<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Tempus Sans ITC";
panose-1:4 2 4 4 3 13 7 2 2 2;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Tempus Sans ITC";
color:#1F497D;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Tempus Sans ITC";color:#1F497D'>I’ve been recently wondering about the ‘Frisian is the closest language to English’ idea. Since a variety of Saxon forms part of the foundation of English (if I recall right, West Saxon became the standard variety of Old English), it seems to me that Low German would be the closest language to English. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Tempus Sans ITC";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Tempus Sans ITC";color:#1F497D'>I think the idea of Frisian as English’s closest relative comes from certain family tree representations of the Germanic family, where English is placed on an “Anglo-Frisian” branch. I think this kind of representation is being replaced in favor of North Sea Germanic – ie., English, Frisian, and Saxon.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Tempus Sans ITC";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Tempus Sans ITC";color:#1F497D'>Steven<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Tempus Sans ITC";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> LOWLANDS-L [mailto:lowlands-l-bounces@listserv.linguistlist.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Lowlands Languages & Cultures<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, July 20, 2017 12:52 PM<br><b>To:</b> Lowlands Languages & Cultures <lowlands-l@listserv.linguistlist.org><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Lowlands-l] Google Translate<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal dir=RTL style='text-align:right;direction:rtl;unicode-bidi:embed'><span dir=LTR>Yes. Definitely lively, that</span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span lang=AR-SA><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span>'</span><span dir=LTR>s why we should make Google add it</span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span lang=AR-SA><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span>.</span><span dir=LTR><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I really don't see the point of making West Frisian a seperate language though, <span lang=AR-SA dir=RTL><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>as it doesn't contain that much of a unique vocabulary, and strongly resembles Dutch. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal dir=RTL style='text-align:right;direction:rtl;unicode-bidi:embed'><span dir=LTR><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal dir=RTL style='text-align:right;direction:rtl;unicode-bidi:embed'><span lang=HE>בתאריך 20 ביולי 2017 8:24 אחה״צ,</span><span lang=AR-SA> "</span><span dir=LTR>Lowlands Languages</span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span lang=AR-SA><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span> & </span><span dir=LTR>Cultures</span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span lang=AR-SA><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span>" <<a href="mailto:lowlands-l@listserv.linguistlist.org" target="_blank"><span lang=EN-US dir=LTR>lowlands-l@listserv</span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span>.<span lang=EN-US dir=LTR>linguistlist.org</span></a><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span>> </span><span lang=HE>כתב:</span><span lang=AR-SA><o:p></o:p></span></p><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in'><div><div><p class=MsoNormal dir=RTL style='text-align:right;direction:rtl;unicode-bidi:embed'><span dir=LTR>On 20/07/2017 11:18 AM, Eitan wrote</span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span lang=AR-SA><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span>:<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Hi all,<span lang=AR-SA dir=RTL><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> I've requested Facebook they should add low german into their language poll since they recently had added West Frisian which isn't much an obvious choice.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>That being the case, to my surprise Google Translate added West Frisian as well.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I don't consider West frisian the closest language to English language because of certain reasons. Here's what I wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Low german (of plaudietsch language) is spoken by 450,000 people around the world, which is about on par with Frisian on the total. It has a rich body of literature, including the bible, and many unique expressions and vowel sounds. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Compared to what is spoken in west friesland, it's a fully-fledged and dynamic language. And while it is true that Frisian is recognised minority language in the Netherlands, Plautdietsch is recognised in belize and has a minority status there.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Do you agree?<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal dir=RTL style='text-align:right;direction:rtl;unicode-bidi:embed'><span lang=AR-SA><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf55TFRG-2w" target="_blank"><span lang=EN-US dir=LTR>https://www.youtube.com/watch</span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span>?<span lang=EN-US dir=LTR>v=tf55TFRG-2w</span></a><br><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lV4S4VLhV0" target="_blank"><span lang=EN-US dir=LTR>https://www.youtube.com/watch</span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span>?<span lang=EN-US dir=LTR>v=9lV4S4VLhV0</span></a><br><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdaLj8jkJfI" target="_blank"><span lang=EN-US dir=LTR>https://www.youtube.com/watch</span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span>?<span lang=EN-US dir=LTR>v=EdaLj8jkJfI</span></a><br><br></span><span dir=LTR>Sure doesn</span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span lang=AR-SA><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span>'</span><span dir=LTR>t look dead to me</span><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span><span lang=AR-SA><span dir=RTL></span><span dir=RTL></span>.<br><br></span><span dir=LTR>Ed Alexander<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal dir=RTL style='text-align:right;direction:rtl;unicode-bidi:embed'><span lang=AR-SA><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal dir=RTL style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;text-align:right;direction:rtl;unicode-bidi:embed'><span lang=AR-SA> <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal dir=RTL style='margin-bottom:12.0pt;text-align:right;direction:rtl;unicode-bidi:embed'><span lang=AR-SA><br>_______________________________________________<br></span><span dir=LTR>LOWLANDS-L mailing list</span><span lang=AR-SA><br><a href="mailto:LOWLANDS-L@listserv.linguistlist.org" target="_blank"><span lang=EN-US dir=LTR>LOWLANDS-L@listserv.linguistlist.org</span></a><br><a href="http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/lowlands-l" target="_blank"><span lang=EN-US dir=LTR>http://listserv.linguistlist.org/mailman/listinfo/lowlands-l</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p></blockquote></div></div></div></div></body></html>