Monolingual Frisian names for all canals, lakes and rivers, 23-03-2007 (A-EL)

Ljouwert/Leeuwarden, Friday, 23 March 2007 by Onno P. Falkena  

The names of almost all canals, lakes and rivers in Fryslân are now officially monolingual Frisian. At the request of the Provinsje Fryslân all Frisian municipalities but one - the port of Harlingen - have endorsed the proposal the make the original Frisian names the official ones. The two Low Saxon speaking counties in the south of Fryslân, Weststellingwerf and Eaststellingwerf, have decided to make the Low Saxon names official instead of the Dutch or Frisian version. Harlingen will continue to use the Dutch names.

The decision is not without importance. From now on all new signs, maps and atlases will show the Frisian names only. This means for instance that in the coming summer the largest sailing competition of the Netherlands will take place on the Snitser Mar, formerly Sneekermeer in Dutch. For the Frisian executive the decision to make the Frisian names the only correct ones promotes Frisian identity.

In Fryslân Dutch became the official language in the 16th century. Therefore the official names of most canals were Dutch, but most Frisians translated them into Frisian. Now the Frisian version of these names has become the official one. Other names, especially of the larger lakes and rivers, are originally Frisian. Of those names, various versions in various languages and orthographies were used on signs and maps. With the decision to make the Frisian names the only official ones all canals, lakes and rivers now have one unified Frisian version: http://www.fryslan.nl/waternamen (digital map with all the correct toponyms).

Boarne: Eurolang Newsletter[digitaal], 23-03-2007

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