Seeltersk
Saterland Frisian
Indo-European (West Germanic, Frisian)
Saterland Frisian (Seeltersk) is the sole surviving descendant of medieval East Frisian (Old East Frisian), spoken by ~2.5K people in three villages of the Saterland municipality in Lower Saxony, Germany — Ramsloh (Roomelse), Strücklingen (Strukelje) and Scharrel (Skäddel). It is preserved here because Saterland was historically a moor-island isolated by inhospitable bogs from the surrounding Low German speech area. The language survived the 1500-year medieval expansion-and-loss cycle that erased East Frisian elsewhere along the German North Sea coast. Recognized as a regional language under the 1998 European Charter; UNESCO classes it as severely endangered. Distinct from West Frisian (fy, Netherlands) and North Frisian (frr, Schleswig-Holstein).
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Saterland Frisian
Water
Woater
/ˈvɔːtɐ/
Fire
Fjuur
/fjuːɐ/
Sun
Sunne
/ˈzʊnə/
Moon
Moune
/ˈmoːnə/
Star
Stiern
/stiərn/
Mother
Mäme
/ˈmɛːmə/
Father
Babe
/ˈbaːbə/
I
iek
/i̯ək/
You
du
/duː/
Name
Noome
/ˈnoːmə/
Eye
Oge
/ˈɔːɣə/
Hand
Hounde
/ˈhɔʊndə/
Heart
Häärt
/hɛːrt/
Love
Lieuwde
/ˈljœːʊdə/
Tree
Boom
/boːm/
House
Huus
/huːs/
Dog
Huund
/huːnt/
Cat
Kat
/kat/
Eat
ete
/ˈeːtə/
Drink
drinke
/ˈdrɪŋkə/
One
aan
/ˈɔːn/
Two
twäin
/tvain/
Hello
Moin
/moin/
Thank you
Bedoankje
/bəˈdɔːŋkjə/
Good
goud
/ɡoʊt/
Cuckoo
Kukuuk
/ˈkukuk/
Computer
Computer
/kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/
Sources
- Ethnologue: stq
- Fort (1980) Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch
- Seelter Buund (Sater Frisian Association)
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (West Germanic, Frisian) languages
| Meaning | Saterland Frisian | Low German | Frisian | West Flemish | German (Swiss) | Plautdietsch | Early New High German (Luther-era) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Woater /ˈvɔːtɐ/ | Water /vɑːtɐ/ | wetter /vɛtər/ | woater /ˈwɔːtər/ | Wasser /ˈvasər/ | Wota /vɔta/ | Wasser /ˈvasːər/ |
| Fire | Fjuur /fjuːɐ/ | Füer /fyːɐ/ | fjoer /fjuːr/ | vier /viːr/ | Feuer /ˈfɔɪ̯ər/ | Fia /fia/ | Fewr /foɪ̯r/ |
| Sun | Sunne /ˈzʊnə/ | Sünn /zʏn/ | sinne /sɪnə/ | zunne /ˈzœnə/ | Sonne /ˈsɔnə/ | Sonn /zɔn/ | Sonne /ˈzɔnə/ |
| Moon | Moune /ˈmoːnə/ | Maan /maːn/ | moanne /mwɑnə/ | moane /ˈmɔːnə/ | Mond /moːnt/ | Mon /moːn/ | Mond /moːnt/ |
| Star | Stiern /stiərn/ | Steern /steːrn/ | stjer /stjɛr/ | sterre /ˈstærə/ | Stern /ʃtɛrn/ | Stearn /stæːrn/ | Stern /ʃtɛrn/ |
| Mother | Mäme /ˈmɛːmə/ | Moder /moːdɐ/ | mem /mɛm/ | moeder /ˈmudər/ | Mutter /ˈmʊtər/ | Mutta /ˈmʊta/ | Mutter /ˈmʊtər/ |
| Father | Babe /ˈbaːbə/ | Vader /fɑːdɐ/ | heit /hɛit/ | voader /ˈvɔːdər/ | Vater /ˈfaːtər/ | Voda /ˈfoːda/ | Vater /ˈfaːtər/ |
| I | iek /i̯ək/ | ik /ɪk/ | ik /ɪk/ | ik /ɛk/ | ich /ɪx/ | ekj /ɛc/ | ich /ɪç/ |
| You | du /duː/ | du /duː/ | do /do/ | gie /hi/ | du /duː/ | du /du/ | du /duː/ |
| Name | Noome /ˈnoːmə/ | Naam /naːm/ | namme /ˈnamə/ | noame /ˈnɔːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ | Nome /ˈnoːmə/ | Name /ˈnaːmə/ |
| Eye | Oge /ˈɔːɣə/ | Oog /oːx/ | each /ɪəx/ | ooge /ˈoːhə/ | Auge /ˈaʊɡə/ | Uag /uak/ | Aug /aʊk/ |
| Hand | Hounde /ˈhɔʊndə/ | Hand /hant/ | hân /hɔːn/ | and /ɑnt/ | Hand /hant/ | Haunt /haʊnt/ | Handt /hant/ |
| Heart | Häärt /hɛːrt/ | Hart /haɐt/ | hert /hɛrt/ | erte /ˈærtə/ | Herz /hɛrts/ | Hoat /hoat/ | Hertz /hɛrts/ |
| Love | Lieuwde /ˈljœːʊdə/ | Leev /leːf/ | leafde /lɪəfdə/ | liefde /ˈliːvdə/ | Liebe /ˈliːbə/ | Leew /leːf/ | Liebe /ˈliːbə/ |
| Tree | Boom /boːm/ | Boom /boːm/ | beam /bɪəm/ | boom /boːm/ | Baum /baʊm/ | Boom /boːm/ | Bawm /baʊm/ |
| House | Huus /huːs/ | Huus /huːs/ | hûs /huːs/ | uus /ʏːs/ | Haus /haʊs/ | Hus /huːs/ | Hauß /haʊs/ |
| Dog | Huund /huːnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | hûn /huːn/ | hound /hont/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ |
| Cat | Kat /kat/ | Katt /kat/ | kat /kɑt/ | katte /ˈkɑtə/ | Katze /ˈkɑtːsə/ | Kaut /kaʊt/ | Katze /ˈkatsə/ |
| Eat | ete /ˈeːtə/ | eten /eːtn̩/ | ite /iːtə/ | eetn /ˈeːtn̩/ | essen /ˈɛsn̩/ | äten /ɛːtən/ | essen /ˈɛsːən/ |
| Drink | drinke /ˈdrɪŋkə/ | drinken /drɪŋkn̩/ | drinke /drɪŋkə/ | drienkn /ˈdriŋkn̩/ | trinken /ˈtrɪŋkn̩/ | drinken /dɾɪŋkən/ | trincken /ˈtrɪŋkən/ |
| One | aan /ˈɔːn/ | een /eːn/ | ien /iːn/ | êen /eːn/ | eins /aɪ̯ns/ | eent /eːnt/ | eyn /aɪ̯n/ |
| Two | twäin /tvain/ | twee /tveː/ | twa /twa/ | twêe /tweː/ | zwei /tsvai/ | twee /tveː/ | zwey /tsvaɪ/ |
| Hello | Moin /moin/ | Moin /mɔɪn/ | hoi /hɔi/ | goeiendag /ˌhujənˈdɑh/ | Hallo /haˈloː/ | Goondach /ɡoːndax/ | Gott zum Gruß /ɡɔt tsʊm ɡruːs/ |
| Thank you | Bedoankje /bəˈdɔːŋkjə/ | Dankschöön /daŋkʃøːn/ | tankewol /tɑŋkəvɔl/ | merci /mɛrˈsi/ | danke /ˈdaŋkə/ | Donk /dɔŋk/ | Danck /daŋk/ |
| Good | goud /ɡoʊt/ | good /ɡoːt/ | goed /ɡuət/ | goed /hut/ | gut /ɡuːt/ | goot /ɡoːt/ | gut /ɡuːt/ |
| Cuckoo | Kukuuk /ˈkukuk/ | Kukuk /ˈkuːkuk/ | koekoek /ˈkukuk/ | koekoek /ˈkukuk/ | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ | Kuckuck /ˈkʊkʊk/ | gukuk /ˈɡukuk/ |
| Computer | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ | Computer /kɔmˈpjuːtɐ/ | kompjûter /kɔmˈpjuːtər/ | computer /kɔmˈpjutər/ | Computer /komˈpjuːtər/ | — | Rechenmeister /ˈrɛçənˌmaɪstər/ |
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