You have probably never heard of a language called Frisian. But of all the languages in the world, this tongue may be the closest language to English!
Frisian is spoken in the region of Friesland and in the Frisian Islands. Friesland is a province in the northern part of the Netherlands. The Frisian Islands are a string of islands along the North Sea coast. Some of the islands belong to the Netherlands, some to West Germany.
Frisian, a dialect of Dutch, belongs to a group of languages called Low Germap that also includes Dutch and English as it was spoken centuries ago. When the Anglo-Saxon peoples invaded England in the fifth century, they spoke a language very similar to the Frisian of the day. It’s also possible that Frisian-speaking people accompanied the Anglo-Saxons on their invasions of England.
In the centuries since those invasions, English and Frisian have diverged and suffered quite different fates. English is now spoken by some 350 million people, while Frisian has only about 300,000 speakers.
Related Posts
-
What Are the Most Common Words In the English Language and What Is the Most Common Spoken English Word?
The most common word used in written English is the, followed in order of use by of, and, to, a, in, that, is, I, it, for, and as. The most common spoken English…
-
How Many English Words End in “gry” and Which English Words Rhyme with Orange, Purple, and Silver?
In the English language, there are only two words that end in "GRY": angry and hungry. There are only three words that end in "CEED": exceed, proceed, and succeed, while liquefy, putrefy, rarefy,…
-
Where Did the English Language Come From?
Unlike most other languages, English was born out of a combination of two languages. The Anglo-Saxons, the people who settled in England during the fifth century, spoke a German language we now call…
-
Who Invented Punctuation For the English Language and How did Written Punctuation Originate?
Punctuation marks are symbols which indicate the structure of written language, and is important in comprehending the meaning of sentences. The earliest writing had no capitalization, no spaces and few punctuation marks. The…
-
How Many Official Languages Does Canada Have and Is English Canada’s Official Language?
English is one of the official languages of Canada. Canada has two official languages: English and French. About 17 million of Canada's 28.5 million people claim English as their first language. Nearly 7…
-
How Many People Living In the United States Do Not Speak English As Their First Language?
More than 30 million Americans are non-native speakers of English. Spanish speaking people lead the list, followed by native speakers of French, German, Italian, Chinese, Tagalog, Polish, Korean, and Vietnamese. English is the…
