Stadsfries language
Encyclopedia
Stadsfries or Stadfries is a set of dialects spoken in certain cities in the province of Friesland
in the northern Netherlands
, namely Leeuwarden, Sneek
, Bolsward
, Franeker
, Dokkum
, Harlingen
, Stavoren
, and to some extent in Heerenveen
. For linguistic reasons, the outlying and insular dialects of Midsland
(Terschelling
), Ameland
, Het Bildt
, and Kollum
are also sometimes tied to Stadsfries.
The vocabulary of Stadsfries is derived primarily from Dutch
. The dialects began in the late 15th century, when Frisia
lost its political independence to the Netherlands. For many living in Frisia, learning Dutch became a necessity. The result was a mixture of Hollandic
dialect vocabulary and West Frisian
grammar and other language principles. Since this process began, the West Frisian language itself has evolved, such that Stadsfries is further away from modern Frisian than it is from Old Frisian
.
The name of the dialect group, Stadsfries, is not an endonym but is instead the Dutch term for the language. Stad (German: Stadt) is a Germanic term for "city" or "town", seen in English place names such as "Hempstead". In Stadsfries, the term for the dialect group is Stadsfrys or Stads, or each dialect is known simply by a name derived from the particular city name, such as Liwwarders for the dialect of Leeuwarden. In West Frisian, the dialects are known as Stedsk ("city-ish"), which does not indicate the idea that Stadsfries is a form of Frisian. To indicate this difference, one can call (West) Frisian-proper Boerenfries ("farmer-Frisian").
Examples:
The language also has typical West Frisian words that don't exist in that (sense) in Dutch, usually this concerns domestic words and words from the mainly Frisian language agricultural sector.
Examples:
Other differences between Dutch and West Frisian can be traced back to the Dutch dialect of the 16th century.
Example:
Finally, several words have survived in the Stadsfries language due to Dutch influence that have since disappeared from the West Frisian language.
Examples:
deviates from Dutch in the absence of the voiced
sounds /v/ and /z/ at the beginning of words. Dutch words like this often have an equivalent Stadsfrisian translation that instead starts with the unvoiced
sounds /f/ and /s/. The Dutch sounds sequence /sx/ does not exist in Stadsfries, but is often replaced with /sk/. Stadsfries has these properties in common with West Frisian, as well as several Dutch dialects.
The plurals match Frisian (skip-skippen), as do the diminutives (popke, autootsje, rinkje), except those in Stavers (poppy, autootsy, rinkje), where Hollands
rules are followed.
The verbs are missing two Frisian weak classes, but do use Frisian rules for forming past participles: they never get the affix ge- (ik hew maakt; hest dou dat sien?). Stadsfrisian kept the Frisian pronouns do, jo and jimme (informal you, formal you, plural you), although do and jo are almost always written as dou and jou. These words can in fact be used as criteria for deciding whether a Hollandic
-Frisian mixed dialect can still be considered Stadsfries. The Dutch dialect called "West Frisian"
spoken in the West Friesland region
of North Holland
for example does not have these words and is therefore considered Hollandic.
had a local variant of Stadsfries known as Haagjes Fries, spoken especially around Oranjewoud
, near the country home of the Frisian stadhouder
.
Use of most dialect
s (as well as the West Frisian language) is declining, but because West Frisian is considered prestigious and even recognized as a Dutch national language, Stadsfries has become a sociolect
of the lower classes, especially in the cities. The transition from dialect to sociolect happened primarily in the 20th century. Around 1900, the Stadsfries dialects were still considered regional variants of Dutch and given a much higher status than Frisian. With the rise of Standard Dutch in society's upper classes, brought on particularly by education and mass media, Stadsfries stopped being considered a variant of Dutch. Since the lower classes had less exposure to Standard Dutch, they remained as some of the only speakers of Stadsfries.
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
in the northern Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, namely Leeuwarden, Sneek
Sneek
Sneek is a city southwest of Leeuwarden and seat of the former municipality of Sneek in the province of Friesland . As for 2011 it is part of the municipality Súdwest Fryslân...
, Bolsward
Bolsward
Bolsward is a city in Súdwest Fryslân in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Bolsward is just short of a population of 10,000.- History :The town is founded on three artificial dwelling hills, of which the first was built some time before Christ....
, Franeker
Franeker
Franeker is one of the eleven historical cities of Friesland and capital of the municipality of Franekeradeel. It is located about 20 km west of Leeuwarden on the Van Harinxma Canal. As of 1 January 2006, it had 12,996 inhabitants. The city is famous for the Eisinga Planetarium from around...
, Dokkum
Dokkum
Dokkum is a Dutch fortified town in the municipality of Dongeradeel in the province of Friesland. It has 13,145 inhabitants . The fortifications of Dokkum are well preserved and are known as the bolwerken . - History :...
, Harlingen
Harlingen, Netherlands
Harlingen is a municipality and a city in the northern Netherlands, in the province of Friesland at the Wadden Sea. Harlingen is an old town with a long history of fishing and shipping....
, Stavoren
Stavoren
Stavoren is a small town on the coast of the IJsselmeer, about 5 km south of Hindeloopen. It lies within the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân. Stavoren was granted city rights in 1118, making it the oldest city in Friesland...
, and to some extent in Heerenveen
Heerenveen
Heerenveen is a town in the Heerenveen municipality of the province of Friesland , in the north of the Netherlands.- History :The town was established in 1551 by three lords as a location for the purpose of digging peat which was used for fuel, hence the name...
. For linguistic reasons, the outlying and insular dialects of Midsland
Midsland
Midsland is a village on Terschelling in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has around the 870 citizens.Near the village a statue was placed in 1982 commemorating Het Stryper Wyfke, an old crone who deceived English troops and saved the island's civilian population during Holmes's...
(Terschelling
Terschelling
Terschelling is a municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands.Waddenislanders are known for their resourcefulness in using anything and everything that washes ashore. With few trees to use for timber, most of the farms and barns are built with masts...
), Ameland
Ameland
Ameland is a municipality and one of the West Frisian Islands off the north coast of the Netherlands. It consists mostly of sand dunes. It is the third major island of the West Frisians. It neighbours islands Terschelling to the West and Schiermonnikoog to the East...
, Het Bildt
Het Bildt
het Bildt is a municipality in the province of Friesland in the northern Netherlands; its capital is Sint Annaparochie. As of 1 November 2006 it had a population of 10,975. Het Bildt has 15.4 kilometers of coastline...
, and Kollum
Kollum
Kollum is a village in Kollumerland c.a. in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has a population of around 5613 . There is a restored windmill, Tochmaland in the village.-References:...
are also sometimes tied to Stadsfries.
The vocabulary of Stadsfries is derived primarily from Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
. The dialects began in the late 15th century, when Frisia
Frisia
Frisia is a coastal region along the southeastern corner of the North Sea, i.e. the German Bight. Frisia is the traditional homeland of the Frisians, a Germanic people who speak Frisian, a language group closely related to the English language...
lost its political independence to the Netherlands. For many living in Frisia, learning Dutch became a necessity. The result was a mixture of Hollandic
Hollandic
Hollandic or Hollandish is, together with Brabantian, the most frequently used dialect of the Dutch language. Other important Low Franconian language varieties spoken in the same area are Zeelandic, East Flemish, West Flemish and Limburgish....
dialect vocabulary and West Frisian
West Frisian language
West Frisian is a language spoken mostly in the province of Friesland in the north of the Netherlands. West Frisian is the name by which this language is usually known outside the Netherlands, to distinguish it from the closely related Frisian languages of Saterland Frisian and North Frisian,...
grammar and other language principles. Since this process began, the West Frisian language itself has evolved, such that Stadsfries is further away from modern Frisian than it is from Old Frisian
Old Frisian
Old Frisian is a West Germanic language spoken between the 8th and 16th centuries in the area between the Rhine and Weser on the European North Sea coast. The Frisian settlers on the coast of South Jutland also spoke Old Frisian but no medieval texts of this area are known...
.
The name of the dialect group, Stadsfries, is not an endonym but is instead the Dutch term for the language. Stad (German: Stadt) is a Germanic term for "city" or "town", seen in English place names such as "Hempstead". In Stadsfries, the term for the dialect group is Stadsfrys or Stads, or each dialect is known simply by a name derived from the particular city name, such as Liwwarders for the dialect of Leeuwarden. In West Frisian, the dialects are known as Stedsk ("city-ish"), which does not indicate the idea that Stadsfries is a form of Frisian. To indicate this difference, one can call (West) Frisian-proper Boerenfries ("farmer-Frisian").
Vocabulary
The vocabulary of Stadsfries is mainly Dutch though the West Frisian language influence is notable. Furthermore a set of word forms are used that are clearly Frisian, not Dutch.Examples:
| Stadsfries | West Frisian | Dutch | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| hammer | hammer | hamer | hammer |
| joeke | jûkje | jeuken | itching |
The language also has typical West Frisian words that don't exist in that (sense) in Dutch, usually this concerns domestic words and words from the mainly Frisian language agricultural sector.
Examples:
| Stadsfries | West Frisian | Dutch | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| mem | mem | moeder | mother |
| heit | heit | vader | father |
| jaar | jaar | uier | udder |
| jarre | jarre | gier | manure |
Other differences between Dutch and West Frisian can be traced back to the Dutch dialect of the 16th century.
Example:
| Stadsfries | West Frisian | Dutch | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| lêge | lizze | liggen | lie down |
Finally, several words have survived in the Stadsfries language due to Dutch influence that have since disappeared from the West Frisian language.
Examples:
| Stadsfries | West Frisian | Dutch | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| kyn | bern | kind | child |
| farndel | fearn | een vierde (deel) | one fourth (as in division) |
Grammar
Stadsfries phonologyPhonology
Phonology is, broadly speaking, the subdiscipline of linguistics concerned with the sounds of language. That is, it is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use...
deviates from Dutch in the absence of the voiced
Voice (phonetics)
Voice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds, with sounds described as either voiceless or voiced. The term, however, is used to refer to two separate concepts. Voicing can refer to the articulatory process in which the vocal cords vibrate...
sounds /v/ and /z/ at the beginning of words. Dutch words like this often have an equivalent Stadsfrisian translation that instead starts with the unvoiced
Voice (phonetics)
Voice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds, with sounds described as either voiceless or voiced. The term, however, is used to refer to two separate concepts. Voicing can refer to the articulatory process in which the vocal cords vibrate...
sounds /f/ and /s/. The Dutch sounds sequence /sx/ does not exist in Stadsfries, but is often replaced with /sk/. Stadsfries has these properties in common with West Frisian, as well as several Dutch dialects.
The plurals match Frisian (skip-skippen), as do the diminutives (popke, autootsje, rinkje), except those in Stavers (poppy, autootsy, rinkje), where Hollands
Hollands
Hollands may refer to:People with the English name Hollands:* Fred Hollands , English footballer*Mike Hollands, an animator and director from Melbourne, Australia.*Mark Hollands, a Ski Instructor from Horley, England.In geography:...
rules are followed.
The verbs are missing two Frisian weak classes, but do use Frisian rules for forming past participles: they never get the affix ge- (ik hew maakt; hest dou dat sien?). Stadsfrisian kept the Frisian pronouns do, jo and jimme (informal you, formal you, plural you), although do and jo are almost always written as dou and jou. These words can in fact be used as criteria for deciding whether a Hollandic
Hollandic
Hollandic or Hollandish is, together with Brabantian, the most frequently used dialect of the Dutch language. Other important Low Franconian language varieties spoken in the same area are Zeelandic, East Flemish, West Flemish and Limburgish....
-Frisian mixed dialect can still be considered Stadsfries. The Dutch dialect called "West Frisian"
West Frisian (dialect)
The West Frisian dialect is a Dutch dialect spoken in the contemporary West Friesland region , Wieringen, Wieringermeer, the coastal area from Den Helder to Castricum, and the island of Texel. It is a Hollandic Dutch dialect but has affinities to the Frisian language...
spoken in the West Friesland region
West Friesland (region)
West Friesland is a contemporary region in the northwestern Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.The region covers an area of about , delineated by the Westfriese Omringdijk...
of North Holland
North Holland
North Holland |West Frisian]]: Noard-Holland) is a province situated on the North Sea in the northwest part of the Netherlands. The provincial capital is Haarlem and its largest city is Amsterdam.-Geography:...
for example does not have these words and is therefore considered Hollandic.
Spelling
There is no standardized, officially recognized spelling for Stadsfries. The very few authors that write in it each use their own spelling conventions. The most commonly used spelling is that in the Woordenboek fan ut Liwwarders (Leeuwarden Dictionary). This spelling convention is closely related to, but more phonetic than West Frisian, and does not use the letter û.Speakers
The use of Stadsfries is declining rapidly, especially in Leeuwarden. No more than a quarter of the city's population (approximately 20,000 people) speaks the language, although that percentage is higher in smaller towns. In the first half of the twentieth century the town of HeerenveenHeerenveen
Heerenveen is a town in the Heerenveen municipality of the province of Friesland , in the north of the Netherlands.- History :The town was established in 1551 by three lords as a location for the purpose of digging peat which was used for fuel, hence the name...
had a local variant of Stadsfries known as Haagjes Fries, spoken especially around Oranjewoud
Oranjewoud
Oranjewoud is a small village in Heerenveen in the province Friesland of the Netherlands and has around the 1062 citizens . It is known for Oranjewoud Palace. The village had one museum called Belvédère.-History:...
, near the country home of the Frisian stadhouder
Stadtholder
A Stadtholder A Stadtholder A Stadtholder (Dutch: stadhouder [], "steward" or "lieutenant", literally place holder, holding someones place, possibly a calque of German Statthalter, French lieutenant, or Middle Latin locum tenens...
.
Use of most dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s (as well as the West Frisian language) is declining, but because West Frisian is considered prestigious and even recognized as a Dutch national language, Stadsfries has become a sociolect
Sociolect
In sociolinguistics, a sociolect or social dialect is a variety of language associated with a social group such as a socioeconomic class, an ethnic group, an age group, etc....
of the lower classes, especially in the cities. The transition from dialect to sociolect happened primarily in the 20th century. Around 1900, the Stadsfries dialects were still considered regional variants of Dutch and given a much higher status than Frisian. With the rise of Standard Dutch in society's upper classes, brought on particularly by education and mass media, Stadsfries stopped being considered a variant of Dutch. Since the lower classes had less exposure to Standard Dutch, they remained as some of the only speakers of Stadsfries.
External links
- http://lowlands-l.net/anniversary/stadsfrys-info.php
- http://www.lowlands-l.net/talk/nld/index.php?page=stadsfries
- http://www.ned.univie.ac.at/publicaties/taalgeschiedenis/nl/fries.htm