Zaans is a dialect of 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...

 spoken in the Zaan

Zaan

The Zaan is a small river in the province of North-Holland in The Netherlands and the name of the district through which it runs. The river was originally a side arm of the IJ bay and travels 10 kilometers through the municipality of Zaanstad north of Amsterdam, from West-Knollendam in the north...

 district, which lies north of Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

, in the Dutch province of North-Holland. Zaans is one of the oldest dialects in the country. The dialect has similarities to the West Frisian

West Frisian

The West Frisian can mean:* West Frisian language, the language spoken in the Friesland province of the Netherlands* West Frisian dialect, the Hollandic Dutch dialect spoken in the North Holland province of the Netherlands* West Frisians, people...

 dialect which is spoken in an area further north of the Zaan district.

Zaans is spoken in the city Zaandam

Zaandam

Zaandam is a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad, and received city rights in 1811...

, and in the towns Oostzaan

Oostzaan

Oostzaan is a municipality and a town in the Zaanstreek, Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The town has a population of 9.104 inhabitats in december 2010. Oostzaan has got 11.49 km² land and 4.64 km² water....

, Westzaan, Krommenie, Assendelft, Zaandijk

Zaandijk

Zaandijk is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaanstad, and lies about 11 km northwest of Amsterdam.Zaandijk has a population of around 9040.- History :...

, Koog aan de Zaan

Koog aan de Zaan

Koog aan de Zaan is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaanstad, and lies about 11 km northwest of Amsterdam....

, Jisp

Jisp

Jisp can refer to:* Jisp, North Holland, a town in the Dutch province of North Holland* JISP , an abbreviation for Jabber IconSet Packages...

, Wormerveer, Wormer

Wormer

Wormer is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Wormerland, and lies about 13 km northwest of Amsterdam.In 2006, the town of Wormer had 12566 inhabitants...

 and Oost-

Oostknollendam

Oostknollendam is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Wormerland, and lies about 10 km east of IJmond.In 2001, the town of Oostknollendam had 308 inhabitants...

 and West-Knollendam.

In the late 19th century, Gerrit Jacob Boekenoogen published a 1368-page dictionary of Zaans, De Zaansche volkstaal. Bijdrage tot de kennis van den woordenschat in Noord-Holland (Leiden, 1897). The dictionary was most recently reprinted in 2004.

A Zaans phrase now used throughout the Netherlands is doeg, a colloquial term for "goodbye".