The Frisian languages are a closely related group of West Germanic languages, spoken by about 400,000 Frisian people who live on the southern fringes of the North Sea in the Netherlands and Germany. They are the closest living language group to the Anglic languages, and together the two groups make up the Anglo-Frisian languages, which along with the Low German dialects form the North Sea Germanic languages. Despite the close genetic relationship between English and Frisian, the modern languages are not mutually intelligible, since geographical and historical circumstances caused the two to drift apart linguistically over time.
Facts
RegionThe southern fringes of the North Sea in the Netherlands (Friesland, Westerkwartier) and Germany (Nordfriesland, Heligoland, Saterland). 1 Speaker Count Proto-Language StatusThe ancestor of Frisian, Old Frisian, is directly attested in surviving written texts rather than reconstructed. The earliest definite written examples date to about the 9th century, with most surviving texts, chiefly legal writings, from the 12th to 15th centuries. 1 Connections
Descends From
Frisian (West, East and North Frisian) is the sister branch to Anglic within Anglo-Frisian.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Frisian languages
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction, paragraph 1
who live on the southern fringes of the North Sea in the Netherlands and Germany
History, Old Frisian section
the earliest definite written examples of Frisian are from approximately the 9th century
Introduction, paragraph 1, region clause
who live on the southern fringes of the North Sea in the Netherlands and Germany
Introduction, paragraph 1, speaker count clause
spoken by about 400,000 Frisian people
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