Frisian languages

Frisian
Frysk
Bilingual sign in German and North Frisian, respectively, in Husum, Germany
Native to	Netherlands, Germany
Region	Friesland, Groningen, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein
Ethnicity	Frisians
Native speakers	480,000 (ca. 2001 census)
Language family	Indo-European Germanic West Germanic Anglo-Frisian Frisian
Early forms	Old Frisian Middle Frisian
Dialects	West Frisian Saterland Frisian North Frisian
Writing system	Latin
Official status
Official language in	Netherlands Germany
Regulated by	NL: Fryske Akademy D: no official regulation unofficial: the Seelter Buund (for Sater Frisian), the Nordfriisk Instituut (for North Frisian)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Variously: fry – West Frisian frr – North Frisian stq – Saterland Frisian
Glottolog	fris1239
Linguasphere	52-ACA
Present-day distribution of the Frisian languages in Europe:   West Frisian   North Frisian   Saterland Frisian

Frisian speakers

Frisian refers to three languages that come from Friesland, a province in the Netherlands. They are spoken in the Netherlands, in Eastern Germany, and in some areas of Jutland, Denmark. It is also spoken on the Frisian Isles (Wadden Isles) and Western German (East Frisian) Isles such as Borkum.

They are West Germanic languages that are related to Dutch and are also the closest living languages to English. All of them have been spoken since Roman times.

The Frisian languages are:

• West Frisian
• North Frisian
• Saterland Frisian

Frisian languages comparison

language	wordlist
English	one	two	three	four	five	six	seven	eight	nine	ten
West Frisian	ien	twa	trije	fjouwer	fiif	seis	sân	aacht	njoggen	tsien
North Frisian	ian	tau	trii	fjauer	fiiw	sääks	sööwen	aacht	njugen	tiin
Saterland Frisian	aan	two	trio	fjauer	fieuw	sääks	soogen	oachte	njuugen	tjoon

English	West Frisian	Sarerland Frisian	North Frisian
Flensburg	Flensburch	Flensbuurich	Flensborag