Does anyone know Frisian Language?

superdavid   Sat Apr 07, 2007 12:58 pm GMT
Does anyone speak Frisian language?

Is it a dialect of Dutch language?
Are Dutch and Frisian mutually intelligible?

Please post a reply any clues or information about Frisian language.
Adam   Sat Apr 07, 2007 7:02 pm GMT
Frisian is the most closely related language to English.

Frisian languages are a closely related group of Germanic languages, spoken by about half a million members of Frisian ethnic groups, who live on the southern fringes of the North Sea in the Netherlands and Germany. With the arguable exception of Scots, the Frisian languages are the most closely related living European languages to English, yet English and Frisian are still mostly unintelligible to each other. There are similarities to both Dutch, as many Frisian words are borrowed from Dutch, and Danish, as Danish speakers are able to understand some spoken Frisian.
superdavid   Mon Apr 09, 2007 3:45 am GMT
So, are Dutch and Frisian mutually understandable in some level?
or are they totally different from each other?
Guest   Mon Apr 09, 2007 2:39 pm GMT
Frisian and Dutch are totally different from one another. They are not mutually intelligible, even though Frisian has borrowed words and has been influenced by Dutch over the years.

Here is the Lord's Prayer in Frisian:

Us Heit yn 'e himel,
lit jo namme hillige wurde,
lit jo keninkryk komme,
Lit jo wil dien wurde
op ierde likegoed as yn 'e himel.
Jou ús hjoed ús deistich brea
en ferjou ús ús skulden
sa't wy ús skuldners ek ferjûn hawwe;
en lit ús net yn fersiking komme,
mar ferlos ús fan 'e kweade;
[want jowes is it keninkryk
en de krêft
en de hearlikheid
oant yn ivichheid. Amen].


and in Dutch:

Onze Vader in de hemel,
uw naam worde geheiligd,
uw koninkrijk kome,
uw wil geschiede,
op aarde zoals in de hemel.
Geef ons heden ons dagelijks brood
en vergeef ons onze schulden
zoals ook wij anderen hun schulden hebben vergeven,
en stel ons niet op de proef
maar verlos ons van de duivel.
Adam   Mon Apr 09, 2007 7:03 pm GMT
Many parts of English and Frisian and mutually intelligible with each other - just like Portuguese and Spanish.

One rhyme demonstrates the similarity between written Frisian and English:

English:"Butter, bread, and green cheese is good English and good Fries"

Frisian: "Bûter, brea, en griene tsiis is goed Ingelsk en goed Frysk."

Not only do they look almost the same, the pronounciation is almost EXACTLY the same.

More similarities -

English - us
Frisian - ús

English - soft
Frisian - sêft

English - goose
Frisian - goes
Adam   Mon Apr 09, 2007 7:06 pm GMT
There have been many tales of fishermen from Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex - the closest points of England to Holland - meeting Frisian fishermen in the North Sea and being able to speak to each other.
Peter   Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:17 pm GMT
Does anyone know Frisian language? Who the hell cares?
Peter   Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:18 pm GMT
Frisian language is the easiest in the world. Everybody knows it. Frisian language is the stupidest language in the world. But, I don't hate Frisians. It's not their fault.
Guest   Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:47 pm GMT
it is really so similar to English !

It is interesting to see how similar languages are linked with similar countries. In netherlands you could easily think you are in England.
Guest   Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:25 am GMT
Dutch English and Afrikaans are the the most intelligible to eachother. Besides Danish, which is closely related to Dutch and German.