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
20 core words in Saterland Frisian
Water
Woater
/ˈvɔːtɐ/
Fire
Fjuur
/fjuːɐ/
Sun
Sunne
/ˈzʊnə/
Moon
Moune
/ˈmoːnə/
Mother
Mäme
/ˈmɛːmə/
Father
Babe
/ˈbaːbə/
Eat
ete
/ˈeːtə/
Drink
drinke
/ˈdrɪŋkə/
Love
Lieuwde
/ˈljœːʊdə/
Heart
Häärt
/hɛːrt/
Tree
Boom
/boːm/
House
Huus
/huːs/
Dog
Huund
/huːnt/
Cat
Kat
/kat/
Hand
Hounde
/ˈhɔʊndə/
Eye
Oge
/ˈɔːɣə/
Hello
Moin
/moin/
Thank you
Bedoankje
/bəˈdɔːŋkjə/
One
aan
/ˈɔːn/
Good
goud
/ɡoʊt/
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 | North Frisian | Frisian | Old Saxon | Middle English | Middle High German |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Woater /ˈvɔːtɐ/ | Water /vɑːtɐ/ | weeter /vɛːtər/ | wetter /vɛtər/ | watar /ˈwatar/ | water /watər/ | wazzer /ˈwatser/ |
| Fire | Fjuur /fjuːɐ/ | Füer /fyːɐ/ | jüür /jyːr/ | fjoer /fjuːr/ | fiur /fiur/ | fyr /fyːr/ | viur /viur/ |
| Sun | Sunne /ˈzʊnə/ | Sünn /zʏn/ | saanj /saːɲ/ | sinne /sɪnə/ | sunna /ˈsunːa/ | sonne /sɔnːə/ | sunne /ˈzunːə/ |
| Moon | Moune /ˈmoːnə/ | Maand /mɑːnt/ | muune /muːnə/ | moanne /mwɑnə/ | māno /ˈmaːno/ | mone /moːnə/ | mâne /ˈmaːnə/ |
| Mother | Mäme /ˈmɛːmə/ | Moder /moːdɐ/ | mam /mɑm/ | mem /mɛm/ | muoder /ˈmuodər/ | moder /moːdər/ | muoter /ˈmuoːtər/ |
| Father | Babe /ˈbaːbə/ | Vader /fɑːdɐ/ | baabe /baːbə/ | heit /hɛit/ | fader /ˈfadər/ | fader /faːdər/ | vater /ˈfatər/ |
| Eat | ete /ˈeːtə/ | eten /eːtn̩/ | äte /ɛtə/ | ite /iːtə/ | etan /ˈetan/ | eten /eːtən/ | ezzen /ˈetsən/ |
| Drink | drinke /ˈdrɪŋkə/ | drinken /drɪŋkn̩/ | drinke /drɪŋkə/ | drinke /drɪŋkə/ | drinkan /ˈdrinkan/ | drinken /drɪŋkən/ | trinken /ˈtrinkən/ |
| Love | Lieuwde /ˈljœːʊdə/ | Leev /leːf/ | liiwd /liːwd/ | leafde /lɪəfdə/ | minnea /ˈminːea/ | love /lʊvə/ | minne /ˈminːə/ |
| Heart | Häärt /hɛːrt/ | Hart /haɐt/ | hört /høɾt/ | hert /hɛrt/ | herta /ˈherta/ | herte /hɛrtə/ | herze /ˈhertsə/ |
| Tree | Boom /boːm/ | Boom /boːm/ | boom /boːm/ | beam /bɪəm/ | bōm /boːm/ | tre /treː/ | boum /boum/ |
| House | Huus /huːs/ | Huus /huːs/ | hüs /hyːs/ | hûs /huːs/ | hūs /huːs/ | hous /huːs/ | hûs /huːs/ |
| Dog | Huund /huːnt/ | Hund /hʊnt/ | hünj /hyɲ/ | hûn /huːn/ | hund /hund/ | hound /huːnd/ | hunt /hunt/ |
| Cat | Kat /kat/ | Katt /kat/ | kaat /kaːt/ | kat /kɑt/ | katta /ˈkatːa/ | catte /katːə/ | katze /ˈkatsə/ |
| Hand | Hounde /ˈhɔʊndə/ | Hand /hant/ | häänj /hɛːɲ/ | hân /hɔːn/ | hand /hand/ | hand /hand/ | hant /hant/ |
| Eye | Oge /ˈɔːɣə/ | Oog /oːx/ | oog /oːx/ | each /ɪəx/ | ōga /ˈoːɡa/ | eye /iːə/ | ouge /ˈouɡə/ |
| Hello | Moin /moin/ | Moin /mɔɪn/ | moin /mɔin/ | hoi /hɔi/ | heil /heil/ | hail /hɛːl/ | gegrüezet /ɡəˈɡryːətsət/ |
| Thank you | Bedoankje /bəˈdɔːŋkjə/ | Dankschöön /daŋkʃøːn/ | toonk /toːŋk/ | tankewol /tɑŋkəvɔl/ | thank /θaŋk/ | gramercy /ɡraːmɛrsiː/ | danc /daŋk/ |
| One | aan /ˈɔːn/ | een /eːn/ | ian /iːan/ | ien /iːn/ | ēn /eːn/ | oon /oːn/ | ein /ein/ |
| Good | goud /ɡoʊt/ | good /ɡoːt/ | gud /ɡud/ | goed /ɡuət/ | gōd /ɡoːd/ | good /ɡoːd/ | guot /ɡuoːt/ |
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