people there still value their Frisian history, even though the language is not spoken in most places.

Frisian is closely related to English and Scots. Over time, Dutch and other languages influenced Frisian. In the past, Old Frisian was very similar to Old English.

Middle West Frisian

Main article: Middle Frisian

Until the 15th century, Frisian was spoken and written widely. After 1500, it became mostly a spoken language in rural areas. This change happened because in 1498, the Dutch province of Friesland (Fryslân) was taken over, and Dutch became the language used for government.

Even after the Netherlands became independent, Frisian did not return to its earlier status. The rise of Holland and Dutch became more important for official matters. A poet named Gysbert Japiks helped create modern West Frisian literature and writing rules.

Modern West Frisian

The revival of West Frisian began with poets like Gysbert Japiks, who showed that writing in West Frisian was possible. Later, others built on his work, creating standards for how the language should be written and spoken.

An important person was minister Joost. H. Halbertsma, who translated many works into West Frisian. The writings of the Halbertsma brothers are important examples of Frisian literature. Efforts to keep West Frisian alive continued into the 20th century. Even though Dutch became more common in Friesland in 1960, the language survives today thanks to the work of scholars and groups.

Sample texts

The Lord's Prayer

NB:
* See also West Frisian language#Sample text.
** Some words were changed in later versions of prayer books.

Comparative Germanic sentences

• English: The boy stroked the girl about the chin and kissed her on the cheeks.
• Saterland Frisian: Die Wänt strookede dät Wucht uum ju Keeuwe un oapede hier ap do Sooken.
• North Frisian (Mooring dialect): Di dreng aide dåt foomen am dåt kan än mäket har aw da siike.
• North Frisian (Söl'ring dialect): Di Dreeng strekt dit faamen om't Ken en taatjet höör üp di Sjaken
• West Frisian: De jonge streake it famke om it kin en tute har op 'e wangen.
• Gronings: t Jong fleerde t wicht om kinne tou en smokte heur op wange.
• East Frisian Low Saxon: De Fent straktde dat Wicht um't Kinn to un tuutjede hör up de Wangen.
• German: Der Junge streichelte das Mädchen ums Kinn und küsste sie auf die Wangen.
• Dutch: De jongen streelde het meisje langs haar kin en kuste haar op de wangen.
• Afrikaans: Die seun streel die meisie oor haar ken en soen haar op die wange.
• Danish: Drengen strøg pigen på hagen og kyssede hende på kinderne.
• Icelandic: Drengurinn strauk stúlkunni um hökuna og kyssti hana á kinnarnar.
• Norwegian (Bokmål): Gutten strøk jenta på haken og kysset henne på kinnene.
• Norwegian (Nynorsk): Guten strauk jenta på haka og kyssa henne på kinna.
• Swedish: Pojken strök flickan över hakan och kysste henne på kinderna.

NB: These are not always exact translations of each other.