Dutch Low Saxon Wikipedia
Encyclopedia
The Nedersaksische Wikipedie, the Dutch Low Saxon
edition of Wikipedia
, was started on 24 March 2006. It collects articles written in any Low German
dialect indigenous to the Netherlands
, as well as dialects from the border region, which are rendered in Dutch-based spelling. As of 8 July 2011, there are 4,534 articles. Among other features, there are spoken articles, "showcased" articles and provincial portals.
The Dutch Low Saxon Wikipedia has been cited in the Dutch press, and Low Saxon institutes in the Netherlands have noted it and contributed to it.
are usually linked to illustrate articles. According to the list of Wikipedias, the Dutch Low Saxon Wikipedia has a relatively large number of edits and images and above-average article depth for Wikipedias that have between 1,000 and 9,999 articles (depth of 23 compared to a mode of 8, a median of 11 and a mean of 18).
The eventual creation of a Dutch Low Saxon Wikipedia was delayed for many months due to discussion on whether this collection of dialects – recognised and protected by the Dutch government in the framework of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
– merited their own Wikipedia. Proponents made the case that the Dutch varieties are too different from the German ones – at least in writing – to be gathered under the same roof. Some vocal opposition centred on the question of whether the often rather distinct Low Saxon dialects spoken in the Netherlands could be taken as a whole and accommodated within one Wikipedia. The same countrywide grouping, however, had been opted for in the case of the Plattdüütsch Wikipedia.
Throughout its existence, the number of structural contributors to the Dutch Low Saxon Wikipedia has remained low, about three to five such users being active in any given period. Most of the structural contributors have administrator rights. The scarcity of committed writers has remained characteristic in spite of several attempts to boost their number, for instance through appeals on radio shows to which individual contributors have been invited.
The frequency of vandalism - creation of nonsense articles, removal of content, disparaging remarks - has varied, it sometimes being a daily occurrence and at other times occurring little. Vandalism is normally remedied within the day, often within hours or minutes.
Another feature is that many articles on animals, plants, objects and activities include an overview of what is often a plethora of local names, differing per region and even per village.
Dutch Low Saxon
Dutch Low Saxon is a group of Low Saxon, i.e. West Low German dialects spoken in the northeastern Netherlands. In comparison, the remainder of the Netherlands speak a collection of Low Franconian dialects.The class "Dutch Low Saxon" is not unanimous...
edition of Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
, was started on 24 March 2006. It collects articles written in any Low German
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
dialect indigenous to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, as well as dialects from the border region, which are rendered in Dutch-based spelling. As of 8 July 2011, there are 4,534 articles. Among other features, there are spoken articles, "showcased" articles and provincial portals.
The Dutch Low Saxon Wikipedia has been cited in the Dutch press, and Low Saxon institutes in the Netherlands have noted it and contributed to it.
Characteristics
There are a small number of active contributors. Many of the articles, for instance on Dutch Low Saxon writers, do not exist on any other Wikipedia. Existing illustrations on Wikimedia CommonsWikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons is an online repository of free-use images, sound and other media files. It is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation....
are usually linked to illustrate articles. According to the list of Wikipedias, the Dutch Low Saxon Wikipedia has a relatively large number of edits and images and above-average article depth for Wikipedias that have between 1,000 and 9,999 articles (depth of 23 compared to a mode of 8, a median of 11 and a mean of 18).
History
The Dutch Low Saxon Wikipedia was preceded by three years by a Low German (Plattdüütsch) one. The Low German dialects (which are not standardised) stretch from all of Northern Germany to the Northeast Netherlands. In practice, however, the Plattdüütsch Wikipedia was a German undertaking, following German-based spelling conventions. This spelling, combined with the growing divide since modern times between Dutch and German plat(t) due to the influence of the Dutch and German standard languages respectively, left a gap to be filled.The eventual creation of a Dutch Low Saxon Wikipedia was delayed for many months due to discussion on whether this collection of dialects – recognised and protected by the Dutch government in the framework of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is a European treaty adopted in 1992 under the auspices of the Council of Europe to protect and promote historical regional and minority languages in Europe...
– merited their own Wikipedia. Proponents made the case that the Dutch varieties are too different from the German ones – at least in writing – to be gathered under the same roof. Some vocal opposition centred on the question of whether the often rather distinct Low Saxon dialects spoken in the Netherlands could be taken as a whole and accommodated within one Wikipedia. The same countrywide grouping, however, had been opted for in the case of the Plattdüütsch Wikipedia.
Throughout its existence, the number of structural contributors to the Dutch Low Saxon Wikipedia has remained low, about three to five such users being active in any given period. Most of the structural contributors have administrator rights. The scarcity of committed writers has remained characteristic in spite of several attempts to boost their number, for instance through appeals on radio shows to which individual contributors have been invited.
The frequency of vandalism - creation of nonsense articles, removal of content, disparaging remarks - has varied, it sometimes being a daily occurrence and at other times occurring little. Vandalism is normally remedied within the day, often within hours or minutes.
Accommodation of the various dialects
Once created, the Dutch Low Saxon Wikipedia took off well, with arrangements being made to accommodate the dialect subgroups and their different spelling conventions (there are several established spelling systems). Each contributor can write in their own dialect, categorizing an article in accordance with the dialect used. If the article is a stub, another contributor can expand it and bring it in line with their own dialect. If the article is longer, a further contributor using a different dialect will ask for their alterations to be rendered into the original dialect.Another feature is that many articles on animals, plants, objects and activities include an overview of what is often a plethora of local names, differing per region and even per village.
External links
- (Dutch Low Saxon) Dutch Low Saxon Wikipedia
- (Dutch Low Saxon) Dutch Low Saxon Wikipedia mobile version (Homepage not yet configured)