• In the language itself: Oostfreesk or Oostfräisk
• ISO 639-3 standard: frs

East Frisian Low Saxon is also often referred to by the term “Low German” (or “East Frisian Low German”), and many sources for this wiki use this term to refer to all varieties of Low German/ Low Saxon. When it comes to East Frisia, we can usually assume that “Low German” education means East Frisian Low Saxon education.

UNESCO	Ethnologue	Endangered Languages	Glottolog

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• Classification: Indo-European → Germanic → Northwest Germanic → West Germanic → North Sea Germanic → Altsächsisch → Middle-Modern Low German → Low German → West Low German → North Low Saxon → German North Low Saxon → East Frisian Low Saxon.
• Script: Latin

The official orthography for East Frisian was developed by the Ostfriesische Landschaft ¹⁾ (“East Frisian Landscape”), the cultural governing body of East Frisia. This orthography is also recognized by the State of Lower Saxony ²⁾.

There is also an unofficial orthography used by the independent Oostfräisk Instituut that was developed by the Jungfräiske Mäinskup, an East Frisian advocacy youth group. This orthography is supposed to be more phonemic ³⁾.

Both the Ostfriesische Landschaft ⁴⁾ and the Oostfräisk Instituut ⁵⁾ have established online dictionaries for East Frisian Low Saxon, with each institution using its own orthography.

East Frisian Low Saxon is spoken in East Frisia, an area in the northwest of the State of Lower Saxony in Germany on the coast of the Wadden Sea and bordering the Netherlands. This area roughly corresponds to the municipalities under the Ostfriesische Landschaft.

^{The East Frisian Low Saxon language area in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany, with an isogloss delineating two variants. Image by Onno 6).}

Around 465,000 people live in East Frisia ⁷⁾. It is not clear exactly how many of them speak East Frisian Low Saxon. However, in a 2023 survey sent out by the Ostfriesische Landschaft, 2,637 residents of East Frisia were asked to report their proficiency concerning Low German ⁸⁾. Some of the results of this survey are presented in the table below:

It must be noted that the sample size is quite small (~0.057% of the population of East Frisia) and that proficiency is self-reported. Also note that the survey asks about proficiency in Low German; it is therefore possible that some of the respondents speak a different variety of Low German.

Beginning in the 16th century, Standard German began to be used by higher classes in Low German speaking areas ^{9) 10)}. In East Frisia, Standard German eventually became the commonly spoken language in the latter half of the 20th century ¹¹⁾, and this change also occurred in education ¹²⁾. Only in recent decades has East Frisian Low Saxon again been used in education ^{13) 14) 15)}.

East Frisian Low Saxon is not recognized as its own language under the ECRML; instead, the broader Low German language is recognized in Germany, which is covered by Article III in Lower Saxony ¹⁶⁾.

The East Frisian minority group is recognized under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities as part of the Frisian ethnic group ^{17) 18)}.

According to the German Constitution, the school system is not under the supervision of the national government ¹⁹⁾.

A Decree made by the Lower Saxony Culture Ministry on June 1st, 2019 allows Low German to be used as a language of instruction in primary and secondary schools, to be taught via e.g. elective courses in secondary schools, and to be promoted at schools in other ways such as extracurriculars ^{20) 21)}.

The State of Lower Saxony awards the title “Low German School” to schools that meet certain requirements. The State lists these requirements as follows (paraphrased; translation by author of the wiki page) ²²⁾:

1. The Low German region and language are part of the school's mission statement and identity.
2. Immersive teaching:
   1. One subject is taught immersively in two or more years; or
   2. One learning group is taught two or more subjects immersively.
   3. Immersive teaching with only one learning group of one year does not suffice.
3. Acquisition courses, such as electives, are equivalent to immersive learning groups.

Of the 46 Low German schools in Lower Saxony, 18 (39%) are located in East Frisia.

The Plattdüütskbüro (“Low German Office”) of the Ostfriesische Landschaft supports kindergartens and schools with integrating Low German into their programs ^{23) 24) 25)}.

It is unclear how much financial support exists for East Frisian Low Saxon.

The Plattdüütskbüro of the Ostfriesische Landschaft creates Language learning materials for East Frisian Low Saxon ^{26) 27)}. It is also part of the State-wide working group 'Platt is cool' ²⁸⁾, which works on language learning materials. The Platdüütskbüro also helps schools and kindergartens develop Low German school materials ²⁹⁾.

In 2024, the regional Expertise Center for Teacher Training in East Frisia offered continued teacher training courses for exercise games in Low German at primary and secondary level ³⁰⁾.

In 2015, around 80 preschools in East Frisia were part of a Low German immersion program initiated by the Ostfriesische Landschaft ³¹⁾.

There are twelve primary Low German Schools in East Frisia ³²⁾.

There are five secondary Low German Schools in East Frisia ³³⁾. Of these, three ^{34) 35) 36)} offer Low German as an elective subject.

There is a vocational Low German School in Wittmund. East Frisian Low Saxon is used for immersive teaching but the school does not teach it as a target language. ³⁷⁾.

There is no tertiary education for East Frisian Low Saxon.

There is no adult education for East Frisian Low Saxon.

• The Ostfriesische Landschaft and its Plattdüütskbüro. The Ostfriesische Landschaft is the cultural governing body of the East Frisian region. It comprises the municipalities of Aurich, Emden, Leer, and Wittmund. Via its Plattdüütskbüro, it supports the use of East Frisian Low Saxon, i.a. in education.
• Oostfreeske Taal is an association that supports the conservation and promotion of East Frisian Low Saxon.
• The Oostfräisk Instituut is an independent East Frisian Low Saxon language institute.
• The Jungfräiske Mäinskup is a youth advocacy group for East Frisian Low Saxon.

• PlattinO (from “Platt in Ostfriesland”) is a language learning app for East Frisian Low Saxon.
• The Jungfräiske Mäinskup offers online learning materials for East Frisian Low Saxon.
• The dictionary by the Ostfriesische Landschaft, aside from translations, also offers information on grammar, proverbs/sayings and orthography.
• Oostfraeisk.org also offers a dictionary.