West Frisian

Obviously, it's taken effect since children went back to school at the end of August, start of September.

and it says that children should be allowed to use their mother tongue in school or to prepare for classes if it helps them around a quarter of children speak a different language at home in some cases that's a regional language like Frisian or Limburgian but it can also be Arabic or Polish or English again this is not something unique to the Netherlands all countries have have immigrants all the children who do grow up speaking different languages at home and again you find that these children although they speak maybe they speak Arabic in the house with their parents they grow up speaking dutch their friends and so yeah when they grow up and they have children they are dutch-speaking households or dueling or bilingual households there were no firm guidelines on exactly what the schools should do to meet these standards so yeah possibly um you could you have to wonder what is actually going to change in practice and whether it will be supported by the teachers which is absolutely key but the idea is that children should have more scope to discuss learning materials at home There are divided opinions about this.

This is a good idea.

A language expert, Ioannica Pena, told News here that speaking the language you know best helps parents support their children with things like homework.

West Frisians vile.

I can say this because I have a great, great West Frisian grandma.

The Frisian question, the most important question of our age.

Tatum again says, do you care about me? Do you care about me more money for you? And he's given that, obviously, this is a super chat, so.

Friesland is not just a region, it is a cultural identity.

The language, Frysk, is co-official here, spoken on street signs and in schools.

I picked up a guidebook about the Elfstedenrôt, the route of the legendary Eleven Cities ice skating tour.

The last time the ice held long enough for the race was 1997.

My first stop was the Fries Museum on Wilhelminaplein.

It is the provincial museum covering everything from Frisian history and art to identity.

Apparently, they are opening a major new exhibition called Redbad: De Legendarische Koning tomorrow, Saturday, 5th of September.

It features the legendary Frisian King Radbod and the Odin of Leidra treasure.

I went in early to beat the rush.

The ticket is about 25 euros, which is standard for a mid-range museum visit in the Netherlands.

The locks are automated, the markers are clear, and the other boaters are generally polite, though you must always yield to larger vessels.

As we drifted past the historic warehouses and the modern glass facades of the newer developments, I thought about the Elfstedenronde.

Those fountains are scattered across the province now, markers of a moment when Leywarden looked outward.

I remembered reading that the city projected a strong regional identity, especially regarding the Frisian language.

It is co-official here alongside Dutch.

You hear it in the shop signs and the greetings.

After the meal, I wandered toward the Fry's Museum on Wilhelmineplein.

The building itself is modern, a contrast to the Gothic towers nearby.

I was interested in the story of Frisian identity, the history of a people who have maintained their language and customs despite centuries of Dutch and German influence.

The museum covers this well, from ancient burials to modern art.

Inside, the exhibition space was quiet.

I was there for the Frisian identity, the language that is co-official here alongside Dutch.

I spoke hello to a volunteer near the entrance, and she corrected my vowel sound with a gentle smile.

The museum is preparing for a major opening on the fifth of September called Red Bad, about the legendary King Radbod, featuring the Odin of Leere treasure.

Try the stroopwafel at De Skieve Toren.

Climb the Oldehove, even with the scaffolding.

It is worth the view, and if you meet someone who corrects your Frisian, thank them.

It is a sign of welcome.

The museum is the provincial repository for everything that makes Friesland itself, its art, its language, its identity.

They're opening a major exhibition called Redbad: De Legendarische Koning on the 5th of September, focusing on the legendary Frisian King Redbad and featuring the Odin of Leerdam treasure.

It runs until February next year.

I did not buy a ticket today, as I am planning to return when the exhibition opens, but the lobby was bustling with activity.

The staff were friendly, speaking Dutch with a distinct Frisian lilt, a cadence that is softer, older.

The Frisian language, Frysk, is co-official here, used in schools, government, and even on road signs.

It is a point of pride, a way of resisting the homogenizing force of standard Dutch.

I bought a postcard at the gift shop for two euros featuring a sketch of the Oldehove.

There's three main branches of the Frisian languages today.

There's West Frisian, East Frisian, and North Frisian.

The type of Frisian that I speak is called West Frisian.

It's the biggest of the three, and it's spoken in the Netherlands, in the province of Friesland.

There's an area in Germany which is fairly close to the Dutch border in what used to be or is East Frisia, where around 2,000 people speak a variant of East Frisian.

Um, okay, so-

I also, I also talk Frisian, which is pretty Viking of me, but never mind that

You talk what?

Uh, well, we have a region in, uh, in the Netherlands that has its kind of like its own language, like official language, and those are kinda like, I think...

That's kind of what we look like here

Mm-hmm

Um, and we have a special language that's, like, Frisian and I don't know how I...

I don't know why I started talking about that, but-