Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Frisian language

Frisian language

8.8
A language spoken in Friesland, northwestern Netherlands, and closely related to English
  • noun
translation icon : frisón
  • Many linguists consider the Frisian language to be the closest living relative of English.

Examples

  • Many people in Friesland learn the Frisian language at school.

  • The Frisian language is still spoken by people in the province of Friesland.

  • She decided to learn the Frisian language during her stay in the Netherlands.

  • The Frisian language is spoken in Friesland.

  • Many linguists consider the Frisian language to be the closest living relative of English.

  • She decided to learn the Frisian language during her stay in the Netherlands.

  • The Frisian language is still spoken by people in the province of Friesland.

Synonyms

Frisian
vsFrisian language
9.9

A language spoken in Friesland and parts of Germany that is close to English

is mainly spoken in the northwestern Netherlands rather than also in Germany

Surface Forms

Frisian language singular
Frisian languages plural

Morphology

Frisian + language

The meaning is directly compositional: 'Frisian' names the specific language/people and 'language' denotes a speech system, so together they mean 'the language called Frisian'. This nationality/language naming pattern is cross-linguistically common and fully predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand it.

Etymology

Frisian language gets its name from the Frisians, a people who lived along the North Sea in what is now Friesland. They kept their own speech close to old English, so the Frisian language is still the 'closest living relative' of English today.