Limburgs
Limburgish
Germanic
Limburgish (Limburgs) is a West Germanic language with ~1.6M speakers — Dutch province of Limburg, Belgian Limburg, and the Heinsberg region of Germany. Recognized as a regional language of the Netherlands (1997 European Charter ratification) and minority language of Germany. Distinguished by lexical-tonal accent (high/low pitch on stressed syllables) — rare in West Germanic. Closely related to Ripuarian German dialects.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Limburgish
Water
water
/vatər/
Fire
vuur
/vyːr/
Sun
zón
/zɔn/
Moon
maon
/maːʊn/
Star
sjter
/ʃtɛr/
Mother
mam
/mam/
Father
pap
/pap/
I
ich
/ɪç/
You
doe
/du/
Name
naam
/naːm/
Eye
oug
/ɔux/
Hand
handj
/hanʲ/
Heart
hart
/hart/
Love
leefde
/leːfdə/
Tree
boum
/bʌʊm/
House
hoes
/huːs/
Dog
hóndj
/hɔnʲ/
Cat
kat
/kat/
Eat
ete
/eːtə/
Drink
drinke
/drɪŋkə/
One
eine
/ɛɪnə/
Two
twee
/tweː/
Hello
hallo
/halo/
Thank you
merci
/mɛrsi/
Good
good
/ɡoːt/
Cuckoo
kókkók
/ˈkoːkoːk/
Computer
computer
/kɔmˈpjuːtər/
Sushi
sushi
/ˈsuʃi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Germanic languages
| Meaning | Limburgish | Low German | Pennsylvania German | Dutch (Belgian) | Kölsch | Dutch | Frisian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | water /vatər/ | Water /vɑːtɐ/ | Wasser /vasər/ | water /ʋaːtər/ | Wasser /vasɐ/ | water /ʋaːtər/ | wetter /vɛtər/ |
| Fire | vuur /vyːr/ | Füer /fyːɐ/ | Feier /faɪər/ | vuur /vyːr/ | Füer /fyːɐ/ | vuur /vyːr/ | fjoer /fjuːr/ |
| Sun | zón /zɔn/ | Sünn /zʏn/ | Sunn /sʊn/ | zon /zɔn/ | Sonn /zɔn/ | zon /zɔn/ | sinne /sɪnə/ |
| Moon | maon /maːʊn/ | Maan /maːn/ | Muun /muːn/ | maan /maːn/ | Mond /moːnt/ | maan /maːn/ | moanne /mwɑnə/ |
| Star | sjter /ʃtɛr/ | Steern /steːrn/ | Schteern /ʃteːrn/ | ster /stɛr/ | Stään /ʃtɛːn/ | ster /stɛr/ | stjer /stjɛr/ |
| Mother | mam /mam/ | Moder /moːdɐ/ | Mudder /mʊdər/ | moeder /muːdər/ | Moder /moːdɐ/ | moeder /mudər/ | mem /mɛm/ |
| Father | pap /pap/ | Vader /fɑːdɐ/ | Daadi /daːdi/ | vader /vaːdər/ | Vatter /fatɐ/ | vader /vaːdər/ | heit /hɛit/ |
| I | ich /ɪç/ | ik /ɪk/ | ich /ɪç/ | ik /ɪk/ | ich /ɪɕ/ | ik /ɪk/ | ik /ɪk/ |
| You | doe /du/ | du /duː/ | du /du/ | gij /ɣɛi/ | do /doː/ | jij /jɛi/ | do /do/ |
| Name | naam /naːm/ | Naam /naːm/ | Naame /ˈnaːmə/ | naam /naːm/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | naam /naːm/ | namme /ˈnamə/ |
| Eye | oug /ɔux/ | Oog /oːx/ | Aag /aːk/ | oog /oːx/ | Auch /aʊx/ | oog /oːx/ | each /ɪəx/ |
| Hand | handj /hanʲ/ | Hand /hant/ | Hand /hant/ | hand /ɦɑnt/ | Hand /hant/ | hand /ɦɑnt/ | hân /hɔːn/ |
| Heart | hart /hart/ | Hart /haɐt/ | Hatz /hats/ | hart /ɦɑrt/ | Hätz /hɛts/ | hart /ɦɑrt/ | hert /hɛrt/ |
| Love | leefde /leːfdə/ | Leev /leːf/ | liewe /liːvə/ | liefde /lifdə/ | Leev /leːf/ | liefde /lifdə/ | leafde /lɪəfdə/ |
| Tree | boum /bʌʊm/ | Boom /boːm/ | Baam /baːm/ | boom /boːm/ | Boum /baʊm/ | boom /boːm/ | beam /bɪəm/ |
| House | hoes /huːs/ | Huus /huːs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | huis /ɦœs/ | Huus /huːs/ | huis /ɦœʏs/ | hûs /huːs/ |
| Dog | hóndj /hɔnʲ/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | hond /ɦɔnt/ | Hongk /hoŋk/ | hond /ɦɔnt/ | hûn /huːn/ |
| Cat | kat /kat/ | Katt /kat/ | Katz /kats/ | kat /kɑt/ | Katz /kats/ | kat /kɑt/ | kat /kɑt/ |
| Eat | ete /eːtə/ | eten /eːtn̩/ | esse /ɛsə/ | eten /eːtən/ | esse /ɛsə/ | eten /eːtə/ | ite /iːtə/ |
| Drink | drinke /drɪŋkə/ | drinken /drɪŋkn̩/ | drinke /dɾɪŋkə/ | drinken /drɪŋkən/ | drinke /dʁɪŋkə/ | drinken /drɪŋkə/ | drinke /drɪŋkə/ |
| One | eine /ɛɪnə/ | een /eːn/ | eens /eːns/ | een /eːn/ | ein /aɪn/ | een /eːn/ | ien /iːn/ |
| Two | twee /tweː/ | twee /tveː/ | zwee /tsveː/ | twee /tweː/ | zwei /tsvai/ | twee /tʋeː/ | twa /twa/ |
| Hello | hallo /halo/ | Moin /mɔɪn/ | Hallo /haloː/ | hallo /ɦɑloː/ | Tach /tax/ | hallo /ɦɑloː/ | hoi /hɔi/ |
| Thank you | merci /mɛrsi/ | Dankschöön /daŋkʃøːn/ | Denki /dɛŋki/ | dank je /dɑŋk jə/ | Dankeschön /daŋkəʃøːn/ | dank je /dɑŋk jə/ | tankewol /tɑŋkəvɔl/ |
| Good | good /ɡoːt/ | good /ɡoːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | goed /ɣut/ | joot /joːt/ | goed /ɣut/ | goed /ɡuət/ |
| Cuckoo | kókkók /ˈkoːkoːk/ | Kukuk /ˈkuːkuk/ | — | koekoek /ˈkukuk/ | — | koekoek /ˈkukuk/ | koekoek /ˈkukuk/ |
| Computer | computer /kɔmˈpjuːtər/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /ˈkɔmpjuːtɐ/ | computer /kɔmˈpjutər/ | Computer /komˈpjuːtɐ/ | computer /kɔmˈpjutər/ | kompjûter /kɔmˈpjuːtər/ |
| Sushi | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈzuʃi/ | — | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | Sushi /ˈzuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsu.ʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ |
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