Eiderstedt Frisian (german: Eiderstedter Friesisch, da, Ejderstedfrisisk) was a dialect of the

North Frisian language North Frisian (''nordfriisk'') is a minority language of Germany, spoken by about 10,000 people in North Frisia. The language is part of the larger group of the West Germanic Frisian languages. The language comprises 10 dialects which are thems ...

which was originally spoken on Eiderstedt, formerly part of the Danish

Duchy of Schleswig The Duchy of Schleswig ( da, Hertugdømmet Slesvig; german: Herzogtum Schleswig; nds, Hartogdom Sleswig; frr, Härtochduum Slaswik) was a duchy in Southern Jutland () covering the area between about 60 km (35 miles) north and 70 km ( ...

. The Frisian language became extinct on Eiderstedt in mid-18th-Century. In contrast to the northern hundreds, Eiderstedt was economically strong and wealthy and was oriented towards the southern, Low German parts of Holstein. During the 16th century there was moreover a strong Dutch immigration. Eiderstedt Frisian is attributed to the insular dialects, but there are also characteristics of the mainland dialects. The difference between the insular and the mainland dialects dates back to the Frisian immigrants during several different centuries.

Literature

* Dietrich Hofmann: ''Zum Eiderstedter Friesisch.'' In: ''Niederdeutsche Mitteilungen 14.'' S. 59–68. * Nils Århammar: ''Das Nordfriesische im Sprachkontakt'' In: Horst Haider Munske (Hrsg.): ''Handbuch des Friesischen / Handbook of Frisian Studies.'' Tübingen 2001, , S. 328 f.

References

{{Frisian languages North Frisian language Extinct languages of Denmark Extinct Germanic languages Languages extinct in the 18th century