Dutch Low Saxon ( or ''Nederlaands Nedersaksies''; nl, Nederlands Nedersaksisch) are the
Low Saxon
Low Saxon, also known as West Low German ( nds, Nedersassisch, Nedersaksies; nl, Nedersaksisch) are a group of Low German dialects spoken in parts of the Netherlands, northwestern Germany and southern Denmark (in North Schleswig by parts of th ...
dialects of the
Low German language that are spoken in the northeastern
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and are written there with local, unstandardised orthographies based on Standard
Dutch orthography. The
UNESCO Atlas of endangered languages lists the language as vulnerable.
The percentage of speakers among parents dropped from 34% in 1995 to 15% in 2011. The percentage of speakers among their children dropped from 8% to 2% in the same period.
According to a 2005 study 53% speaks Low Saxon or Low Saxon and Dutch at home and 71% could speak it in the researched area.
The Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
recognizes Dutch Low Saxon as an official regional language under the
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) is a European treaty (CETS 148) adopted in 1992 under the auspices of the Council of Europe to protect and promote historical regional and minority languages in Europe. However, th ...
.
Classification
The classification of Dutch Low Saxon is not unanimous. From a
diachronic
Synchrony and diachrony are two complementary viewpoints in linguistic analysis. A ''synchronic'' approach (from grc, συν- "together" and "time") considers a language at a moment in time without taking its history into account. Synchronic l ...
point of view, the Dutch Low Saxon dialects are merely the
West Low German
Low Saxon, also known as West Low German ( nds, Nedersassisch, Nedersaksies; nl, Nedersaksisch) are a group of Low German dialects spoken in parts of the Netherlands, northwestern Germany and southern Denmark (in North Schleswig by parts of t ...
(
Northern Low Saxon
Northern Low Saxon (in High German: ', in Standard Dutch: ') is a subgroup of Low Saxon dialects of Low German. As such, it covers a great part of the West Low German-speaking areas of northern Germany, with the exception of the border regio ...
and
Friso-Saxon
Friso-Saxon ( nl, friso-saksisch) is a group of West Germanic dialects found around the North Sea coast of the Netherlands and Germany, in an area historically known as Frisia. They are dialects of Low German/Low Saxon which have experienced str ...
in the case of
Gronings
Gronings (; gos, Grunnegs or Grönnegs), is a collective name for some Friso-Saxon dialects spoken in the province of Groningen and around the Groningen border in Drenthe and Friesland. Gronings and the strongly related varieties in East ...
) dialects native to areas in the Netherlands, as opposed to areas beyond the national border with
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. Some Dutch Low Saxon dialects like
Tweants
Tweants (Tweants pronunciation: ; nl, Twents ) is a group of non-standardised, closely related Westphalian, Dutch Low Saxon dialects, descending from Old Saxon. It is spoken daily by approximately 62% of the population of Twente, a region in t ...
show features of
Westphalian, a West Low German dialect spoken in adjacent
Northern Germany.
From a strictly
synchronic point of view, however, some linguists classify Dutch Low Saxon as a variety of
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
. Also, as a practical matter, Dutch Low Saxon, since the 17th century, has been influenced by Standard Dutch, but the Low Saxon dialects in Germany are influenced by
Standard German. Recent studies have, however, shown that mutual intelligibility is not necessarily impaired and that the basis remains the same.
Use
![2021 Dinxperlo Suderwick border 04](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/2021_Dinxperlo_Suderwick_border_04.jpg)
Shortly after the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, linguists claimed that speaking a dialect other than the standard language would impair children's (language) learning abilities. In combination with a generally condescending attitude by the upper classes of Dutch society and the media towards speakers of Low Saxon varieties (or in fact anything different from Standard Dutch), that goaded many parents to stop passing the language on to their children. It also brought about a general opinion among speakers of Low Saxon that having the slightest accent, in Dutch, would reduce job opportunities and social status.
Throughout the 1960s, the language decline inspired many to form dialect preservation circles and groups, such as the
Tweants
Tweants (Tweants pronunciation: ; nl, Twents ) is a group of non-standardised, closely related Westphalian, Dutch Low Saxon dialects, descending from Old Saxon. It is spoken daily by approximately 62% of the population of Twente, a region in t ...
''Kreenk vuur de Twentse Sproake'' (Circle for the Twents language) or the
Drèents ''Huus van de Taol'' (House of the Language). Many of them were mainly interested in preserving rather than promoting the language. The prevailing tone was one of melancholy and nostalgia. Their focus was often on preserving cultural traits considered typical to speakers of the language, such as rural life and traditional practices, crafts and costumes. That merely confirmed many of the existing stereotypes about speakers of the language.
Another tone was rather literary in nature. Though well-intended, it caused even more estrangement with younger generations.
At the same time, knowledge of and appreciation for related varieties was poor, which stifled cooperation between most of the dialect preservation groups. Instead of forming an organisation to stand together and help one another to improve the status for all the different varieties, fiery discussions arose about whether the long open or open-mid back rounded vowel (pronounced or , depending on the dialect) should be written as either 'oa' or 'ao'. That resulted in little co-operation and no nationwide coordination.
Other attempts to unite the different dialect circles were met with cynicism. The conception prevailed that the dialects were too different to unite.
In 1975, the
rock 'n' roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...
band
Normaal
Normaal is a rock band from the Netherlands, more specifically from the Achterhoek region, who sing in Achterhooks, a local variety of the Low Saxon language group. , who was an arts student at an arts academy, stationed in Amsterdam in the 19 ...
boldly shook all perceptions of Low Saxon and its speakers. Until then, Low Saxon was mostly restricted to traditional folklore music. Normaal openly denounced all Dutch disdain, praised farmers and local farm life and boldly used
Achterhooks
Achterhooks ( Dutch Low Saxon: ; nl, Achterhoeks ) is a Westphalian dialect spoken in Gelderland.
Geographic distribution
The Achterhooks language is spoken in the Netherlands in western Europe, Northeast, with speakers concentrated in Gelder ...
Low Saxon, voicing the opinion and feelings of many Dutchmen of non-Dutch-speaking origin. Their hit song "Oerend Hard", a song about two bikers who lose their lives in an accident, took the charts by storm, and it is now regarded a true
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...
of Dutch music. It quickly garnered them a large fan base, even in non-Low Saxon areas, such as
Friesland
Friesland (, ; official fry, Fryslân ), historically and traditionally known as Frisia, is a province of the Netherlands located in the country's northern part. It is situated west of Groningen, northwest of Drenthe and Overijssel, north of ...
and
Limburg
Limburg or Limbourg may refer to:
Regions
* Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium
* Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands
* Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...
. They inspired many other young rock 'n' roll artists to sing in Low Saxon, who now form a subgenre of their own in the Dutch music industry, which is gradually becoming aware of the genre's commercial potential.
In 1996, Dutch Low Saxon was added to the
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) is a European treaty (CETS 148) adopted in 1992 under the auspices of the Council of Europe to protect and promote historical regional and minority languages in Europe. However, th ...
. Dutch provinces now receive minor funds for preserving and promoting the use of Low Saxon. A general rise in regional pride and appreciation for the Low Saxon identity made the earlier openly disdainful attitude towards Low Saxon seem to have subsided somewhat. Low Saxon is increasingly being used in popular culture, marketing, and local politics.
The Tweants municipality of
Rijssen-Holten
Rijssen-Holten (; Sallaans: ''Riesn-Hooltn'') is a municipality (Dutch: '' gemeente'') in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel.
The municipality was formed in 2001 by the joining of the municipalities of Holten and Rijssen. The ...
, for example, has officially adopted a bilingual status for their town hall desks, and customers may opt for Dutch or Low Saxon help.
In 2012, a radio presenter for national broadcasting station
3FM
NPO 3FM is a Dutch rhythmic CHR radio station controlled by public broadcaster NPO. The vast majority of the songs played on-air are rock, alternative, indie and pop, though dance and Mega Top 30 tracks may also air at times.
History
As R ...
,
Michiel Veenstra
Arjan Michiel Sander Veenstra (Almelo, 6 March 1976) is a Dutch radio DJ on KINK. He presents the program Michiel every Monday to Friday, between 9.00 and 12.00
Career
He started with his own show at ''Regio FM'', the local radio station ...
from
Almelo
Almelo () is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands. The main population centres in the town are Aadorp, Almelo, Mariaparochie, and Bornerbroek.
Almelo has about 72,000 inhabitants in the middle of the rolling countryside of Twente, ...
, promised to present in Tweants for an hour if a Tweants song received more than €10,000 in the annual fundraising campaign
Het Glazen Huis
Het or HET may refer to:
Science and technology
* Hall-effect thruster, a type of ion thruster used for spacecraft propulsion
* Heavy Equipment Transporter, a vehicle in the US Army's Heavy Equipment Transport System
* Hobby–Eberly Telescope, ...
(The Glass House). As the song received more than €17,000, Veenstra kept his promise.
An increasing number of local political parties have used Low Saxon in their 2014 electoral campaigns. In 2014, a
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
page called "Tukkers be like" gained more than 18,000 followers within a week. The page uses Twents cultural concepts and expressions in Twents. The idea of the page was based on the
US Internet meme "Bitches be like", which gained enormous popularity in 2013, and inspired many to create their own versions. The meme presents an image of a certain situation, to which a certain group would respond in a typical way.
Education
Dutch Low Saxon has long been stigmatised and kept out of schools. People of older generations may relate numerous accounts of their childhood in which contemporaries were afraid to go to school for fear of being reprimanded, or purposely ignored, for not speaking Dutch.
The similarities between the languages made Low Saxon be regarded a dialect of Dutch, and shifting from Low Saxon to Dutch would be relatively easy. Instead of adapting the school curriculum and guiding the children into learning Dutch as a second language and embracing the potential of the Low Saxon language, non-Dutch speaking parents were advised to speak Dutch with their children instead to increase their chances of success on the job market. The result was a string of Dutch dialects with Low Saxon features, which were also looked down upon.
As of 2014, Low Saxon is still not a part of the Dutch school curriculum. It is neither a subject nor a mode of communication. This causes a general lack of knowledge about, and appreciation for the language. Its possible role as a language of trade between the Netherlands and Germany is often dismissed, but recent study indicates it may be a useful addition in international trade communications.
Denge, G.J.M. ter. ''Linguae Intergermanica: The Use of Low Saxon, English, Dutch, German, and Receptive Multilingualism in Northern Dutch – Northern German Communication''. 2012.
/ref>
As of 2015, language enthusiasts attempt to start up courses for the language and culture, especially in the Tweante region. They are mostly studies aimed at the elderly but still prove to be very popular. There still is no professional attempt to promote the language into the school curriculum.
Probably the largest single body of work ever produced in Dutch Low Saxon is the Dutch Low Saxon Wikipedia
The Neadersassiske Wikipedia, the Dutch Low Saxon edition of Wikipedia, was started on 24 March 2006. It collects articles written in any Low German dialect indigenous to the Netherlands, as well as a small number of articles in varieties of Low ...
, begun in 2006 as a separate project from the German Low Saxon (''Plattdüütsch'') Wikipedia, which preceded it by three years.
Dutch and Hollandic influence
A lot of the dialects have been affected by the Hollandic
Hollandic or Hollandish ( ) is the most widely spoken dialect of the Dutch language. Hollandic is among the Central Dutch dialects. Other important language varieties of spoken Low Franconian languages are Brabantian, Flemish ( East Flemish, ...
expansion of the 17th century. All of them are lexically dependent on Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
rather than German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
for neologisms. When written down, they use a Dutch-based orthography. From the 19th century onwards there is influence from Standard Dutch.
Several long vowel shifts happened in Veluws, Urkers, Sallaans, Stellingwarfs, Drèents and in some variants of Gronings; the changed occurred as the Hollandic dialect rose in prestige during the 17th century. For example, the ''oe'' changed into ''uu'' . Tweants, Eastern Achterhooks and some variants of Gronings and Drents by contrast, retained their old vowels. Compare the Tweants and Sallaans equivalents: ''hoes - huus'' ("house"). Surprisingly, in many dialects, the ''oe'' sound was preserved in some words but changed to ''uu'' in others. As a result, in Sallaans "huis" (house) is ''huus'', but "muis" (mouse) is ''moes'' (as in Tweants).
Dutch has lost the word ''doe'' "thou" and replaced it with ''jij'', equivalent to English " ye", originally the second person plural. In many Low Saxon dialects in the Netherlands, the same happened. The doe - ie/ieje/ij isogloss runs close to the Dutch border, except in Groningen, where it enters the Dutch territory. In Twente
Twente ( nl, Twente , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Ge ...
, it is present in the easternmost villages of Denekamp and Oldenzaal
Oldenzaal (; Tweants: ''Oldnzel'') is a municipality and a city in the eastern province of Overijssel in the Netherlands. It is part of the region of Twente and is close to the German border.
It received city rights in 1249. Historically, the city ...
, but its disappearance from the rest of the region is only a relatively recent development. In the Achterhoek
The Achterhoek (; Dutch Low Saxon: ''Achterhook'') is a cultural region in the Eastern Netherlands.
Its name (meaning "rear-corner") is geographically appropriate because the area lies in the easternmost part of the province of Gelderland and th ...
(Gelderland
Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...
), ''dou'' can be found in Winterswijk
Winterswijk (; also known as ''Winterswiek'' or ''Wenters'') is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. It has a population of and is situated in the Achterhoek, which lies in the easternmost part of the province of Gelderland in th ...
and Groenlo
Groenlo () is a city in the municipality of Oost Gelre, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, on the German border, within a region in the province of Gelderland called the Achterhoek (literally: "back corner"). Groenlo was a municipalit ...
.
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
{{Germanic languages
Languages of the Netherlands
Dutch dialects