Frasch
North Frisian
Indo-European
North Frisian (Frasch in Mooring dialect) is a West Germanic language of the Frisian branch, spoken by around 10,000 people across the North Frisian Islands and the Nordfriesland district of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is one of three surviving Frisian languages (alongside West Frisian fy in the Netherlands and Saterland Frisian stq in Lower Saxony). Linguistically, North Frisian is split into nine highly divergent traditional dialects — Söl'ring (Sylt), Fering (Föhr), Öömrang (Amrum), Halunder (Helgoland), Mooring (mainland), and others — to the extent that mutual intelligibility between island and mainland varieties is limited. The language preserves archaic Anglo-Frisian features (Anglo-Frisian brightening, palatalization of velars before front vowels) shared with Old English. The Nordfriisk Instituut in Bredstedt has been the principal documentation and revitalization body since 1965.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in North Frisian
Water
weeter
/vɛːtər/
Fire
jüür
/jyːr/
Sun
saanj
/saːɲ/
Moon
muune
/muːnə/
Mother
mam
/mɑm/
Father
baabe
/baːbə/
Eat
äte
/ɛtə/
Drink
drinke
/drɪŋkə/
Love
liiwd
/liːwd/
Heart
hört
/høɾt/
Tree
boom
/boːm/
House
hüs
/hyːs/
Dog
hünj
/hyɲ/
Cat
kaat
/kaːt/
Hand
häänj
/hɛːɲ/
Eye
oog
/oːx/
Hello
moin
/mɔin/
Thank you
toonk
/toːŋk/
One
ian
/iːan/
Good
gud
/ɡud/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European languages
| Meaning | North Frisian | Frisian | Low German | Saterland Frisian | Dutch | Middle English | Afrikaans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | weeter /vɛːtər/ | wetter /vɛtər/ | Water /vɑːtɐ/ | Woater /ˈvɔːtɐ/ | water /ʋaːtər/ | water /watər/ | water /vɑːtər/ |
| Fire | jüür /jyːr/ | fjoer /fjuːr/ | Füer /fyːɐ/ | Fjuur /fjuːɐ/ | vuur /vyːr/ | fyr /fyːr/ | vuur /fyːr/ |
| Sun | saanj /saːɲ/ | sinne /sɪnə/ | Sünn /zʏn/ | Sunne /ˈzʊnə/ | zon /zɔn/ | sonne /sɔnːə/ | son /sɔn/ |
| Moon | muune /muːnə/ | moanne /mwɑnə/ | Maand /mɑːnt/ | Moune /ˈmoːnə/ | maan /maːn/ | mone /moːnə/ | maan /mɑːn/ |
| Mother | mam /mɑm/ | mem /mɛm/ | Moder /moːdɐ/ | Mäme /ˈmɛːmə/ | moeder /mudər/ | moder /moːdər/ | moeder /muːdər/ |
| Father | baabe /baːbə/ | heit /hɛit/ | Vader /fɑːdɐ/ | Babe /ˈbaːbə/ | vader /vaːdər/ | fader /faːdər/ | vader /fɑːdər/ |
| Eat | äte /ɛtə/ | ite /iːtə/ | eten /eːtn̩/ | ete /ˈeːtə/ | eten /eːtə/ | eten /eːtən/ | eet /eːt/ |
| Drink | drinke /drɪŋkə/ | drinke /drɪŋkə/ | drinken /drɪŋkn̩/ | drinke /ˈdrɪŋkə/ | drinken /drɪŋkə/ | drinken /drɪŋkən/ | drink /drɪŋk/ |
| Love | liiwd /liːwd/ | leafde /lɪəfdə/ | Leev /leːf/ | Lieuwde /ˈljœːʊdə/ | liefde /lifdə/ | love /lʊvə/ | liefde /lifdə/ |
| Heart | hört /høɾt/ | hert /hɛrt/ | Hart /haɐt/ | Häärt /hɛːrt/ | hart /ɦɑrt/ | herte /hɛrtə/ | hart /ɦart/ |
| Tree | boom /boːm/ | beam /bɪəm/ | Boom /boːm/ | Boom /boːm/ | boom /boːm/ | tre /treː/ | boom /boːm/ |
| House | hüs /hyːs/ | hûs /huːs/ | Huus /huːs/ | Huus /huːs/ | huis /ɦœʏs/ | hous /huːs/ | huis /hœɪs/ |
| Dog | hünj /hyɲ/ | hûn /huːn/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Huund /huːnt/ | hond /ɦɔnt/ | hound /huːnd/ | hond /ɦɔnt/ |
| Cat | kaat /kaːt/ | kat /kɑt/ | Katt /kat/ | Kat /kat/ | kat /kɑt/ | catte /katːə/ | kat /kat/ |
| Hand | häänj /hɛːɲ/ | hân /hɔːn/ | Hand /hant/ | Hounde /ˈhɔʊndə/ | hand /ɦɑnt/ | hand /hand/ | hand /ɦant/ |
| Eye | oog /oːx/ | each /ɪəx/ | Oog /oːx/ | Oge /ˈɔːɣə/ | oog /oːx/ | eye /iːə/ | oog /oːx/ |
| Hello | moin /mɔin/ | hoi /hɔi/ | Moin /mɔɪn/ | Moin /moin/ | hallo /ɦɑloː/ | hail /hɛːl/ | hallo /ɦaˈlo/ |
| Thank you | toonk /toːŋk/ | tankewol /tɑŋkəvɔl/ | Dankschöön /daŋkʃøːn/ | Bedoankje /bəˈdɔːŋkjə/ | dank je /dɑŋk jə/ | gramercy /ɡraːmɛrsiː/ | dankie /daŋki/ |
| One | ian /iːan/ | ien /iːn/ | een /eːn/ | aan /ˈɔːn/ | een /eːn/ | oon /oːn/ | een /eːn/ |
| Good | gud /ɡud/ | goed /ɡuət/ | good /ɡoːt/ | goud /ɡoʊt/ | goed /xut/ | good /ɡoːd/ | goed /xut/ |
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