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Table of Contents
Frisian in the Netherlands
Language designations:
- In the language itself: Frysk
- ISO 639-3 standard: fry
Official language status
Official language in the province of Fryslân, the Netherlands
Status in the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages:
Frisian is covered under Part III of the Charter
Language vitality according to:
| UNESCO | Ethnologue | Endangered Languages |
|---|---|---|
| Vulnerable | 2 out of 10 (10 means extinct) | Vulnerable |
About the Frisian Language
Frisian is a West Germanic language closely related to Dutch. Until the fifteenth century Frisian was widely used in writing as well as speech in an area much larger than that of the current province, following the coastline of the present-day Netherlands and Germany. 1) .
Read more in Mercator's Regional Dossier
Language Area
Frisian is an autochtonous minority language spoken in large parts of Fryslân, one of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands.
operating instructions
Various functions are available as part of the map.
mouse/touch operation
- moving by grabbing the map with a mouse-click you can move the map around
- overview map using the < button in the bottom right of the map you can expand an overview map
- zooming in and out using the + and - buttons in the top left of the map you can obtain more or less detail in the map
- switching themes or maps clicking on the ≡ icon on the right-hand side of the map you can view and select available maps and themes
- retrieving information the map may contain elements that contain more information, by clicking these a popup will show this information
- fullscreen display using the ⛶ button the map can be maximized to fullscreen display, use the ▢ button to return to page display.
keyboard operation
Keyboard operation becomes available after activating the map using the tab key (the map will show a focus indicator ring).
- moving using the arrow keys you can move the map
- overview map using the + button in the bottom right of the map you can expand an overview map
- zooming in and out using the + and - buttons in the top left of the map or by using the + and - keys you can obtain more or less detail in the map
- switching themes or maps clicking on the ≡ icon on the right-hand side of the map you can view and select available maps and themes
- retrieving information the map may contain elements that contain more information, using the i key you can activate a cursor that may be moved using the arrow keys, pressing the enter will execute an information retrieval. press the i or the escape key to return to navigation mode
- fullscreen display using the ⛶ button the map can be maximized to fullscreen display, use the ▢ button to return to page display.
It's possible that some of the functions or buttons describe above have been disabled by the page author or the administrator
| id | symbol | latitude | longitude | description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Property Boundaries | ||||
 |
 |
KML track: frisian | ||
Demographics
Percentage of Frisians that speak the Frisian language in different age classes:
source:2)
- ~ 94% understands Frisian.
- ~ 67% speaks the language (reasonably) well.
- ~ 15% writes the language well
Writing skills seem to have improved somewhat in the last few years3).
Percentage of students that speak Frisian at home
Frisian education in the Netherlands
0-3 Years old: preschool education
Legislation
Dutch law states that group leaders are free to use Frisian.
Teacher training
- Sintrim Frysktalige Berneopvang (Frisian Childcare center) offers assistance to group leaders that wish to give Frisian a more prominent role….
Educational materials
- The Tomke project, started by Afûk in 1997 to stimulate Frisian language development in preschoolers. Tomke is a small Frisian boy that appears in tv adventures, books and a website.
- Hantsjes yn 'e hichte, iPad app by Afûk.
Practice
Frisian is used mainly in individual contacts with children or parents. When reading or singing Dutch is used much more often.
Read more
4-12 years old: primary education
Legislation
Dutch law states that, in primary education in the province of Fryslân, Frisian is an obligatory subject. It may be used as a medium of instruction. Schools may receive exemption from this law, and a few have.
Trilingual education
To improve Frisian language education in primary school, an experiment, set up by the Fryske Akademy, started in 1997 with trilingual education: seven primary schools committed themselves to use Frisian and English also as mediums of instruction: Frisian in all eight grades, English only in the last two. The experiment was successful and in 2010 the number of trilingual schools counted 38.
Teacher training
Teachers for primary education are trained at the Stenden Hogeschool and the NHL. A Frisian language course is part of the curriculum.
Educational materials
- Studio F: a Frisian language teaching method. Their digital learning environment can be viewed online.
- Begripend lêzen Frysk: CITO examination to test Frisian reading skills in the highest grade of primary education.
In practice
Regard for the minority language in class
Teacher skills
- 20% of the teachers is not qualified to teach Frisian. Of 28% the qualification is unknown.6)
- 85% of the primary school teachers claim to speak Frisian well
- 69% claims to write it well.
Student accomplishments
Read more
12-16/18 years old: secondary education
Legislation
Since 1993, the Dutch law on secondary education prescribes that Frisian is an obligatory subject in the two lowest grades. However, since 2006, the provincial government may grant schools exemption from this rule.
Teacher training
- The NHL and University of Groningen train Frisian language teachers.
Educational materials
In practice
Attention for minority language in class
In 2009 about 27% of secondary schools offered Frisian lessons.7)
Teacher skills
An estimated 40% of the Frisian teachers is unqualified.8)
Read more
Adult education
- Frisian language courses for adults are organised by the Afûk.
- The two-year bachelor Minorities and Multilingualism offers optional courses that focus on Frisian.
Read more
Evaluation of language education
The inspectorate (Inspectie van het Onderwijs) inspects Frisian primary and secondary language education every few years.
Educational resources
- Taalweb Frysk, developed by the Fryske Akademy: tools for writing Frisian.
- Praat mar Frysk, campaign set up by the Afûk to promote the Frisian language.
- Tresoar, Frisian historic and linguistic centre.
- Omrop Fryslân, Frisian broadcasting service.
- Heit & Mem, Frisian magazine for parents.
- Kanon fan de Fryske Skiednis, Canon of the history of Frisia.
- Sintrim meertaligens (Center for multilingualism)
- Frysk.nl, guide for Frisian at school
- It Fryske berneboek (The Frisian children's book)