West Low Saxon
Encyclopedia
West Low German, also known as Low Saxon , is a group of Low German
dialects spoken in the northwest of Germany
and adjacent territories. Together with East Low German
it forms the Low German dialect group (German: Niederdeutsch or Plattdeutsch).
The language area comprises the German state
s of Lower Saxony
, North Rhine-Westphalia
(the Westphalia
n part), Bremen
, Hamburg
, Schleswig-Holstein
and Saxony-Anhalt
(the northwestern areas around Magdeburg
) as well as the northeast of the Netherlands
(Dutch Low Saxon
, spoken in Groningen
, Drenthe
, Overijssel
and northern Gelderland
) and the North Schleswig Germans
in the southernmost part of Denmark
.
varieties, which are also defined as Dutch dialects, form a dialect continuum
with the Westphalian language, except for Gronings
with its Frisian substratum, related to East Frisian Low Saxon. They consist of:
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...
dialects spoken in the northwest of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and adjacent territories. Together with East Low German
East Low German
East Low German is a group of Low German dialects, including various varieties known as Pomeranian and Prussian, spoken in Northeast Germany as well as by minorities in present northern Poland. Together with West Low German, it constitutes Low German...
it forms the Low German dialect group (German: Niederdeutsch or Plattdeutsch).
The language area comprises the German state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
s of Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
(the Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
n part), Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
and Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
(the northwestern areas around Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
) as well as the northeast of 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...
(Dutch Low Saxon
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...
, spoken in Groningen
Groningen (province)
Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...
, Drenthe
Drenthe
Drenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a...
, Overijssel
Overijssel
Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
and northern Gelderland
Gelderland
Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
) and the North Schleswig Germans
North Schleswig Germans
Approximately 15,000 persons in Denmark belong to an ethnic German minority traditionally referred to as hjemmetyskere meaning "domestic Germans" in Danish, and as Nordschleswiger in German. This minority of Germans hold Danish citizenship and self-identify as ethnic Germans. They continue to use...
in the southernmost part of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
In Germany
- West Low German
- Westphalian languageWestphalian languageWestphalian is one of the major dialect groups of West Low German. Its most salient feature is the diphthongization . For example, speakers say iEten instead of Eːten for eat...
, including the OsnabrückOsnabrückOsnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...
region of Lower Saxony - Eastphalian languageEastphalian languageEastphalian, or Eastfalian , is a West Low German dialect spoken east of the Weser river in southern parts of Lower Saxony and western parts of Saxony-Anhalt in Germany, including Hanover, Braunschweig, Hildesheim, Göttingen and Magdeburg, an area that roughly corresponds with the historic region...
, spoken in southeastern Lower Saxony (HanoverHanoverHanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, BraunschweigBraunschweigBraunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, GöttingenGöttingenGöttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
) and the Magdeburg BördeMagdeburg BördeThe Magdeburg Börde is the central landscape unit of the state of Saxony-Anhalt and lies to the West and South of the eponymous state capital Magdeburg. It is noted for its very fertile soils.- Boundaries :... - Northern Low SaxonNorthern Low SaxonNorthern Low Saxon is a West Low German dialect.As such, it covers a great part of the West Low-German-speaking areas of northern Germany, with the exception of the border regions where Eastphalian and Westphalian are spoken...
- SchleswigschSchleswigschSchleswigsch, , is a Northern Low Saxon dialect spoken in Schleswig, in Germany and Denmark.Schleswigsch mainly is based on an South Jutlandic substrate. Therefore it has some notable differences in pronounciation an grammar to it's southern neighbour dialects. The dialects on the west coast of...
- HolsteinischHolsteinischHolsteinisch is a Northern Low Saxon dialect spoken in Holstein, the southern part of Schleswig-Holstein in Germany.Today it is spoken in Dithmarschen, around Neumünster, Rendsburg, Kiel and Lübeck....
- HamburgischHamburgischHamburgisch is a group of Northern Low Saxon varieties spoken in Hamburg, Germany. Occasionally, the term Hamburgisch is also used for Hamburg Missingsch, a variety of standard German with Low Saxon substrates...
- Hamburgisch
- Ollnborger Platt in the OldenburgOldenburgOldenburg is an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the western part of the state between the cities of Bremen and Groningen, Netherlands, at the Hunte river. It has a population of 160,279 which makes it the fourth biggest city in Lower Saxony after Hanover, Braunschweig...
region - East Frisian Low SaxonEast Frisian Low SaxonEast Frisian Low Saxon is a West Low German dialect spoken in the East Frisian peninsula of northwestern Lower Saxony. It is used quite frequently in everyday speech there. About half of the East Frisian population in the coastal region uses Platdüütsk. A number of individuals, despite not being...
in East FrisiaEast FrisiaEast Frisia or Eastern Friesland is a coastal region in the northwest of the German federal state of Lower Saxony.... - North Hanoveranian
- Dithmarsch
- Emsländisch
- Schleswigsch
- Westphalian language
In the Netherlands
The Dutch Low SaxonDutch 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...
varieties, which are also defined as Dutch dialects, form a dialect continuum
Dialect continuum
A dialect continuum, or dialect area, was defined by Leonard Bloomfield as a range of dialects spoken across some geographical area that differ only slightly between neighboring areas, but as one travels in any direction, these differences accumulate such that speakers from opposite ends of the...
with the Westphalian language, except for Gronings
Gronings
Gronings, in the dialect itself called Grunnegs or Grönnegs, is a collective name for some Friso-Saxon dialects spoken in the province of Groningen and around the Groningen border in Drenthe and Friesland. Gronings and the strongly related varieties in East-Frisia have a strong Frisian influence...
with its Frisian substratum, related to East Frisian Low Saxon. They consist of:
- Westerkwartiers, in western GroningenGroningen (province)Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...
- GroningsGroningsGronings, in the dialect itself called Grunnegs or Grönnegs, is a collective name for some Friso-Saxon dialects spoken in the province of Groningen and around the Groningen border in Drenthe and Friesland. Gronings and the strongly related varieties in East-Frisia have a strong Frisian influence...
, in Groningen and northern DrentheDrentheDrenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a... - StellingwarfsStellingwarfsStellingwarfs is the form of Dutch Low Saxon spoken in Ooststellingwerf and Weststellingwerf in the Dutch province of Friesland.By some observers included within Stellingwarfs is Veenkoloniaals, which is spoken in the village of Noordwolde in the Dutch province of Friesland.Stellingwarfs is easily...
in southeastern FrieslandFrieslandFriesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân... - Midden-Drents
- Zuud-Drèents
- Tweants and Tweants-Groafschops in the TwenteTwenteTwente is a non-administrative region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel...
region of OverijsselOverijsselOverijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
and the adjacent AchterhoekAchterhoekThe Achterhoek is a region in the eastern part of the Netherlands, Europe.Its name is geographically appropriate because the area lies in the Eastern-most part of Gelderland, and therefore of the Netherlands, protruding into Germany...
region of GelderlandGelderlandGelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,... - Gelders-Overijssels
- AchterhooksAchterhooksAchterhooks is a Dutch Low Saxon dialect....
- Sallaans in the SallandSallandSalland is a historical dominion in the west and north of the present Dutch province of Overijssel. It is probably named after the Salian Franks, who are thought to originate from Salland...
region of western Overijssel - UrkersUrkersUrkers is the local language of the municipality and former island of Urk, located on the west coast of the Dutch province of Flevoland. In Dutch, Urkers is called Urks. Urk was an island until the middle of the 20th century...
on the former island of UrkUrkUrk is a municipality and a town in the Flevoland province in the central Netherlands.Urk is first mentioned in historical records dating to the 10th century, when it was still an island in the Almere, a lake that would become part of the Zuiderzee in the 13th century after a series of incursions...
in FlevolandFlevolandFlevoland is a province of the Netherlands. Located in the centre of the country, at the location of the former Zuiderzee, the province was established on January 1, 1986; the twelfth province of the country, with Lelystad as its capital...
- Achterhooks
- VeluwsVeluwsVeluws is a Dutch Low Saxon dialect which is spoken on the Veluwe. Veluws is usually divided into two main dialects, West-Veluws and Oost-Veluws , these two dialects are reasonably similar but differ in grammar...
in the VeluweVeluweThe Veluwe is a forest-rich ridge of hills in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. The Veluwe features many different landscapes including woodland, heath, some small lakes and Europe's largest sand drifts....
region of Gelderland
In Denmark
- SchleswigschSchleswigschSchleswigsch, , is a Northern Low Saxon dialect spoken in Schleswig, in Germany and Denmark.Schleswigsch mainly is based on an South Jutlandic substrate. Therefore it has some notable differences in pronounciation an grammar to it's southern neighbour dialects. The dialects on the west coast of...
dialect spoken in former South Jutland CountySouth Jutland CountySouth Jutland County is a former county on the south-central portion of the Jutland Peninsula in southern Denmark....
(the northern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig) around AabenraaAabenraaThe city of Aabenraa or Åbenrå , with a population of 15,760 , is situated at the head of the Aabenraa Fjord, an arm of the Little Belt, in Denmark, 38 miles north of the town of Schleswig. Its name originally meant "open beach"...
(Apenrade)