Frisian, Northern
PrintA language of Germany
10,000 (Stephens 1976). Ethnic population: 60,000 (Stephens 1976).
Schleswig-Holstein, coastal between Eider river south and Wiedau river north; adjacent islands Föhr, Amrum, Sylt, Norstrand, Pellworm, the ten islands of Halligen group, and Helgoland.
7 (Shifting).
Ferring (Fohr-Amrum), Helgoland, Mooringer (Mainland Frisian, Mooringa), Sölreng (Sylt). Ferring dialect is actively used. Not intelligible to Eastern Frisian [frs] of Germany or Western Frisian [fry] of the Netherlands except by a few educated bilingual speakers of Western Frisian. Lexical similarity: 70% between the Mooringer dialect and Standard German [deu], 55% with English [eng], 66% with Eastern Frisian [frs], the Föhr dialect has 69% with Standard German, 62% with English, 68% with Western Frisian [fry], 73% with Eastern Frisian, 86% with the Mooringer dialect, 91% with the Amrum dialect; the Sylt dialect has 64% with Standard German, 61% with English, 79% with the Mooringer dialect, 85% with the Föhr dialect.
Education is in Standard German only. Commerce and religious services in German.