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Digital language tools

 

We would like to facilitate anyone who is interested in the Frisian language with a variety of language services. One of our larger projects is Frysker.nl, an important digital tool for writing Frisian since 2021 and the successor to taalweb.frl. With a team of lexicographers, the Fryske Akademy has also worked on the preferred word list and the official spelling rules (in force from 2015), which have also been integrated into Frysker.nl. The Taalportaal and Frisian.eu websites have been developed for researchers and programmers. 

 

Write flawless Frisian with Frysker.nl

The Frysker.nl website offers a variety of digital language resources for anyone who wants to write error-free Frisian. Frysker.nl was developed by the Fryske Akademy (language data, language API), in collaboration with BWH Designers (design and technology), GridLine (staveringshifker/spelling checker), KNAW Humanities Cluster/ Maarten van Gompel (Oersetter/Translator) and Afûk. The Provinsje Fryslân has given the Fryske Akademy financial support for making Frysker.nl.

Frysker.nl consists of three parts:

• Search. A search is made in the Dutch-Frisian dictionary or in the Frisian Hand Dictionary. In addition to translations of keywords, 'Search' also provides examples, proverbs, synonyms, word forms and proverbs.

• Check. An online spelling checker for checking your texts. The evaluation detects typos and spelling errors, gives help to choose the most common word forms and points out the use of hollanisms.

• Translate. This program translates Dutch texts into Frisian or vice versa. 

You will also find on Frysker.nl :

  • Paadwizer with the spelling rules for Frisian
  • Downloads (eg. the digital version of the Frysk Hânwurdboek, spelling checkers for Word and Outlook and add-ons for Mozilla and OpenOffice).

For more information about Frysker.nl, please contact the project team at frysker@fryske-akademy.nl .

 

Foarkarswurdlist and official spelling

Is it Italië or Itaalje, telefoan or tillefoan? The Foarkarswurdlist (Preferred Word List) foar it Frysk, which the Fryske Akademy has drawn up, provides clarity about the preferred forms in Frisian spelling. The Foarkarswurdlist is not a mandatory language standard, but can be used as a guideline for clear preferred forms in the written Frisian language, for example in official communication and in education. The words from the Foarkarswurdlist have been integrated into the search function of Frysker.nl.

 

Official spelling

Frisian has had more or less official spelling rules since 1879, but these have since been changed several times. As a result, over time, the rules and writing practice no longer corresponded completely. For the preparation of the Foarkarswurdlist, the Fryske Akademy has completely re-described the current regulation of the Frisian spelling. This has resulted in the spelling rules and the way in which words are spelled in practice are similar again from now on. These rules regarding the official spelling of Frisian have been in effect since 30 January, 2015 and can be found in the manual  Paadwizer Fryske stavering. Due to a number of rule changes in the Frisian spelling, a limited number of words are written differently (e.g. telefyzje instead of televyzje and útnûging instead of útnoeging). 

In 2020, the Fryske Akademy published a Koroanawurdlist, a supplement with frequent words related to the corona outbreak.

 

Taalportaal & Frisian.eu

Taalportaal.org

Taalportaal is an English-language digital reference work where all grammatical knowledge of Dutch, Frisian and Afrikaans has been brought together by researchers from Fryslân, the Netherlands and South Africa. Taalportaal is a large project that strives for a more comprehensive and authoritative scientific grammar, originally only for Dutch and Frisian. Since 2015, Afrikaans has also been added to the project. Taalportaal (Language Portal) is an interactive knowledge base about these three languages, covering syntax, morphology and phonology. The project is a collaboration of the Meertens Institute, Leiden University, the Institute for Dutch Lexicology, the Fryske Akademy, and the Virtual Institute Vir Afrikaans. The Dutch/Frisian part is funded by NWO , the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research; the Afrikaans part is financed by the Suid-Afrikaans Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, Afrikaans Language and Culture Association, Noordwest-Universiteit and Dagbreek Trust.
 

Frisian.eu

Frisian.eu is a website for researchers and programmers. It contains a wide variety of (Old) Frisian language resources, such as dictionaries, data, tools and services. Datasets, data models and APIs can be downloaded, Json services are freely available. The underlying data is always maintained.

 

Other language services

Dictionaries

  • Between 1984 and 2011, the 25 volumes of the scientific Dictionary of the Frisian Language/ Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (WFT) were published. The WFT describes Frisian from the period 1800-1975. In the reference book extensive information is given for each word: the pronunciation, the inflection, the variants, the corresponding words in other languages, the meaning, sayings, proverbs. Since 2010, the dictionary can also be found online in the Integrated Language Bank of the INL.
  • Anne Dykstra's Frisian-English dictionary, Frysk-Ingelsk Wurdboek (2000), is available as a PDF file.
  • Dialect dictionaries have been compiled for a number of Frisian regional languages, including Schiermonnikoogs, Bildts, Hindeloopen and Amelands.
     

Specialist language advice

  • We can provide linguistic advice for the preparation of specialist texts in Frisian using specialist terms such as notary deeds, official documents or technical documents. A fee is charged for a translation. Please contact our general number +31 (0)58 213 14 14 or send an email to fa@fryske-akademy.nl.
  • For legal practice, we supply Frisian-language models of deeds, articles of association, contracts, prenuptial agreements and wills. All models can be downloaded free of charge from the page Frisian-language models for legal practice.
     

Links

  • Frisian has been made available as a language in Google Translatesince February 2016 thanks to the tireless efforts of volunteers and the support of the Province of Fryslân.
  • The current list of place names and water names in Fryslân can be consulted on the website of the Province of Fryslân.
  • In addition to language courses, you can also contact our colleagues from the Afûk for language questions . Providing language advice, checking short texts or translating a few words is free of charge for the Afûk. An overview of digital language tools, apps and games for Frisian can also be found on their website www.taalhelp.frl.