The Frisian language in education in the Netherlands (5th ed.)

TY - BOOK

T1 - The Frisian language in education in the Netherlands (5th ed.)

AU - Riemersma, Alex

A2 - Robinson-Jones, Charlie

A2 - Scarse, Ydwine

A2 - Ybema, Jan

A2 - Visser, Marlous

A2 - Schukking, Anna Fardau

PY - 2024/12

Y1 - 2024/12

N2 - Frisian and its status in education in the NetherlandsWest Frisian, commonly referred to as Frisian (Frisian: Frysk), is a western Germanic, autochthonous minority and official language spoken in Friesland (Frisian: Fryslân), one of the 12 provinces of the Netherlands. In 2018, 61% of the population of Fryslân reported that Frisian was their first language. Regarding pre-school education, Frisian may be used as an additional language of instruction, which is implemented at two thirds of all pre-school locations in Fryslân. In primary education, Frisian is an obligatory subject and can be used as a medium of instruction for other subjects, whereas in secondary education, Frisian is only an obligatory subject in the lower grades. However, less than a third of the regular primary schools, and almost 45% of secondary schools offer all government-set attainment targets for Frisian. In vocational education, Frisian language courses may be offered, and in higher and adult education, courses and specialisation programmes in and on Frisian can be followed.Frisian in educational researchTheoretical and applied research on Frisian in education and multilingualism in Fryslân is mainly conducted by students and researchers at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences (guided by the Lectoraat Meertaligheid & Geletterdheid – Research group on Multilingualism & Literacy), the universities of Groningen and Amsterdam, as well as by the Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning (hosted by the Fryske Akademy). The key topics of study include multilingual language development and interaction in the classroom.Prospects for Frisian in the NetherlandsThe Frisian language is widely used in informal domains and mainly in oral use within families and associations, in social and public life, and the media. Over the past 100 years, Frisian has gained a much stronger legal position and status in domains such as education, regional and local authorities, the media (radio and television), religion, healthcare, and sports. However, in more formal settings, there is a tendency to use Dutch and/or English rather than Frisian. In education, many primary and secondary schools, despite the legal framework, do not offer classes to reach all Frisian attainment targets. This is addressed in the Taalplan Frysk 2030 (Frisian Language Plan 2030), which supports schools in enhancing Frisian education and aims to phase out (partial) exemptions for the Frisian attainment targets in primary and secondary education. The plan also promotes a continuous educational pathway to improve the overall teaching and use of Frisian from pre-school to higher education.

AB - Frisian and its status in education in the NetherlandsWest Frisian, commonly referred to as Frisian (Frisian: Frysk), is a western Germanic, autochthonous minority and official language spoken in Friesland (Frisian: Fryslân), one of the 12 provinces of the Netherlands. In 2018, 61% of the population of Fryslân reported that Frisian was their first language. Regarding pre-school education, Frisian may be used as an additional language of instruction, which is implemented at two thirds of all pre-school locations in Fryslân. In primary education, Frisian is an obligatory subject and can be used as a medium of instruction for other subjects, whereas in secondary education, Frisian is only an obligatory subject in the lower grades. However, less than a third of the regular primary schools, and almost 45% of secondary schools offer all government-set attainment targets for Frisian. In vocational education, Frisian language courses may be offered, and in higher and adult education, courses and specialisation programmes in and on Frisian can be followed.Frisian in educational researchTheoretical and applied research on Frisian in education and multilingualism in Fryslân is mainly conducted by students and researchers at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences (guided by the Lectoraat Meertaligheid & Geletterdheid – Research group on Multilingualism & Literacy), the universities of Groningen and Amsterdam, as well as by the Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning (hosted by the Fryske Akademy). The key topics of study include multilingual language development and interaction in the classroom.Prospects for Frisian in the NetherlandsThe Frisian language is widely used in informal domains and mainly in oral use within families and associations, in social and public life, and the media. Over the past 100 years, Frisian has gained a much stronger legal position and status in domains such as education, regional and local authorities, the media (radio and television), religion, healthcare, and sports. However, in more formal settings, there is a tendency to use Dutch and/or English rather than Frisian. In education, many primary and secondary schools, despite the legal framework, do not offer classes to reach all Frisian attainment targets. This is addressed in the Taalplan Frysk 2030 (Frisian Language Plan 2030), which supports schools in enhancing Frisian education and aims to phase out (partial) exemptions for the Frisian attainment targets in primary and secondary education. The plan also promotes a continuous educational pathway to improve the overall teaching and use of Frisian from pre-school to higher education.

KW - Frisian

KW - the Netherlands

KW - minority languages

KW - multilingual education

KW - multilingualism in education

KW - multilingualism

KW - language education

M3 - Report

T3 - Regional Dossier series

BT - The Frisian language in education in the Netherlands (5th ed.)

PB - Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning

CY - Ljouwert/Leeuwarden

ER -