Nordfriesisch

Nordfriesisch, or North Frisian, is a group of Frisian languages spoken in the North Frisia region along the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It belongs to the West Germanic branch of the Indo-European family and is most closely related to West Frisian in the Netherlands, with more distant ties to Dutch and English. It is distinct from High German and Danish and forms part of the regional linguistic landscape near the German–Danish border.

Nordfriesisch comprises several regional varieties defined largely by geography. Island communities such as Föhr, Amrum, and Sylt use North Frisian varieties, while mainland areas around Eiderstedt and other coastal regions have related dialects. These varieties differ in pronunciation, vocabulary, and, to a lesser extent, grammar, and they are sometimes described as dialects rather than fully separate languages.

Today Nordfriesisch is recognized as a minority language under German and European minority-protection frameworks. It has a cultural presence in local media, literature, and education in some areas of Schleswig-Holstein, supported by language-promoting institutions such as the Nordfriisk Instituut. Community efforts focus on bilingual signage, language courses, and intergenerational transmission.

Nordfriesisch uses the Latin script; several orthographies exist, with a formal standard used in education alongside regional varieties. The language is considered endangered, with fluctuating speaker numbers and ongoing revival initiatives aimed at sustaining intergenerational transmission and public use.