The Frisian languages ( or ) are a closely related group of West Germanic languages, spoken by about 400,000 Frisian people, who live on the southern fringes of the North Sea in the Netherlands and Germany. The Frisian languages are the closest living language group to the Anglic languages; the two groups make up the Anglo-Frisian languages group and together with the Low German dialects these form the North Sea Germanic languages. Despite the close genetic relationship between English and Frisian, the modern languages are not mutually intelligible. Geographical and historical circumstances have caused the two languages to drift apart linguistically.

Frisian is traditionally divided into three branches often labeled distinct Frisian languages even though the dialects within each branch are not necessarily mutually intelligible. West Frisian is by far the most spoken of the three and is an official language in the Dutch province of Friesland, where it is spoken on the mainland and on two of the West Frisian Islands: Terschelling and Schiermonnikoog. It is also spoken in four villages in the Westerkwartier of the neighbouring province of Groningen. North Frisian, the second branch, is spoken in the northernmost German district of Nordfriesland in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, on the North Frisian mainland and on the North Frisian Islands of Sylt, Föhr, Amrum, and the Halligs. It is also spoken on the islands of Heligoland and Düne in the North Sea. The third Frisian branch, East Frisian, has only one remaining variant, Sater Frisian, spoken in the municipality of Saterland in the Lower Saxon district of Cloppenburg. Surrounded by bogs, the four Saterlandic villages lie just outside the borders of East Frisia, in the Oldenburg Münsterland region. In East Frisia proper, East Frisian Low Saxon is spoken today, which is not a Frisian language, but a variant of Low German/Low Saxon.

For many centuries, Frisian has been strongly influenced by Dutch, and the two language areas share a long intertwined history. As a result, Dutch is the Germanic language most similar to Frisian in practice, even though Frisian is genealogically closer to English and Scots. The degree of mutual intelligibility between Frisian and Dutch is debated, with a 2005 cloze test, in which a portion of text is masked and the participant is asked to fill in the masked portion of text, showing that Dutch respondents scored 31.9% when presented with a (West) Frisian text, whereas researchers in 2012 concluded that the linguistic distance between Dutch and the

Frisian dialects were slightly smaller than the distances between the Scandinavian languages, which are known to be largely mutually intelligible.

Division

There are three main groups of Frisian varieties: West Frisian, Saterland Frisian, and North Frisian. Some linguists consider these three varieties, despite their mutual unintelligibility, to be dialects of one single Frisian language, whereas others consider them to be a number of separate languages equal to or greater than the number of main branches discussed here. Indeed, the insular varieties of West Frisian are not intelligible to the mainland, and by that standard are additional languages, and North Frisian is also divided into several strongly diverse dialects, which are not all mutually intelligible among themselves. West Frisian is strongly influenced by Dutch. The other Frisian languages, meanwhile, have been influenced by Low German and German. Stadsfries and West Frisian Dutch are not Frisian, but Dutch dialects influenced by West Frisian. Frisian is called Frysk in West Frisian, Fräisk in Saterland Frisian, and Friisk, fresk, freesk, frasch, fräisch, and freesch in the varieties of North Frisian.

The situation in the Dutch province of Groningen and the German region of East Frisia is similar: The local Low German/Low Saxon dialects of Gronings and East Frisian Low Saxon still bear some Frisian elements due to East Frisian substrate. Frisian was spoken there at one time, only to have been gradually replaced by Low Saxon since the Middle Ages. This local language is now, like Frisian, under threat by standard Dutch and German.

<gallery mode="packed">

File:Europe location FRS.png|Frisia highlighted on a map of Europe

File:Frisia map.svg|Frisia

File:Frisians.png|West and East Frisia were once connected. North Frisia was colonized by Frisians via the North Sea and they first settled on Sylt, Amrum and Föhr.

File:Sprachsituationnordniederlande.png|The languages in the northern Netherlands (in German)

File:LinguisticSituationSchleswigSlesvig.png|Language situation in northern Schleswig-Holstein as it developed since the 19th century

File:NordfriesischeDialekte.png|The North Frisian dialects (in German)

File:Nordfriisk Koord.png|North Frisian map of the North Frisian dialects (1-Sylt, 2a-Föhr, 2b-Amrum)

File:Seelterlound.png|Map of Saterland (in Saterland Frisian)

File:OosterlauwersFries in hedendaagse gebieden.PNG|The former East Frisian-speaking area

File:Ostfriesland Verkehr-de.svg|East Frisia (in German)

File:Karteostfriesischedialekte.GIF|The former East Frisian dialects in Lower Saxony (in German)

File:OstfriesischesPlatt.png|The East Frisian Low Saxon area (colloquially called East Frisian and formed on an East Frisian substratum)

</gallery>

Classification

Frisian languages belong to the West Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages, the most widespread language family in Europe and the world. Its closest living genealogical relatives are the Anglic languages, i.e. English and Scots (Anglo-Frisian languages); together with the also closely related Low Saxon dialects the two groups make up the group of North Sea Germanic languages.

  • Frisian
  • West Frisian, spoken in the Netherlands
  • Hindeloopen Frisian
  • Schiermonnikoogs
  • Westlauwers–Terschelling Frisian
  • Terschellings (Oosterend and West-Terschelling dialects)
  • Western Frisian proper
  • Clay Frisian (Klaaifrysk, incl. Westereendersk)
  • Wood Frisian (Wâldfrysk)
  • South Frisian (Súdhoeks)
  • East Frisian, spoken in Lower Saxony, Germany
  • Ems Frisian dialects
  • Saterland Frisian
  • Emsingoa Frisian (extinct)
  • Brokmerland Frisian (extinct)
  • Ommelanden Frisian (extinct)
  • Weser Frisian dialects
  • Wangerooge Frisian (extinct)
  • Wursten Frisian (extinct)
  • Harlingerland Frisian (extinct)
  • North Frisian, spoken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
  • Mainland dialects
  • Bökingharde Frisian
  • Northern Goesharde Frisian
  • Middle Goesharde Frisian
  • Southern Goesharde Frisian (extinct)
  • Wiedingharde Frisian
  • Halligen Frisian
  • Karrharde Frisian
  • Island dialects
  • Söl'ring
  • Fering-Öömrang
  • Heligolandic (Halunder)
  • Extinct dialects
  • Strand Frisian
  • Eiderstedt Frisian
  • Old South Frisian (extinct)

Speakers

Most Frisian speakers live in the Netherlands, primarily in the province of Friesland, which since 1997 officially uses its West Frisian name of Fryslân, where the number of native speakers is about 400,000, which is about 75% of the inhabitants of Friesland. An increasing number of native Dutch speakers in the province are learning Frisian as a second language.

In Germany, there are about 2,000 speakers of Saterland Frisian in the marshy Saterland region of Lower Saxony. Saterland Frisian has resisted encroachment from Low German and Standard German, but Saterland Frisian still remains seriously endangered because of the small size of the speech community and of the lack of institutional support to help preserve and spread the language. Although many of these live on the mainland, most are found on the islands, notably Sylt, Föhr, Amrum, and Heligoland. The local corresponding North Frisian dialects are still in use.

West Frisian–Dutch bilinguals are split into two categories: Speakers who had Dutch as their first language tended to maintain the Dutch system of homophony between plural and linking suffixes when speaking West Frisian, by using the West Frisian plural as a linking morpheme. Speakers who had West Frisian as their first language often maintained the West Frisian system of no homophony when speaking West Frisian.

Status

Saterland and North Frisian are officially recognised and protected as minority languages in Germany, and West Frisian is one of the two official languages in the Netherlands, the other being Dutch.

ISO 639-1 code <code>fy</code> and ISO 639-2 code <code>fry</code> were assigned to "Frisian", but that was changed in November 2005 to "Western Frisian". According to the ISO 639 Registration Authority the "previous usage of [this] code has been for Western Frisian, although [the] language name was 'Frisian.

The new ISO 639 code <code>stq</code> is used for the Saterland Frisian language, a variety of Eastern Frisian (not to be confused with East Frisian Low Saxon, a West Low German dialect). The new ISO 639 code <code>frr</code> is used for the North Frisian language variants spoken in parts of Schleswig-Holstein.

The Ried fan de Fryske Beweging is an organization which works for the preservation of the West Frisian language and culture in the Dutch province of Friesland. The Fryske Academy also plays a large role, since its foundation in 1938, to conduct research on Frisian language, history, and society, including attempts at forming a larger dictionary. Nevertheless, Saterland Frisian and most dialects of North Frisian are seriously endangered and West Frisian is considered as vulnerable to being endangered. Moreover, for all advances in integrating Frisian in daily life, there is still a lack of education and media awareness of the Frisian language, perhaps reflecting its rural origins and its lack of prestige Therefore, in a sociological sense it is considered more a dialect than a standard language, even though linguistically it is a separate language.

One rhyme demonstrates the palpable similarity between Frisian and English: "Butter, bread and green cheese is good English and good Frisian," which is pronounced more or less the same in both languages (West Frisian: "Bûter, brea en griene tsiis is goed Ingelsk en goed Frysk.")

One major difference between Old Frisian and modern Frisian is that in the Old Frisian period () grammatical cases still existed. Some of the texts that are preserved from this period are from the 12th or 13th, but most are from the 14th and 15th centuries. Generally, all these texts are restricted to legalistic writings. Although the earliest definite written examples of Frisian are from approximately the 9th century, there are a few examples of runic inscriptions from the region which are probably older and possibly in the Frisian language. These runic writings however usually do not amount to more than single- or few-word inscriptions, and cannot be said to constitute literature as such. The transition from the Old Frisian to the Middle Frisian period (c.1550-c.1820) in the 16th century is based on the fairly abrupt halt in the use of Frisian as a written language.

Middle West Frisian

Up until the 15th century, Frisian was a language widely spoken and written, but from 1500 onwards it became an almost exclusively oral language, mainly used in rural areas. This was in part due to the occupation of its stronghold, the Dutch province of Friesland (Fryslân), in 1498, by Albert III, Duke of Saxony, who replaced West Frisian as the language of government with Dutch.

Afterwards this practice was continued under the Habsburg rulers of the Netherlands (the German Emperor Charles V and his son, the Spanish King Philip II), and even when the Netherlands became independent, in 1585, West Frisian did not regain its former status. The reason for this was the rise of Holland as the dominant part of the Netherlands, and its language, Dutch, as the dominant language in judicial, administrative and religious affairs.

In this period the great Frisian poet Gysbert Japiks (1603–66), a schoolteacher and cantor from the city of Bolsward, who largely fathered modern West Frisian literature and orthography, was really an exception to the rule.

His example was not followed until the 19th century, when entire generations of West Frisian authors and poets appeared. This coincided with the introduction of the so-called newer breaking system, a prominent grammatical feature in almost all West Frisian dialects, with the notable exception of Southwest Frisian. Therefore, the Modern West Frisian period is considered to have begun at this point in time, around 1820.

Modern West Frisian

thumb|A modern West Frisian speaker, recorded in the [[Netherlands]]

The revival of the West Frisian Language was led by the poet Gysbert Japiks, who had begun to write in the language as a way to show that it was possible, and created a collective West Frisian identity and West Frisian standard of writing through his poetry. The compiled literary work of the Halbertsma brothers (Joost, Tjalling, and Eeltje), Rimen en Teltsjes, is regarded as the standard Frisian literary work. This had begun the effort to continuously preserve the West Frisian language, which continues unto this day. It was however not until the first half of the 20th century that the West Frisian revival movement began to gain strength, not only through its language, but also through its culture and history, supporting singing and acting in West Frisian in order to facilitate West Frisian speaking. It is especially written West Frisian that seems to have trouble surviving, with only 30% of the West Frisian population competent in it;

Sample texts

The Lord's Prayer

{|

|-

! The Lord's Prayer in Standard West Frisian (Frysk) from the Third Edition of the Frisian Bible * !! The English translation in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer **

! The Standard Dutch translation from the Dutch Bible Society !! High German translation after Martin Luther

|-

|-

| Us Heit, dy't yn de himelen is || Our Father, which art in Heaven || Onze Vader die in de hemelen zijt, || Vater unser, der Du bist im Himmel,

|-

| jins namme wurde hillige. || Hallowed be thy Name. || Uw naam worde geheiligd; || Dein Name werde geheiligt,

|-

| Jins keninkryk komme. || Thy Kingdom come. || Uw Koninkrijk kome; || Dein Reich komme,

|-

| Jins wollen barre, || Thy will be done, || Uw wil geschiede, || Dein Wille geschehe,

|-

| allyk yn 'e himel sa ek op ierde. || in earth as it is in Heaven. || gelijk in de hemel alzo ook op de aarde. || wie im Himmel, so auf Erden.

|-

| Jou ús hjoed ús deistich brea. || Give us this day our daily bread. || Geef ons heden ons dagelijks brood; || Unser täglich Brot gib uns heute,

|-

| En ferjou ús ús skulden, || And forgive us our trespasses, || en vergeef ons onze schulden, || und vergib uns unsere Schuld,

|-

| allyk ek wy ferjouwe ús skuldners. || As we forgive them that trespass against us. || gelijk ook wij vergeven onze schuldenaren; || wie auch wir vergeben unsern Schuldigern.

|-

| En lied ús net yn fersiking, || And lead us not into temptation; || en leid ons niet in verzoeking, || Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung,

|-

| mar ferlos ús fan 'e kweade. || But deliver us from evil. || maar verlos ons van de boze. || sondern erlöse uns von dem Übel,

|-

| Want Jowes is it keninkryk en de krêft en de hearlikheid oant yn ivichheid. "Amen" || For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen. || Want van U is het Koninkrijk en de kracht en de heerlijkheid in der eeuwigheid. Amen. || denn Dein ist die Kraft und die Herrlichkeit in Ewigkeit. Amen

|}

NB:<br /> * See also West Frisian language#Sample text.<br /> ** 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

  • Saterland Frisian:
  • North Frisian (Mooring dialect):
  • North Frisian (Söl'ring dialect): Di Dreeng strekt dit faamen om't Ken en taatjet höör üp di Sjaken
  • West Frisian:
  • Gronings: t Jong fleerde t wicht om kinne tou en smokte heur op wange.
  • East Frisian Low Saxon:
  • Afrikaans:
  • Icelandic:
  • Norwegian (Bokmål):
  • Norwegian (Nynorsk):
  • Swedish:

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

See also

  • East Frisian Low Saxon
  • Frisia
  • Frisian Islands
  • Frisians
  • Imperativus pro infinitivo

References

Notes

General references

  • Omniglot links to various Frisian resources
  • Tresoar – Historical and Literary Centre of Friesland Province of the Netherlands
  • Ferring Stiftung, a foundation from North Frisia
  • West-Frisian-English dictionary
  • &#91;PDF&#93;Hewett, Waterman Thomas, The Frisian language and literature
  • 'Hover & Hear' West Frisian pronunciations, and compare with equivalents in English and other Germanic languages.
  • &nbsp;
  • Radio in West Frisian
  • Radio news in North Frisian
  • Online (German-Frisian) Dictionary for multiple North Frisian dialects