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Frisian language facts for kids

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Frisian
Frysk
Bilingual signs German-Frisian, police station Husum, Germany 0892.JPG
Bilingual sign in German and North Frisian, respectively, in Husum, Germany
Native to Netherlands, Germany
Region Friesland, Groningen, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein
Ethnicity Frisians
Native speakers 480,000  (ca. 2001 census)e18
Language family
Early forms:
Old Frisian
  • Middle Frisian
    • Frisian
Dialects
Saterland Frisian
North Frisian
Writing system Latin
Official status
Official language in Netherlands
Germany
Regulated by NL: Fryske Akademy
D: no official regulation
unofficial: the Seelter Buund (for Sater Frisian), the Nordfriisk Instituut (for North Frisian)
Linguasphere 52-ACA
Frisian languages in Europe.svg
Present-day distribution of the Frisian languages in Europe:

     West Frisian      North Frisian

     Saterland Frisian

Frisian refers to three languages that comes from Friesland, a province in the Netherlands. They are spoken in the Netherlands, in Eastern Germany, and in some areas of Jutland, Denmark. It is also spoken on the Frisian Isles (Wadden Isles) and Western German (East Frisian) Isles such as Borkum.

They are West Germanic languages related to Dutch and are also the closest living languages to English. Since they have been spoken since Roman times, English could descend from Frisian directly.

The Frisian languages are:

Frisian languages comparison
language wordlist
English one two three four five six seven eight nine ten
West Frisian ien twa trije fjouwer fiif seis sân aacht njoggen tsien
North Frisian ian tau trii fjauer fiiw  sääks sööwen aacht  njugen tiin
Saterland Frisian aan two trio fjauer fieuw  sääks soogen oachte njuugen tjoon


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See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Lenguas frisonas para niños

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