Welcome to OWL+’ unit on West Frisian!

Are you curious about the Frisian language? Or are you interested in what it is like to be learning and living in a(nother) bilingual region? Maybe you are already familiar with the situation in Fryslân but would like to get more information?

This unit is a good place to start exploring these questions! Here you will learn where Frisian is spoken, how it is used at schools, its use in society, and what West Frisian’s position in the European context is. Each chapter contains up-to-date data and information which you will hopefully find interesting and most of all inspiring.

To kick-off this unit, shall we warm up a little and take your Frisian knowledge to the test? 😉 Match the Frisian word with the corresponding English translation. Sukses!

A short introduction to Frisian, in Dutch:

What does Frisian sound like? If you want to hear spoken Frisian you can watch this short video about the “Alvestêdetocht” (English: Eleven cities tour, Dutch: Elfstedentocht) in 1997. The “Alvestêdetocht” is a long distance ice skating competition of almost 200km distance and a very important cultural event in Fryslân. As it takes place on natural ice, it can only be held in very cold winters.