Stadsfries dialects
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (June 2023) |
Stadsfries | |
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Town Frisian, City Frisian, city-Frisian | |
Native to | Netherlands |
Native speakers | 45,000 (2009[1]) |
Indo-European
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Dialects |
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Friesland |
This article is a part of a series on |
Dutch |
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Low Saxon dialects |
West Low Franconian dialects |
East Low Franconian dialects |
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Stadsfries or Town Frisian (Dutch: Stadsfries, Stadfries; West Frisian: Stedsk, Stedfrysk) is a set of dialects spoken in certain cities in the province of
The vocabulary of Stadsfries is derived primarily from
The name of the dialect group, Stadsfries, is not an
Vocabulary
The vocabulary of Stadsfries is mainly Dutch though the West Frisian language influence is notable. Furthermore, a set of word forms are used that are clearly West Frisian, not Dutch. Examples:
Stadsfries | West Frisian | Dutch | English |
---|---|---|---|
hammer | hammer | hamer | hammer |
joeke | jûkje | jeuken | itching |
The language also has typical West Frisian words that don't exist (in that sense) in Dutch, usually this concerns domestic words and words from the mainly West Frisian language agricultural sector. Examples:
Stadsfries | West Frisian | Dutch | English |
---|---|---|---|
moeke | mem | moeder | mother |
fader | heit | vader | father |
jaar | jaar | uier | udder |
jarre | jarre | gier | manure |
Other differences between Dutch and West Frisian can be traced back to the Dutch dialect of the 16th century. Example:
Stadsfries | West Frisian | Dutch | English |
---|---|---|---|
lêge | lizze | liggen | lie down |
Finally, several words have survived in the Stadsfries language due to Dutch influence that have since disappeared from the West Frisian language. Examples:
Stadsfries | West Frisian | Dutch | English |
---|---|---|---|
kyn | bern | kind | child |
fierndeel | fearn | een vierde (deel) | one fourth (as in division) (mainly U.S.); one quarter |
Grammar
Stadsfries phonology deviates from Dutch in the absence of the voiced sounds /v/ and /z/ at the beginning of words. Dutch words like this often have an equivalent Stadsfrisian translation that instead starts with the unvoiced sounds /f/ and /s/. The Dutch sounds sequence /sx/ does not exist in Stadsfries, but is often replaced with /sk/. Stadsfries has these properties in common with West Frisian, as well as several Dutch dialects.
The
The
Spelling
There is no standardized, officially recognized spelling for Stadsfries. The very few authors that write in it each use their own spelling conventions. The most commonly used spelling is that in the Woordenboek fan ut Liwwarders (Leeuwarden Dictionary). This spelling convention is closely related to, but more phonetic than West Frisian, and does not use the letter û.
Speakers
The use of Stadsfries is declining rapidly, especially in Leeuwarden. No more than a quarter of the city's population (approximately 20,000 people) speaks the language, although that percentage is higher in smaller towns. In the first half of the twentieth century the town of Heerenveen had a local strand of Stadsfries known as Haagjes Fries, spoken especially around Oranjewoud, near the country home of the Frisian stadhouder.
Use of most
References
- ISBN 978-9 00 17 79 047.
- ^ Reitze J. Jonkman, Characterising a minority language: a social psychological comparison between Dutch, Frisian and the Ljouwert vernacular, in: Durk Gorter, Jarich F. Hoekstra, Lammert G. Jansma, Jehannes Ytsma (eds.), Fourth International Conference on Minority Languages: Volume II: Western and Eastern European Papers, series: Multilingual Matters 71, 1990, p. 11ff., here p. 13
- ^ Durk Gorter, Extent and Position of West Frisian, in: Handbuch des Friesischen / Handbook of Frisian Studies, edited by Horst Haider Munske in collaboration with Nils Århammer, Volkert F. Faltings, Jarich F. Hoekstra, Oebele Vries, Alastair G.H. Walker, Ommo Wilts, Max Niemeyer Verlag, Tübingen, 2001, p. 73ff., here p. 75
- ISBN 978-90-272-5236-4. p. 373.