Talk:West Frisian phrasebook

Intelligible with English?

How much of this do you understand without subtitles? I'd say a word here and there, and that the language isn't mutually intelligible with English. Am I missing something? Ikan Kekek (talk) 13:05, 23 July 2016 (UTC)

Frisian, for as far as my knowledge of the language goes, is understandable for speakers of Old or Middle English, not people that speak Modern English. The same goes for dialects such as Dreenths and Grönings, though those are spoken much less than Frisian. It's pretty decently do-able as proven by this video.
-- Wauteurz (talk) 13:13, 23 July 2016 (UTC)

In which case, we can delete the claim that it's intelligible with English. Is it intelligible with Dutch, which is the other claim in the phrasebook? Ikan Kekek (talk) 13:21, 23 July 2016 (UTC)

Frisian is one of the many languages and dialects that created modern day Dutch, and many speakers of Dutch will be able to understand Frisian speech as long as the words aren't said too rapidly. I believe that Frisian is understood with relative ease in the Eastern Netherlands (Groningen, Drenthe aside from Friesland itself), and as a speaker of Achterhooks (Achterhoek), I can state that I can understand it without too much effort. So yes, it would be intelligible with Dutch, or even better, Platdüütsk/Nedersaksies. Again, Frisian has many links to Old English and speakers of both languages can understand each other to a certain extend. I am doubtful about how intelligible it is with Afrikaans, as it has more African influences not found in Frisian, but I know close to nothing when it comes to Afrikaans.

TL:DR; Frisian has links with Old English, is intelligible with Dutch and Platdüütsk/Nedersaksies. Intelligibility with Afrikaans is unknown to me, but seems unlikely.
-- Wauteurz (talk) 14:06, 23 July 2016 (UTC)