West Frisian Dialect Classifications

The Frisian language spoken in the Netherlands is not homogeneous. The dialects of the small town of Hindeloopen and those of the islands of Terschelling and Schiermonnikoog have been perceived as distinct and sometimes difficult to understand by speakers of the mainland varieties since the early modern period. The remaining varieties on the mainland are all mutually intelligible and there are no sharp boundaries in this dialect continuum. Nevertheless, speakers were and are aware of subtle differences in the speech from other regions. All attempts to divide the dialects agree on a general tripartite division between east and west with a special status for the south-west. However, the exact delineation of these areas varies greatly according to the different classification methods used.