German-Frisian

© Yaron Matras

Frisian is a West Germanic language, closely related historically to English, which has been under the influence of Danish and Low German for many centuries. The North Frisian dialects are spoken along the western coast of the Germany, just south of the Danish border, as well as on the Frisian islands, by a population of only several thousand. The recording was made in 1984 in the town of Niebüll, in the German province of Schleswig-Holstein. The speaker is a teacher, who teaches Frisian at the local school. She talks about her work and the books she uses to interest the children in the Frisian language:

Example 1 [Listen to example]

a.S:Änwatdamååstejungsegåns
andwhatthemostkidsvery
hålmooge,asheerdalatje/
muchlike.PLisherethelittle
suklatjeseetingetuleesenooder
suchlittlesentencestoreador
suklatjegedichteheertuleesen.
suchlittlepoemsheretoread
b.H:Mhm.
c.S:Deerjeeft'tgåns,gånsnjütieforjungse
theregive.3SG itveryveryniceforkids
uk,damåågewedanukimmer
toothesemake.1PLwethenalsoalways
iinjsentubai.
onceprivately
d.Dasistalsoganz/DiesesBuch
thisisPARTverythisbook
hieristganztoll,könnenSie
hereisverynicecan.2POLyou
ganzbestimmtkaufenimNordfriiskInstituut
verycertainlybuyin
oderauchhier,injederBuchhandlung
oralsohereineverybookshop
hierbeiunshieroben.
hereatushereabove
e.H:Aha.Aha.
f.S:Ändänhääwikuknuchenbök
andthenhave.1SGIalsostillabook
'MaxänMoritz'awfrasch,
inFrisian
g.H:Ahja,mhm,mhm.
h.S:Dåthääwikforttreedschöljiir,
thathave.1SGIfor.thethirdschoolyear
ändänhäawiknuch:'We
andthenhave.1SGIstillwe
bjarnefoonBullerbü'fortfiirdschöljiir.
childrenfromfor.thefourthschoolyear

Example 1 Translation

a.S:And what most kids really like is here to read the little/ these little sentences, or to read these little poems.
b.H:Mhm.
c.S:There are many nice ones, for kids too, we always produce them ourselves, in our spare time.
d.And this is a very/ This book is very nice, you can certainly purchase it at the North Frisian Institute or even here, in every bookshop in our area up here.
e.H:Aha. Aha.
f.S:And then I have another book, 'Max and Moritz' in Frisian,
g.H:Oh yes, mhm, mhm.
h.S:I have that one for year three, and then I also have 'We Children from Bullerby', for year four.

Note the switch to German in line d.: While the main topic of her narration is the books she uses to teach Frisian, and the children's reactions to them, in line d. the speaker departs from this topic to make a side-remark. This side-remark is directed at the listener, evaluating the book and recommending that the listener try and purchase it. When the speaker returns to the main topic of her narrative - the schoolbooks - in line f., she also switches back into Frisian, the main chosen language of the conversation. Codeswitching here has a conversational function: It is used to help structure the conversation, and to highlight a side-comment against the background of the more general narration line.