Low Saxon (German: Niedersächsisch, Dutch: Nedersaksisch), also known as West Low German (German: Westniederdeutsch) are a group of Low German dialects spoken in parts of the Netherlands, northwestern Germany and southern Denmark (in North Schleswig by parts of the German-speaking minority). It is one of two dialect groups, the other being East Low German.
>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<
👉 Low Saxon in the context of Hamburg
Hamburg, officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, is the second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and seventh-largest city in the European Union, with a population of over 1.9 million. The Hamburg Metropolitan Region has a population of over 5.1 million and is the tenth-largest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union.
At the southern tip of the Jutland Peninsula, Hamburg stands on the branching River Elbe at the head of a 110 km (68 mi) estuary to the North Sea, at the confluence of the Alster and Bille. Hamburg is one of Germany's three city-states alongside Berlin and Bremen, and is surrounded by Schleswig-Holstein to the north and Lower Saxony to the south. The Port of Hamburg is Germany's largest and Europe's third-largest, after Rotterdam and Antwerp. The local dialect is a variant of Low Saxon.
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Low Saxon
- 👉 Low Saxon in the context of Hamburg
- Low Saxon in the context of West Germanic language
- Low Saxon in the context of Northern Low Saxon
- Low Saxon in the context of Gronings language
- Low Saxon in the context of Dutch Low Saxon language
- Low Saxon in the context of Winterswijk
- Low Saxon in the context of West Germanic
Low Saxon in the context of West Germanic language
The West Germanic languages constitute the largest of the three branches of the Germanic family of languages (the others being the North Germanic and the extinct East Germanic languages). The West Germanic branch is classically subdivided into three branches: Ingvaeonic, which includes English, Scots, the Low German languages, and the Frisian languages; Istvaeonic, which encompasses Dutch and its close relatives; and Irminonic, which includes German and its close relatives and variants.
English is by far the most widely spoken West Germanic language, with over one billion speakers worldwide. Within Europe, the three most prevalent West Germanic languages are English, German, and Dutch. Frisian, spoken by about 450,000 people, constitutes a fourth distinct variety of West Germanic. The language family also includes Afrikaans, Yiddish, Low Saxon, Luxembourgish, Hunsrik, and Scots. Additionally, several creoles, patois, and pidgins are based on Dutch, English, or German.
Low Saxon in the context of Northern Low Saxon
Northern Low Saxon (in Standard High German: Nordniedersächsisch, also Nordniederdeutsch, lit. North(ern) Low Saxon/German; in Standard Dutch: Noord-Nedersaksisch) is a subgroup of Low Saxon dialects of Low German. 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 South Low Saxon (Eastphalian and Westphalian) is spoken, and Gronings dialect in the Netherlands.
Low Saxon in the context of Gronings language
Gronings (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣroːnɪŋs] ; Gronings: Grunnegs or Grönnegs), is a collective name for some Low 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 East Frisian influence and take a remarkable position within West Low German. Its typical accent and vocabulary differ strongly from the other Low Saxon dialects.
Low Saxon in the context of Dutch Low Saxon language
Dutch Low Saxon (Nederlaands Leegsaksies [ˈneːdərlaːnts ˈleːxsɑksis] or Nederlaands Nedersaksies; Dutch: Nederlands Nedersaksisch) are Low Saxon dialects from the Low German language that are spoken in the northeastern Netherlands and are mostly, but not exclusively, written with local, unstandardised orthographies based on Standard Dutch orthography.
The UNESCO Atlas of endangered languages lists the language as vulnerable. The percentage of speakers among parents dropped from 34% in 1995 to 15% in 2011. The percentage of speakers among their children dropped from 8% to 2% in the same period. According to a 2005 study 53% indicated to speak Low Saxon or Low Saxon and Dutch at home and 71% they could speak Low Saxon in the researched area, accounting for a total of 1.6 million speakers at home and 2.15 million total, ranging from "reasonably" to "very well" in terms of proficiency.
Low Saxon in the context of Winterswijk
Winterswijk (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌʋɪntərsˈʋɛik] ; also known as Winterswiek or Wenters) is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. It has a population of 29,022 and is situated in the Achterhoek, which lies in the easternmost part of the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands.
It was also known as Winethereswick, Winriswic or Wenterswic; the Low Saxon wich or wic means the living place of a certain person. The person would likely have been called Wenether, Winitar or Winter.
Low Saxon in the context of West Germanic
The West Germanic languages constitute the largest of the three branches of the Germanic family of Indo-European languages (the others being the North Germanic and the extinct East Germanic languages). The West Germanic branch is classically subdivided into three branches: Ingvaeonic, which includes English, Scots, the Low German languages, and the Frisian languages; Istvaeonic, which encompasses Dutch and its close relatives; and Irminonic, which includes German and its close relatives and variants.
English is by far the most widely spoken West Germanic language, with over one billion speakers worldwide. Within Europe, the three most prevalent West Germanic languages are English, German, and Dutch. Frisian, spoken by about 450,000 people, constitutes a fourth distinct variety of West Germanic. The language family also includes Afrikaans, Yiddish, Low Saxon, Luxembourgish, Hunsrik, and Scots. Additionally, several creoles, patois, and pidgins are based on Dutch, English, or German.