Frisian

From Middle English Fryson, Freson, from Old English Frysa, Friesa (“a Frisian”); Fresan, Frisan (“Frisians”). Related to Old High German Friaso, Middle Dutch Vriese, Old Frisian Frīse, all from a Proto-Northwest Germanic *Frēsō (the short vowel in Old English is unexplained.)

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɹɪʒən/, /ˈfɹɪzi.ən/

Frisian

1. A Germanic language group or language (see Usage notes), or a lect thereof, which descended from Old Frisian, with speakers in the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark.
   1. (specifically) The West Frisian (or Western Frisian) lect, spoken in the northern Netherlands.
      • 1998, Colin Baker, Sylvia Prys Jones, Encyclopedia of bilingualism and bilingual education, page 405:

        In the province of Friesland, in the north of the Netherlands, a high percentage of the population, about 350000, speak Frisian as their first language.

      • 2000, Jasone Cenoz, Ulrike Jessner, English in Europe: the acquisition of a third language, page 223:

        This means that full competence in both Frisian and Dutch (ie understanding, speaking, reading and writing ability) is aimed at all pupils in the province, whether they speak Frisian or Dutch at home.

      • 2005, Pat Seward, Sunandini Arora Lal, Netherlands, page 89:

        Many Frisians speak Frisian at home and Dutch at work.

   2. (specifically) Saterland Frisian, the last surviving dialect of the East Frisian lect, spoken in Northern Germany close to the Dutch border.
   3. (specifically) The North Frisian lect, spoken in northwestern Schleswig-Holstein in Germany and across the Danish-German border.

Some linguists consider West Frisian, Saterland Frisian, and North Frisian to be varieties of a single language called “Frisian”. As they are not mutually intelligible, other linguists and the speakers consider them to be separate languages in a language group called “Frisian”. Saterland Frisian is a variety of “East Frisian”, but this term more often refers to a Low German dialect, because the Low German dialect has a far greater number of speakers than the Frisian lect.

Frisian (plural Frisians)

1. A member of the Germanic ethnic group which is native to the region of Frisia (which is in the Netherlands, northern Germany, and southern Denmark).
2. A person who is from or who has long resided in the Dutch province of Friesland.

Frisian (comparative more Frisian, superlative most Frisian)

1. Of, in or relating to the Frisian language or a Frisian language.

   Because the instruction manual was Frisian, Yves couldn't read it.

2. Of or relating to the natives or inhabitants of Frisia; to people of Frisian descent.
3. Of or relating to the region of Frisia.
4. Of or relating to the natives or inhabitants of the Dutch province of Friesland.
5. Of or relating to the Dutch province of Friesland.

• The West Frisian Wikipedia
• The Saterland Frisian Wikipedia
• The North Frisian Wikipedia

• Ethnologue entry for Western Frisian, fry
• Ethnologue entry for Northern Frisian, frr
• Ethnologue entry for Saterland Frisian, stq
• Ethnologue entry for Eastern Frisian, frs

  Note: Ethnologue was published before ISO 639-3 was corrected. The new ISO 639-3 code of Western Frisian is “fry” instead of “fri”.

• Frisina, infairs