Frisian languages

The Frisian languages are a group of closely related languages spoken by around 400,000 Frisian people living near the North Sea in the Netherlands and Germany. These languages belong to the West Germanic languages family and are very close relatives of the Anglic languages, which include English. Together, Frisian and English form the Anglo-Frisian languages group. Even though they share a common ancestor, modern English and Frisian have drifted apart and are not easily understood by each other’s speakers.

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. West Frisian has been influenced by Dutch, while the others have been influenced by Low German and German.

Frisian languages belong to the West Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages, which is the largest language family in Europe and the world. They are most closely related to the Anglic languages, like English and Scots, and together with Low Saxon dialects they form the North Sea Germanic languages.

Speakers

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

In Germany, around 2,000 people speak Saterland Frisian in a place called Saterland in Lower Saxony. Though this language has stayed strong for a long time, it 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 were created to 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. While there have been efforts to use Frisian more in schools, media, and government, 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 stretched from the area around Bruges, in what is now Belgium, to the river Weser, in northern Germany. At that time, the Frisian language was spoken along the entire southern North Sea coast. Today this region is sometimes called Great Frisia or Frisia Magna, and many areas there still value their Frisian heritage, even though Frisian is no longer spoken in most places.

Frisian is very closely related to English and Scots. Over time, however, Dutch and other languages influenced Frisian, making it less similar to English. In the past, Old Frisian was very similar to Old English. For example, both languages shared some special changes in sounds, like how certain words were pronounced.

Middle West Frisian

Main article: Middle Frisian

Up until the 15th century, Frisian was widely spoken and written. But after 1500, it became mostly a spoken language, used mainly in rural areas. This change happened partly 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 regain its earlier status. The rise of Holland and its language, Dutch, became more important for official matters. During this time, one poet named Gysbert Japiks stood out. He helped create modern West Frisian literature and writing rules.

Modern West Frisian

The revival of the West Frisian language 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 figure was minister Joost. H. Halbertsma, who translated many works into West Frisian. The writings of the Halbertsma brothers are considered important examples of Frisian literature. Efforts to keep the West Frisian language 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.
** Which was changed to "who", in earth to "on earth," and them that to "those who" in the 1928 version of the Church of England prayer book and used in other later Anglican prayer books too. The words given here are those of the 1662 book.

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 literal translations of each other.