V ur urc-me/r. ■ FKOM -THE- LI BRARY- OF - - OTTO - BREMER- d 1 THE FRISIAN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE: A HISTORICAL STUDY. BY VV . T . H E W E T T . ITHACA, N. V. FINCH Of APGAR. 1879. i ^ ^^yW\'e^S^^ Copyright, 1879, by Finch & Apgar. H S^9S THE FRISIAN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE A HISTORICAL STUDY. I. EARLY EXTENT OF FRISIA. 1. CLASSICAL REFERENCES TO FRISIA. Pliny, who wrote about 17 A. D., says: ''In the Rhine itself is the most renowned island of the Batavi and the Cannenefates and other islands of the Frisians, Chauci, Frisiavones, Sturii and Mar- sacii, which are scattered between Helinium and Flevuin. These are the names of the two mouths into which the Rhine divides. It empties its waters to the north into the lakes there, and to the west into the Maas." ' The two branches of the Rhine here mentioned are the eastern and western. The eastern was formed from the Sala or Yssel with which the waters of the Rhine were connected by the canal of Drusus, and which flowed through Lake Flevo and entered the sea between the islands of Terschelling and Ameland. Its lower course bore later the name of the Fli.^ The western ^ In Rheno autem ipso nobilissima Batavorum insula et Cannenefatium et aliae Frisiorum, Chaiicorum, Frisiavonum, Sturiorum, Marsaciorum quae sternunter inter Helinium et Flevum : ita appellantur ostia in quae effusus Rhenus a septentrione in lacus ab occidente in amnem Mosam se spargit. — Plifiy, Nat. Hist., Lib. IV, c. 29. 2 See Alting, Notitia Germanice Inferioris Antiques , p. 82. He holds that Helvloet and Briel (Bree-Hel) are remains of the name Helinium. See also Siratingh, Aloude Staat des Vaderlands, vol I, p. 144. The central branch of the Rhine called the Old Rhine enters the sea near Leiden. Ivi4:4927 branch was the VahaHs (Waal) Avhich entered the sea near the pres- ent E^Vtierdarri, <' I '' /r : ; It is notictiable tbat'tbe Chauci are here associated with the Fri- <>iainji,.'^sa Fresonum tradidi." — Lecomblet, Rheinisches Urkundenbuch^ I, 30. Richthofen claims that the specification of " not according to the law of the Frisians," is an interpolation from another diploma. 3 Inde egressi per Dorstatum et vicinia Fresonum transeuntes. — Vita S. Anskarii, c. 8. ^ Oppidum est in Saxonia notum plurimis Meppea nominatum. — Vita S. Liud., Lib. II, 25. Acta Benedict Saec, IV. — 19 — Fohr and on the southern half of the island of Sylt To the east the names of places are Danish and Low Gremiaii, with few Frisian forms. The termination hull^ Dan. hoi and holle. possibly hilttel in Wolfenbiittel, meaning a cottage, which does not appear on old charts of West and East Frisia, is found in the earliest records of ]N'orth Frisia. On the west coast of Schleswig-Holstein and on the ]!^orth Frisian islands, more than a hundred names of places have this ending^. II. LITERATURE, That the Frisians had early a distinct form of speech is evident from the early mention of their language, even before we possess literary remains. We find the Friska lingua mentioned in the an- nals of Fulda of 882 A. D., also in the life of St Boniface, Fresonum lingual This language always bears the name Frisian, and does not seem to have been included under the general term deuiscJu The likeness of the Frisian to the Anglo-Saxon admitted of a certain degree of intercourse, for the early Anglo-Saxon missionaries en- tered at once upon active labor on arriving in Frisia.^ Boniface is said to have spoken to his companions at the time of the Frisian attack upon him in the speech of his own land, patria voce, Anglo-Saxon. It is thus evident that work among the Fri- sians w^as based upon the acquisition of their language. It is as- serted that the Frisians promised to receive the gospel, provided Charlemagne would send to them some one who could speak their own language, and Liudger, who was of Frisian birth, was sent to them.^ A general similarity between tlie languages of Ger- 1 Vita S. Bonifat, Lib. II, c. 25. 2 Wilfred labored a few months in 678 with great success. — Vita S. Wilfred in Acta SS. Bened., c. 25. Wigbert labored two years unsiic cessfuUy, from 690-692, owing to the opposition of their chief Radbod. He was followed by Willebrord, bishop of Utrecht, A. D. 693 ; Adel- bert, the patron saint of Nortli Holland who founded the church in Eg- mont; Wulfram, bishop of Sens, 690; Boniface, 719-755, who was slain at Dockum by the Frisians. 3 Si eis ahquis deretur cujus loquelam intelHgere possent. — Vita S. Litidgeri, c. 16. Quoted by Mone, Altniederldndische Volksliteratu?'^ P- 372. 20 many was early recagnized. Thus it is said that all the bar- barous nations living between the Rhine and the Weser, and be- tween the Danube and the ocean, resemble each other in language, but in dress and custom are very dissimilar.* Augustine is said by Bede to have taken Frank interpreters with him to England from France (Gaul).^ Of national popular songs in Frisian there are no traces, and yet we have shown that the scene of Beowulf is partly on Frisian soil, and that Gudrun includes, mixed with its northern elements, many legendary events of Frisian history. There were Frisian bards, but their songs were neA^er written and consequently have perished. In the hfe of St. Liudger we find that he met at Hellewird a blind singer, Bernlef, who sang of the deeds and conflicts of the ancient Frisian kings, and who was greatly beloved by the people.^ These songs could only exist when the country was free from for- eign influence^ and where there was the bond of a national spirit and common history. The Frisian language has disappeared in North Holland, in East Frisia except in the Saterland^ and in the districts of North Brabant, Drenthe, and Over-Yssel. In the west it has yielded to the Frankish or its modern representative, the Neth- erlandish, and in the east it has given way before the predominat- ing political influence of the Saxon or Platt-deutsch. For 150 years the Frisians were constantly exposed to attacks from the North- men. The last invasion occurred in 1010, when the Northmen en- tered Frisia and advanced into Holland. Frisia was given to the Norman chief Godfrey by Charles the Fat. Godfrey was soon assassinated, and Gerolf, the son of Theodore, a Count of Frisia, regained his hereditary domain. The Emperor Lewis gave Frisia to Herolt the Dane,* but the Norman dominion was always doubt- 1 Omnesque praeterea barbaras nationes, quae inter Rhenum ac Wis- eram fluvios oceanumque atque Danubium positae sunt, hngua quidem pene similes sed habitui vel moribus valde dissimiles, ita perdomuit iit eas sibi tributarias facerat. — Pertz, XI, 361. Hist. EccL Ex. Hugo Floriacensisy A. D. 1 100. 2 Hist. EccL, Lib. I, c. 25. 3 Et ecce illo discumbente cum discipulis suis, oblatus est ei caecus vo- cabulo Bernlef, qui a vicinis suis valde diligebatur, eo quod esset affabilis et anliquorum actus regumque certamina bene noverat, psallendo promere. — Vita S. Liud., Lib. H, c. l. Acta Benedict. Saec. IV, p. 25. * Tunc dominus imperator magnam partem Fresonam dedit ei [Heriolt de Danais]. Thegani — Vita Hind. Imp. FertZy II, 597. Frisia and Eng- ful, and we cannot assume that the language was greatlj affected during then- uncertain supremacy. In the eleventh century Frisia, between the Lauwers and the Ems, passed under the temporal sov- ereignty of the bishops of Utrecht, and Frisia between the Ems and Weser became subject to the bishops of Bremen. During this period of incessant warfare and occasional temporary subjection to the Danes, perished probably all native literature, if any written memorials existed. Frisian chronicles speak of a magnificent temple at Stavoren, the seat of the Frisian kings, and of a long line of his- torical writers, among whom are mentioned Witho, the " wise," the chief of the Druids, who died A. D. 132 ; of Hanco Fortemannus, who lived in the tmie of Charlemagne and who wrote an account of his campaigns ; of Sulco Fortemannus, who wrot^ a record of Fri- sian history from Frixo, the mythical founder of the race and brother of [Aeneas, to Radbod II ; of Occo van Scharl, who lived in the tenth century, and who wrote the history of his time. ^lost of these statements rest on the authority of Suffridus Petri, who Uved in the sixteenth century, and whose writings are marked by creduHty and a love of romancing. There are no exivSting remains of the early language other than the words contained in the Lex Frisionum, and in the proper names contained in the monastic records. An interesting fact which connects the earliest writings in the Frisian language with the writings of the other German nations, and which bears indirect witness to their age and authenticity, is the use of alhteration employed in their laws. Wiarda* called atten- tion first to the alliterative character of these laws. He held the ad- ditions to them to be in part fragments of popular songs, poetic glosses, which gave to the people information regarding the origin and meaning of the laws. In the second Kiire in the Rustringer text we have : Colnaburch hit by alda tidon Cologne hight in olden times ^grip anda alda noma; And by olden name Agrip. Tha/irade us i^rison Then was strange to us Frisians Thiu/ire menote. The foreign money. land are said to have become subject to the Danes at the same time. Atque ex illo tempore Fresia et Anglia in ditione Danorum feruntur.— J/. Adami Gesta, Lib. I, A. D. 876. 1 Asegabuch, pp. 11, 167, 340. And us inconvenienced, Then the heavy penny. Set (estabhshed) we ourselves An especial coin, And there was with it, Two and seventy pounds. Laid and valued, Two and seventy shilhngs Of the stamp of Rednath, or Of Kawing's stamp. Rednath and Kawing. So were hight the first. Two that in Friesland The penny stamped. Three pounds to the magistrate. That is one and twenty And us 5werade Tha thi swera panning ; iSetton tha sehm ^S'undroge menote. And warth ther with thet Twa and siuguntich punda, Zeyd and ekgad, Twa and siuguntichs killinga Rednathes slekes ieftha Kawinges slekes. Rednath and Kawing Alsa hiton tha/orma Twene ther to i^'islande Then ^annig slogon. Thriu _pund tha frana, Thet ist en and twintich Skillinga thruch thes Kyninges bon. . Shillings by the kings decree. Of historical poems there are few traces. Lines appear which seem to have formed part of some Yolkslied, as : *' Hi was minnera And hi was betera Hi stifte and sterde Triwa and werde. And hi setta thera kenega ieft And allere liuda kest And landriucht And allera londa eccum sin riucht." ^ Rask holds that these lines may have been taken from some poem relating to Charles Martel. Compare with these the following lines from a register of the kings who established good laws.^ Thesse fiuwer heva. These four lords Bi/mlpon us Helped us i^rison /rihalses Frisians to liberty And/ridomes, And freedom With thene kinig With King Charles, ^erl, hwanda alle Because all Rechtsquellen^ p. 343. 2 Ibid, p. 133. — 23 — Frisa er north /zerdon Frisians to the north were subject, Anda grimma Aerna. To the grim nations. Rhyme appears later, and there are few traces of it in Frisian writings of unquestioned early date. Wiarda qirotes as an ex- ample.^ Forth scele wi se halda, Hereafter these will we keep, And God seel urse walda, And God shall rule o'er us, Thes reddera and thes stitha The w^eak and the strong. And alle unriuchte thing formitha. xlnd all things Avrong we will shun. These lines form a conclusion to a gloss to the XVII Kiiren and the XXIV Landrechte in the Hunsmgoer and Emsiger laws. A rhymed poem of uncertain, but probably late date, contains the grant of special privileges made to the Frisians by Charlemagne.^ The language of the poem does not differ much from the Hunsing- oer text of the Kesta. The poem begins : *' Thit was to there stunde, Tha the kening Kerl riuchta bigunde, Tha waster ande there vSaxinna merik, Liudingerus en hera fele steric.** Of glosses upon the Scriptures and translations into the Frisian, which form so large a part of early German literature, we find scarcely any traces, although in the laws of the different districts as well as in the ecclesiastical law (Sindriucht), there are constant provi- sions regarding priests, fasts, the sanctity of churches, obedience to spiritual authorities, etc. We have a fragment regarding the last judgment, also the ten commandments, with a sort of scriptural gen- ealogy, to wiiich is joined lists of the Roman emperors and of the early bishops who ruled over Frisia. The original dates of the ren- dering of these into Frisian cannot be determined, but the hsts of kings who instituted wise laws is not earlier than the beginning of the fourteenth century. The earliest forms in the Frisian language are the words which occur in the Lex Frisionum. 1 Asegabuch, p. 167. Rechtsquellen^ p. 81. 2 Rechtsqicelle7t, p. 351. 3 A Latin version of this charter is given by Schotanus. — Beschrijvmge end Chfonijck van H'eerlickheydt von Frieslandt, p. 64, 1655. Another copied from the state archives in Brussels is given in the Charterboek of Frisia, Vol. I, p. The Latin version was long held to be original, but its genuineness is no longer maintained. — 24 — LAWS IN LATIN. Date of the Lex Frisionx'm. The iiest edition of the Lex Frisionuni appeared in 1557 at Basel.* The law stands between the Lex Anglorum et Werniorum hoc est Thurin At the end of Tit. II, $ lo. 2 See Wilda^ Strafrecht der Deutschen^ 618-622. De Geer holds that these enactments were made in the tenth and eleventh centuries. — Over de Zamens telling van de Lex Frisionum^ pp. 189-195. — 29 — sonum and the Lex Anglorum. Once the enactment is said to be from the king.^ The Relation of the Frisians to the Angles as Suggested in the Lex Frisionum. It has been attempted to determine a connection between the Angles and the Frisians, by a comparison of the Lex Frisionum with the Lex Anglorum et Werniorum hoc est Thuringorum. The latter code is undoubtedly old in substance, but in the form in which we possess it has been subject to revision.^ The law exhibits no traces of Christian influence and ideas, and evidently has its origin in times of pure paganism. The frequent mention of the duel in it is especially noticeable. It has been held to have originated in Schleswig, in a district on the Maas called Thuringia or Thoringia, and in the present Thuringia in Central Germany. It must have originated in a district where Frisian and Frankisli forms were mixed both in the laws as well as in the language.® The Frankish element predominates. There is great similarity to the Lex Cham- avorum. According to Zoepti,"* the law may have received its name either because it originated in Thuringia or was carried to Denmark by way of North Thuringia. Some form of this law was carried to England, Avhere it bore the name Lex Werniorum et Thuringorum. The term Anglorum was dropped, as applying to the laws of the Angles, wdiich originated on English soil. In the Constitutiones de Foresta of Canute a fine is assessed ac- cording to the law of the Werni and Thuringians.^ It is suggested ' The laws of only two tril^es seem to have emanated from their kings, those of the Longobards under king Rothari 636-652 A. D., and those of the Anglo-Saxons, Titles I, III, $§ 1-7; lY, ^ 1-8; IX, ^ 1-3, are held to belong to the old national law (Volksrecht). Titles II, V, XI, XIV, to previous unwritten custom- law, Gewohnheitsrect. Franki&h enactments in Frisia are shown in III, §§ 8, 7; IX, §^ 14-17. 2 Gaupp, Das A He Gesetz der 1 hiiringer. 3 See H. M tiller. Der Lex Salica und der Lex Anglorum et Werni- orum Alter und Heimath, ^ 19; also Merkel, Lex Salica, Nachtrag in Lex Saxonum 1853. — Gengler's Germanische Rechtsdenmaler, p. 166. ^ Dent. Rechtsgeschichte, P- 51- 5 Et emendet secundum pretium hominis mediocris, quod secundum legem Werniorum, i. isia, the present North Holland, embracing Horn, Enkhuizen, and Medemblik, which became early subject to the counts of Holland ; the second, the district east of the FHe between Stavoren and Leeuwarden, including Westergo ; the third, Ostergo — the east half of the present province of Friesland, between the Borne and th^ Lauwers ; the fourth, Drenthe, which became subject to the bishops of Utrecht, and the south western part of the present province of Friesland ; the fifth included the district about Groningen between the Lauwers and the Ems ; the sixth, the country along the coast between the Weser and the Elbe ; the seventh, the country of the Rustringers and the land to the north of the Elbe, possibly extending to the Eider and including the Strand or North Frisians. The map of Alting is his Notitia Germaniae Inferioris Antiquae, 1698 A. D., differs greatly from this account. 2 Grietmanni, iudices, praelati et clerus terrarum, Oestergoe et Wester- goe, cum caeteris Zelandiis. — Rechtsqtiellen^ p. 102. These assemblies ceased to be held early in the thirteenth century, but were resumed in A. D. 1323. — 35 — parts by natural boundary lines of river and lakes. In the life of Boniface it is said that he visited the country of the Frisians^, which was divided into many separate districts, which though called by different names yet are occupied by one race/ These laws were occasionally enacted by delegates from two states in common ses- sion, as in statutes of the Brocmen and Emsigers.^ I. THE LAWS OF THE RUSTRINGER. These were in force in the district of Rustri, west of the mouth of the Weser in the present Oldenburg. Manuscripts in Frisian of the thirteenth century, also in Netherlandish of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, exist. They contain keran or kesta, new keran, a boetregister or hst of fines, judicial decrees, a statement of taxes due the priests, etc. (Priester Bothe), said to have been authorized by Charlemagne and Pope Leo, a sendbrief or in part ecclesiastical charter containing a statement of the authority and prerogatives of the Archbishop of Bremen, also obligations due the church ascribed to Charlemagne, Leo and Bisliop Willehad, a fragment relating to the Last Judgment and the Ten Commandments. Connected with these is a list of the kings who have established law. These laws joined to the general Frisian laws, have been called arbitrarily by Wiarda, the Asegaboek or the book of the judges. 2. Laws in force among the Brocmen, a district in the neighbor- hood of Aurich. These contain two series of Kesta in Latin, en- acted jointly by the Brocmen and the Emsigers, a Latin sendbrief of the year 1251, a treaty or reconciliation between the Bishop of Munster and the four districts of Brockmerland, Emsigerland, Reid- erland and Alombechta (or Oldeampt). of 1276 in Latin, Frisian and Netherlandish, and the Brocmerbrief which is closely related to the Emsiger Pfenningschuldsbuch of the thirteenth century. 3. The laws in force in Emsigerland, the region of Emden. These contain the Emsiger Domar of 1312, which are preserved in Latin and in two Frisian texts, also in Netherlandish ; the so-called Pfennigschuldbuch from pannengskelde with which is begins. It J Autemque paganam Fresonum visitavit quae interea centibus aquis in multos agrorum dividitur pages ita ut diversis appellati nominibus unius tamen gentis proprietatem portendunt (protendunt). — Vita S. Bonifat^ c. 34, A. D. 755. 2 Statuerunt iudices Brocmanine et Emesgonie. — Rechtsquelletiy p. 137. -36- treats of debt, inheritance, private rights, penalties, a Fiaeid ' and the methods of ecclesiastical courts or judgments. 4. The laws of Westerwold, a district west of the Ems and south of Winschoten, in the present province of Groningen. These con- sist of a landrecht of 1470, together with a later revision of the same in 1567, confirmed by Philip II and Margaret of Parma. This is perhaps the latest of the whole body of Frisian laws. 5. The laws of Fivelgo, a province north east of the city of G-ron- ingen and west of the Ems. A considerable portion of these laws are only found in Latin and Netherlandish versions. They are in great variety and are often enactments in common of the provinces of Hunsingo and Fivelgo. They contain provisions relating to criminal law, and several relating to inheritance. The Appingdam- merbrief was enacted by delegates from all Frisia at Upstallbom in 1327. 6. The laws of Hunsingo, a district east of the Hunse river, north of Groningen on the coast, extending to the mouth of the Ems. These contain Kesta of 1252, possibly from a Latin original, the Ten Commandments, the Five Keys of Wisdom, list of kings who established law, also the rhymed charter of Frisian liberty from Charlemagne, undoubtedly of late origin,^ and a list of penalties (Boetregister). The other laws of the fourteenth century are in Latin and Netherlandish. 7-9. The Laws of Humsterland, between the Hunse and the Lauwers, northwest of the city of Groningen, of Langew^old, east of the Lauwers and south of Humsterland, and of Fredewold south of Langewold and west of Groningen in the province of Groningen. ^ The nature of this oath is uncertain. Grimm considers it an oath taken upon money marked with a cross. — Rechtsalterthiimer^ p. 907. In another case it seems to be an oath taken by a woman on the thresh- hold of her home, accused of the concealment of some portion of her husband's estate. — Rechtsquellen, 166, 18. It was also taken in certain cases of bodily injury. 2 The genuineness of the bull of 802, given by Charlemagne, granting to the Frisians perpetual liberty is extremely doubtful. It exists in vari- ous forms in Latin and Low German. That some such grant was made can scarcely be doubted, as it is referred to in the charter confirming the rights and privileges of the Frisians given by king William at Aachen in 1248, — C/iarterboek, I, 94. This rhymed version is probably the expres- sion of a national tradition, but elaborated to enforce the popular belief in freedom from foreign dominion in the sixteenth century. — Rechls- quellen^ p. 351. — 37 — These are of the thirteenth century, and are only preserved hi Ketherlandish versions from Latin originals. 10. The laws of Friesland, west of the Lauwers, the present province of Frisia. This district is to be regarded as the earliest and the most permanent abode of the Frisians* It was divided into three parts — Ostergo, the district between the Lauwers and Borne, embracing the neighborhood of Dockum and Leenwarden ; Wes- tergo, between the Borne and the Flie, and including the region of Franeker, Harlingen, Bolsward and Stavoren ; and Sevenwolden, a narrow tract south of Ostergo and Westergo, between Drenthe and the Zuider-Zee. This collection is very extensive. The laws are of two kinds : general, extending over the whole district of Friesland west of the Lauwers ; and, special, relating to particular provinces. The general laws contain numerous specifica- tions regarding the authority of the count or deputy who adminis- tesed justice (Schulzenrecht) in the emperor's name, and of the Asega or judge. The laws include provisions regarding Wergeld, Marktrecht, a criminal code of the year 1276, enactments regard- ing coinage, the so-called Emperor Rudolph's book, containing state- ments of law mixed with reflections and historical references, a treatise on ^' What is law ?", a fragment regarding Charles Martel and the Frisian king Radbod, also the Kesta of Magnus. The special laws contain in additional to the general provincial laws, the laws of certain local districts. The most of these laws are of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. IV. The meagre remains of laws in force in the province of Drenthe are only preserved in Latin and Netherlandish. Y. Laws of the North Frisians, residing north of the Eider along the coast of Schleswig and on the adjacent islands. 1. For the southern portion of North Frisia, emj^racing the region of Eiderstedt, Utholm, and Everschop are preserved laws dating from 1418 to 1446. 2. Of laws relating to the northern part of North Frisia there exists the Siebenhardenbeliebung. This is a brief code of twenty- three paragraphs enacted on the island of Fohr in 1426, by seven communities, residing in part on the North Frisian islands, and in part on the adjacent coast. The language of all these laws of North Frisia is more nearly Low German than Frisian. Of Frisian laws in force in North Holland we have no remains. -38- This region became subject to the courts of Holland in the eleventh century The oldest manuscripts of any portion of the Frisian laws are not probably earlier than the fourteenth century, that of the Rustringer laws preserved in the grand ducal library at Oldenburg^ is of about the year 1300. A copy of the Rustringer Busstaxen of 1327 A. D. is preserved in the grand ducal library at Hanover. A parchment manuscript of the laws of the Brocmen of 1345, is also contained in the same library. A parchment manuscript of the Hunsingoer laws of about 1400 is preserved at Leeuwarden. Two charters exist with the original seals still upon them^ one of 1374 at Franeker, and one of 1390, at Leeuwarden. Among the literary remains which belong to what may be termed the middle period of Frisian literature, and which deserve mention as memorials of the language, are two works called Thet Freske Riim and the Gesta Fresonum. The Freske Riim was written in Frisian, but translated from the Latin of a certain Master Alwijn, who was rector of the Latin School at Sneek about 1400. Alwijn was learned in Roman law and church history. His title of Master was received from some foreign university. His narrative begins with the Creation, rambles through sacred and profane history, through lives of Jewish patriarchs and Roman kings. His Frisians served in Asia the king of heaven, but sailed to Europe and were enslaved and forced to become idolaters by a Danish king. The poem, which is but a fragment when compared with the existing Netherlandish version, contains 1671 unequal rhymed lines. The poem was evidently divided at first into separate parts, each bearing a special title, as the " Rhyme of Noah and his Child," etc. The nar- ration is tame and spiritless. The rhyme is monotonous from the repetition of the same final words. The language is in the main pure, and the forms, those of Frisia west of the Lauwers. The Gesta Fresonum is a translation into Frisian of a prose nar- rative called the Q-esta Frisiorum, written in Netherlandish in the latter part of the fifteenth century. A rhymed history written in the same language, called the '* Olde Freesche Cronike," also exists. Both point to an earlier Latin original. The same events are relat- ed in both in about the same terms, but in a different order. The orig- inal author drew from the legends of St. Lebuinus, of Boniface and Liudger, the Bishop's Book of Utrecht and a Saxon and Frisian chron- — 39 — i<5le. The author was a Frisian who resided at Utrecht not later than 1474. The subject of this work is the usual mingling of script- ural and early mythical Frisian history with the lives of the saints> The blending of Saxon and Frisian legends is manifest in all these early chronicles. The brothers Saxo, Bruno and Friso sail from an island in. India, called " Frisia the Blest," where St Thomas had preached. They reach the coast of Europe ; Saxo settles on the Elbe^ and becomes the ancestor of the Saxons ; Bruno resides on the Weser and founds Brunswick ; Friso settles Frisia, and gives to his seven sons the Seven Seelands. A daughter, Wijmolt^ resided on the east of the Weser and gave her name to the country, which embraced Dit* marsh. There is an echo here of the story of Hildeburg in Beowulfv The order of narration is confused and inconsequential. The Ian* guage is not entirely pure, and the influence of Netherlandish forms is manifest THE LANGUAGE. Upon the west, the Frankish in its present representative the Netherlandish, has supplanted the Frisian in North Holland. Of the language spoken in West Frisia between the Scheldt and the Flie^ there are no remains except those left in a few proper names and early records, and it is not possible to determine the dialect of Fri- sian which was spoken there. The language was spoken as late as the middle of the seventeenth century in the Waterland north of the IJ.^ The pronunciation of the letters 2, v and sch in North Holland is Hke that of the Frisian s, /and sk"^ The political separ- ation of the two portions of Frisia east and west of the Flie, was so great as to produce alienation and often warfare. The irruption of the ocean which produced the Zuider-Zee in the thirteenth century completed the separation. To the east the Saxon has occupied the whole of the district between the Weser and the Ems. In Gron- ingen, Netherlandish is spoken. The East Frisian is a Uving lan- guage only amid the moors of Saterland on the Leda, and on the island of Wangeroog. Frisian is spoken at present in the province of Friesland, east of the Zuider-Zee. The ^language of the schools ^ Over de Taal en deTongvallen der Friezen. — Winkler, p. il. 2 y. H. Halbertsma in the Vrije FrieSy vol. X, 346. — 40 — and the pulpit is however Netherlandish. In the cities and larg-er towns Frisian is scarcely heard. The language of the Bildt is old Netherlandish mixed with Frisian forms. The so-called city Fri- sian, stadfriesch, which hitherto prevailed in the larger towns as in Leeuwarden, Dockum, Bolsward, Franeker, Sneek and Harlingen is the language of the south of Holland of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The dialect of Hendeloopen on the Zuider-Zee presents many old as well as unusual and strange forms, not contained in the other dialects. On the north the Saxon has supplanted the Frisian in Ditmarsch, Eiderstedt and in the islands of Nordstand and Pellworm. Only in thirty-eight parishes of the three counties of Tondern, Bredstedt and Husum which lie on the west coast of Schleswig, and upon some islands and haUigs of the North Sea is Frisian still spoken. The number of inhabitants in these districts does not exceed 30,000. Even here, there is a great variety of forms, expression and pro- nunciation. On the mainland, the language is purest in the Risum Moor and in the district south of Wiedau, along the coast to Bred- stedt. The speech of the inhabitants of the islands of Fohr, except in the parish of Wijk, and on the islands of Sylt and Amrum is different from that of the mainland and can scarcely be understood there. The language is more ancient but ruder. The East Mor- ingers use the dual of the personal and possessive pronoun where the West Moringers use the plural. The language here is free from both Low German and Danish elements.* The language in which the Frisian laws were written presents several dialects with well defined lines of difference. Commencing at the east the Rustringer dialect, spoken west of the Weser in Oldenburg, has preserved the original forms of words most closely, and is to be taken as the basis of comparison with the other dialects and the Anglo-Saxon, Old Saxon and Norse. West of the Rustringer dialect is the speech of Brokmerland, in the neighborhood of Aurich ; further to the west existed the speech of Emsigerland, the region of Emden, then the language of Fivelgo, a district west of the Ems ; of Hunsingo, east of the Lauwers-Zee, and north of Groningen, ex- tending along the coastjof Westerlauwersches Friesland, and embrac- ing the present province of Frisia ; containing the two provinces of ^ Die Nordfriesische Sprache nach der Moringer Mundart. —Bendsen, p. XXIII. — 41 — Ostergo and Westergo. The speech of Ostergo, most nearly re- sembles the forms of the dialects to the east, while that of Westergo presents the most variations from these dialects. The Fivelgoer dia- lect is nearest to the Frisian west of the Lauwers. The External Relations of the Frisian Language. The Frisian presents both in inflections and vocabulary greater re- semblance to the Anglo-Saxon than to any other Grermanic dialect. It is less rich in inflections than the Anglo-Saxon, but exhibits far greater facility and variety in the formation of compound words. In forms of consonants it exhibits remarkable parallelism to the modern English, not always in words as written but as pronounced. The Frisian more nearly than any other dialect of Germany re- sembles the Norse. Analogies are found in the nominative plural of masculine nouns, which present two forms in a or ar, correspond- ing to the masculine and feminine nouns of the A-declension and to the masculine of the weak declension in Icelandic. This form is like the old High German iV, which is in that language limited to neuter nouns. The infinitive of all verbs also ends in a, the n hav- ing been dropped. The form assumed by the palatals h and g present a wide range of analogy to the English, h before e, i^ ia and iu in the umlaut be- comes often sz or sth^ tz or ts. This occasioned a series of parallel forms of words existing beside the original form, as kerke (church) sthereke, skiurke and tsiurke^ in which the lingual aspirate th passes into the lingual sibilant, modern Frisian tjerke. This change is found in all the Frisian dialects. The Rustringer, however, shows only the afiricative aud presents few examples of the simple palatal. The other dialects all exhibit parallel forms as ketel^ kittle, szetel^ tsetel^ tsietel; kerl, churl, tzerl^ modern Frisian tzierl; hiasa, choose, tziesa; kise^ cheese, tzise. In the inlaut of words the same change appears as lega, lay, ledsa^ Udsia, and hia^ modern Frisian, Udze ; breka^ break, part, ebreken^ ehreszen^ hretsen^ hritsin^ modern Fri- sian, hritzin ; strika. stroke, striza^ modern Frisian, stritzen ; so also dekke^ deck, modern Frisian, ditzen, stekke^ stick, stitzen ; sega, say, sidze. In weitsje^ wake, reitsje^ rake, haitsje^ look, this change has taken place in the present tense while the participle retains the palatal A;, as wekke, rekke, lokke. — 42 — The range of analogy is far greater in modern Frisian and mod- ern English, even than in old Frisian and Anglo-Saxon ; and a com- parison of the every day speech of the country people, presents striking correspondence with various local dialects in England. A system of parallel changes has gone on the tv^^o languages. A BRIEF VIEW OF FRISIAN FORMS AND INFLECTIONS. VOWELS IN FRISIAN.^ In many cases the quantity of the vowel cannot be determined definitely, but may be inferred from a comparison with the other Germanic dialects. Heyne calls attention to the remarkable pre- sentation in Frisian, as in Gothic, of sentences in which the primitive vowels a, «, u predominate, as And thiu pund tha frama, thet sJcelma ligta oppa en end twintich schilUnga. — Mnsigef, Kesta, II. Aha thi asega nimth tha unriuchta mida and tha urlouada pa7ini7iga. — Rustringer^ Kesta^ III. In other sentences the vowel e predominates. lef Fresona capmen and thera sogen stretena engere wertha henet — Mnsiger, Kesta, IX. I § Short Vowels. A. i. Original a is preserved in Frisian before m and n, either alone or doubled, or joined with mutes, also before a single consonant with a or u in the following syllable, as framd, Ger. fremd, kanna^ Ger. kennen, land, land, fara, fare. ii. The tendency to become o is also manifest, as man man and mon, land and lond. iii. An e in the final syllable produces umlaut, as hangst, hengstes, Ger. Hengst iv. With a doubled consonant following, a remains generally be- fore combinations with I and £c; before r the umlaut appears Sis/alla, fall; waa:a, increase; herd, beard. The earHest Frisian forms in the Lex Frisonum present less fre- quent cases of umlaut, as magad, maid for later megith. ' See Heyne' s Laut und-Flexiouslekre, 3d ed. Compare Rusk's Friesche Spraakleer. Translated into Dutch by M. Hettema; also, Helfensteiti' s Comparative Gram?nar of the Teutonic Language. — 43 — E. i. E appears derived from o, i and u; from a in two ways, by umlaut as henda (to take) from hand^ hand, and secondly like the Anglo-Saxon a from a, by a simple weakening of the sound This is especially common in the preterit of strong verbs as brek from breka^ break, jef from ieva, give; also before doubled mutes and combinations with r, as ekker^ acre, gers, grass, bern, bairn. ii. E from i. This corresponds with Old Saxon and 0. H. G. e in helm^ as Mlpa^ heljl^ sivester. sister. The vowel e is not changed in the conjugation of strong verbs in the present tense, hence, bersta, burst, berstet iii. E appears for original u^ often through an intermediate change into o, fella^ full. In the participles heleUj concealed, breken, broken, and in similar verbs the e represents the vowel of the infinitive where other verbs have 0. A.-S. gebrocen, I. i. I remains unchanged in Frisian in many combinations espe- cially when followed by m and n as himul^ Ger. Himmel ; and be- fore V with a dental following-, where the A.-S. has eo, as hinder^ hinder; hirte^ heart, A.-S. heort. ii. I is broken to iu before clit^ as siiicht^ for siht^ sees ; riucht for richt^ right. 0. i. represents the obscuring of u^ as in the other Germanic dia- lects, hoi, hole, boga, bow. It remains before m and n^ where it often takes the place of a, as nama^and noma^ name. U. i. U represents an original u ; it passes into o, as sumur and som&r^ summer, but holds in general the same position in Frisian as in the other Germanic dialects. § 2. Long Vowels. A. i. Long a appears in a few words as the representative of the 0. H. G. a, as ndtha^ 0. H. G. gi-ndda^ Mod. Ger. Gnade. ii. Long a appears in the auslaut of a few words, as hwa^ who, A.-S. hwd., 0. S. hue; twd^ two; ma, man. — 44 — iii. Long a appears in a few cases of contraction as fa, G-er. fangen, Old Eng. to fang. iv. Long a appears in Frisian as the representative of the Grothic ait, A.-S, ea ; as age, eye, A.-S. edge, Grothic, augo ; hdp, purchase, Eng. cheap, A.-S. kedp, Gr. haupon ; Fr, gd, Gr. gaujans, Ger. Gau. V. Long d occasionally represents Gothic ai as in dga, have, G. aigan; dskia, ask, A.-S. dscian. vi. Long a appears in the preterit plural in the second class of ablaut verbs, as ndmon from nima, take. ,^ E. i. Long e represents Gothic e as in mel, Gr. mel, Ger. Tna/i?, A.-S. mael. ii. Long e represents the contraction of the diphthong ei, Gr. ei or a?", Uda, lead, A.-S. ledenn, Gr. ga-lei\an ; het, hot, Gr. /ie?*to, 0. S. /ie^, Mod. Fr. Met iii. Long e represents the Grothic au, A.-S. e«, as ntth, Ger. Nutz- en, G. wat*]?s, A.-S. wead iv. Long e represents the umlaut of o, as dema, doom, G. doms, A.-S. dom, V. Long e represents the umlaut of u as hide, hide, A.-S. hud, Lat. cw^^'s. vi. Long e occasionally represents the Gothic iu, A.-S. eo ; bineta, rob, 0. S. biniotan, A.-S. beneoten, deprive, G. ga-niutan. vii. Long e appears in the root of a iew originally reduplicating verbs where a appears in the root before combination with n as /a, feng, Gr. fahan, faifah ; t also appears, as fing I. i. Long i represents the Gothic ei, 0. H. G. i ; as min, my, G. meins. ii. Long I appears in consequence of contraction in a few words, as 7iia, new, G. niujis. iii. Long i also appears derived from ei, where a gutteral has been vocalized, as di from dels, gen, degis, day. 0. i. Long 6 corresponds to Gothic and A.-S. 6, 0. H. G. it, as F. brother, also broer, G. bro\ar, 0. H. G. bruder. ii. It represents e in a few words, as Fr. and A.-S. mona, moon, G. mena, 0. S. mdno. — 4S — iil It remains in the preterit of some verbs as ndmon, took, homo'tl, came. U. i. Long u represents the long u of the other German dialects, as huSj house. ii. It represents the contraction m, asjiucht iovfiiucht iii. It appears in the auslaut in cases of contraction in monosyl- lables, as hua^ hang, dua^ da 3 § DIPHTHONGS. Old Frisian has the single diphthong iu^ with the variations io and ia ; io and iu appear in words where io or u is found in the following syllable, ia where an a appears in the final syllable. The Rustringer dialect retains the weakening to, the remaining dialects the fuller itu Iu prevails in the auslaut, as hiu this ; ihivu, that In certain strong verbs m remains in the root of the first pers. sing, and iu or io in the second and third persons sing., as hiase^ choose, hiosest., kioseth^ pi. kiasaih, EI. M is a later formation, occurring in cases of contraction, espe- cially in the terminations, ag^ and eg, as wei, way, gen. wiges or wmes^ dat. wige or wei; so also in dei, day, gen. deges or deis ; kei, key, A.-S. caeg ; brein^ brain, A.-S. hraegan ; kid ior legad, laid. In the plural of nouns the g again appears as dega or degar, days. ii. Ei frequently become I, for del, di iii. Ei for e corresponds to ei in a few forms in 0. H. Or. and 0. S., in place of an original a, as deil, dd, dale and dell, 0. S. dal^ 0. H. Gr. tal, Norse dal, iv. Ei also appear where other dialects exhibit w, iu and ow, as hreid, bride, A.-S. hrfd, 0. S. hrHd, Icelandic, hri^r. V. Ei appears also as a weakening of ai in foreign words, keisar^ caesar, A.-S. casere, 0. S. kesur. vi. Au appears developed from dhy a w following, as bid, blauv)^ blue. -46- 4i WEST-LAUWERS VOWELS, I. Short Vowels. i. The umlaut of the a is more uniform. ii. The tendency of a to become o is less frequent, hence man, man, hand^ hand. iii. I is a frequent substitute for other vowels : i. Before Z, m, n and r, it frequently takes the place of a ; as in hird^ beard, where the other dialects have e^ as herd^ Ger. and IcL hart ; schil^ shall; hinxt for hengst ; nimmer for nammer. ii. Similarly i takes the places of e before liquids in hirg^ Ger. herg / of u in stirta^ East Fr. sterta^ O. H. G. sturzen. before ?i with a following consonant usually takes the place of w, as yoTi^ for jung. Breaking. 1 before I is often broken ; becoming ie^ ielder^ elder. Long Vowels. Long a appears for the East Frisian e in the preterit plural of certain strong verbs, as sdgen, seen. East Frisian segin. Diphthongs. 1. le stands for E. Fr. ia, as tziesa for hkisa^ choose. 2. lo stands occasionally for E. Fr. iu. 3. Au and ou appear later, produced by the dropping of I, as gond for gold, and saut for salt. The combinations hw, hw^ sw, dw, tw and thw, remain in the an- laut, where in English the w has become vocaUzed, as in which, (Jiuiisch), §5. CONSONANTS. Liquids. The Liguids Z, m, n, r, correspond in general to the Anglo-Saxon. M in endings has become n. In the inlaut n is dropped, as in the Anglo-Saxon, before s,/and^y^; hence m for uns, us, f if for finf, five, muth for munth, mouth, and -ath for -and in the plural terminations of the present, as ner-ath for ner-and. In the termin- ation of the infinitive n has been dropped. It reappears however in the gerundive, as werthande. The metathesis of r is common, as kersten for kristen, gers for gres, grass, warold for wrold, world, hars and hors for 0. H. G. hros. Rhotacismus is common, was, was, pi. weron. — 47 — Spirants, w^f^ r, y, th^ s, z. I. W. The Anglo-Saxon tendency to vocalize the v) only ap- pears in a few cases as in the Brokmer and Emsiger suster for the Rustringer sivester, also in kuma for kvema, come. ii. W in the in- laut corresponds to 0. H. Gr. w, as triuwe^ triwa, true. iii. In the auslant w remains, or is dropped, with the lengthening of the pre- ceding vowel, frowe^ Ger. Frau, tre, tree, Gr. triu, A.-S. treow. H, CH. L In the inlaut, h is often dropped, as Uan, Eng. ten, 0. S, tehan^ or becomes g, as from sid^ Eng, slay, pret slogon. ii. Ch stands for h in the auslaut, and before t in the inlaut, hdch, high, achta^ eight J. J is represented by i in the manuscripts. It represents an original spirant/, also g in other dialects. It is frequently vocalized when final i. In derivatives from ja stems and in inflection it is vocahzed and does not again appear ; /er, year, ieva and geva^ give, hiri^ Gr» hirjis^ army, gen. hiri. S. S corresponds to s in 0. S. and 0. H. Gr. sc. It becomes sch in the Emsiger dialect before e and i. In the preterit plural of many verbs, r takes the place of s, hiase^ choose, pret has^ pi. keroru Z appears in later Frisian. F. V. F represents the labial aspirate, ph in the anlaut, also in the in- laut before ti or a dental mute, and in the auslaut F appears in the inlaut , gref^ grave, gen. greves. The gemination of /occurs only in foreign words. MUTES. Labials. P initial appears in but few native Frisian words. It remains on the same step as in the Grothic. The labial aspirate ph has passed into the spirant/ or v. B initial remains unchanged, as also in cases of gemination, and in the combination m&, otherwise it passes into the aspirate. Palatals. i. The palatals g and k are in a few words represented by j before and ie, as jild for geld ; iet for gat^ hole, Eng. gate. — 48 — ii. K in the anlaut may become sz or sth, fs, fz or fsz. K in the inlaut before t becomes ch^ as seka^ seek, sdchta^ mega, may, mdchta. iii. G remains generally unchanged in the anlaut. G in the inlaut is often vocalized; gg in the inlaut may become dz, or is vocalized, as A.-S. leggian, 0. H. Gr. legjan, Fr. lega or Udza, or leia. LiNGUALS. The hngual mutes correspond in general to the same letters in Anglo-Saxon. T final is sometimes dropped after ch, as riuch for riucht; it stands occasionally for the ending -th of verbs, as nima-t for nima-th, takes ; otherwise it occupies the same position as in the other Low German dialects. The hngual aspirate appears only as th. It may have had a softer sound in the inlaut and auslaut, like the Anglo-Saxon ^. In the inlaut d is protected from change by a preceding n, as hinda, bind ; the combination nth drops the n ; d final remains, ex- cept in the terminations of verbs, where it becomes th, as werp-th for werp-d. Letters Dropped. H and w are often dropped when initial and a previous word is joined to the one they begin, as nella for ne wella. West Frisian Consonants. i. N remains before ih, as in munth. ii. Initial hi, hr, hu and hw lose their aspiration and become gen- erally r, Z, n, w ; thw becomes dw. iii. Sh becomes sch. iv. The spirants / and v in the inlaut and auslaut are frequently dropped, as sterva, die, Eng. starve, part. sturen and storn. This occurs generally after r. Dropping of Consonants. This is especially frequent in the inlaut, and afifects principally the dentals, and corresponds to similar disappearance in the Nether- landish, as broer for brother, moer, moder. § 6. THE FRISIAN VERB. The verb has two tenses, present and preterit. The future and perfect tenses are formed by the auxiliaries, sTdla, hebha, wesa; wertha is used in forming the passive. There are four moods, indicative, subjunctive, imperative and in- finitive. Verbs are divided into two classes, strong and weak. The absence of complete forms makes it impossible to classify ac- — 49 — curately these verbs. The analogy of those which present fuller forms must often be taken, also that of the other dialects to de- termine the quantity of the vowels and the class to which each verb belongs. The following table exhibits the different classes of strong verbs : REDUPLICATING VERBS. ABLAUT-VERBS. Present. Pret. Part. Pres. Pret. Sing. Plur. Part. 1. a. i. e. a. 1. i, e. a. U. U. 2. e. i, e. e. 2. 1, e. a, e. a, e. i, e. 3. e. i, e. e. 3. i. e'. i. i. 4. d. (i, io?6). a, e. 4. iu, ia, (u). k e. e. 5. 6. e. (i, io?). 0, e. 5. a, e. '^ 6. 6. a, e Traces of previous reduplication have been greatly obscured. Long e represents in most dialects the previous reduplication. Long t appears in the Rustringer before ?^, but elsewhere e, as /a, feng, to seize. In the first class of ablaut- verbs i appears in the present before n, doubled or in combination with a mute, u is retained in the par- ticiple as winna^ wan^ wunnon^ win. In the second class of ablaut- verbs i remains in root, ending in a vowel, sia^ see, also in verbs formed with the lengthened root in ja. The preterit plural has a before m, as mma, nam and nom^ ndmon, otherwise e in the sing, and e in the plural. The vowel of the present remains unchanged in inflection in all forms of the present. STRONG CONJUGATIOK INE ICA TIVE PRESE NT. SUBJUNCTIVE. Sing. 1. finde kiase finde. kias-e. 2. find-e-st. finst kios-e-st. kiost. finde, kias-e. 3. find-e-th. fint. kios-e-th. kiost. finde. kias-e. Plur. 1. find-a-th. kias-a-th, finde. kias-e. 2. find-a-th, kaas-a-th, finde. kias-e. 3. find-a-th, PRET. kias-a-th. finde. kias-e. Sing. 1. 2. fand, k4s. fund-e, fund-e. ker-e. ker-e. 3. fand, kas, fund-e, ker-e. 1. fund-on, ker-o-n. fund-e. ker-e. 2. fund-on. ker-o-n. fund-e. ker-e. 3. fund-on, ker-o-n, fund-e, ker-e. Imp. Participles. Sing. 2. find. kios. find- and, ] kias-a-nd Plur. 2. find-a-th, kias-a L-th, find -en, ker-en. Inf. find-a, kias-a — 50 — For e in the 2d and 3d persons sing, i is often found, as ist^ ith. The subjunctive drops n in the plural of both tenses. When the characteristic connecting vowel in the 2d and 3d persons, sing, is dropped and the personal endings are joined to a dental d-st be- comes st ; tli-st becomes st ; d-th and s-st become t. The tendency of the ending th to become t is also manifest. Rho- tacism takes place is dissyllabic preterits. Pres. 1. a, 2. 4, 3. e, 4. a, (!)^ 5. 6, e, REDUPLICATING VERBS. Pret. i, ^, i, d, 1, d, ft io), (i, 10, 6), First Class. bonna, ) banna, f fa, se^ze, falla, gunga, hald, hua, fall, hold, hang, h^ta, call, swepa, sweep. ben, feng, f 61, w. geng, hild, heng, aka, bennon, fengon, folen, w. gengon, hildon. Second Class. bla, hlow, ble, lita, let, lit, reda, advise, red, slepa, sleep, Third Class. hit, hiton, Fourth Class. increase, hew. hlapa, run, steta, push, floka, curse, hropa, call, wepa, weep, hlep, Fifth Class. [rop.] Part. a. e. e. a, e, (6). 6, e. S bonnen. \ bannen, w. \ efangen. \ fenszen. fallen. gangen. halden. j huen, ) huinsen. leten. slepen, heten. aken. \ havren. ( hauwen. hlepen. stoten. eflokin. j hropen. \ hrepen. wepen. — 51 ABLAUT VERBS. Prcs. Pret. Sing. Pret. Plur. ' Part. 1. i, e, a, "j u, 2. i, e, a, e, a, e. i,e, 3. \ e, 1, h 4. iu, ia, (A), a, ^ e, 5. a, e, 6, o, a, e. First Class. bersta, bursty bursten. binda, bind, band, banden, w. bunden. brida? draw, bruden. delva, delve, dulven. derva, Ger. derben, derf. w. drinka, drink, drunken. finda, find, fand. funden. efunden. worth, gald. gulden. gulden. bi-ginna, ) bi-ienna, f begin. gonnen, w. gunnen. helpa, help, hulpon. hulpen. h] werva, turn, ierva. cut, (carve), kurven. kringa, acquire. krungon. krungen. renna. Sfiow, } (run). ran, runnen. singa. sing, sang. skelda, scold. skouden. springa, spring, sprung, w. sterva, die, sturvon, sturven. swinga. swing, thwinga, force. thwang. thwungon, thwungen werpa, throw. wurpon, wurpen. willa. soil, wullen. winna. win. wan. Second wunnon. Class. wunnen. Pres. Pret. Sing. Pret. Plur. Part. bera, bear, beren. bidda, beg. bed. bidon. biden. breka, break, brek, brekon, breken. eta, eat, etten. ita. bi-fella. command, bi-fel, bi-felen, bi-felen. bi-f41. bi-folen. fiuchta. fight, fuchton. fuchten. ia. affirm, iech. eien. ieva. give. ief. ievon, ieven. kuma. come, { kom, \ kam, komon, ) kamon, C ekimin. 52 lesa, read, gelesen. lidsa, f lie, lai, w. lidsen. meta, measure. , met. nima, take, nam, namon, nimen. sia, see, sach. sagon. sien, sitta, sit, set. seten. skera, shear. sker. eskeren, skia, happen, ske. esken. spreka, speak, sprek. sprekon, spreken. stela, steal. stelon. stelen. wega, move, Third Class. Pres. Pret. Sing. Pret. Sing. Part bita, bite, bitin. blika, glance, bliken. driva, drive. driven. glida, glide. gliden. gripa, grasp, grep. gripen, gripen. (h)lia, confess, hlien. (h)niga. how, tinigun, kivia, ) szivia, \ chide, kriga ? obtain, bi-liva, remain, bilef, mida, avoid, rida. ride. reden, riden. riva, rive, eriven. skina. shine, skriva, write, skref, eskriven. snida, cut, snithen. spia, spit. espien. stiga, ascend, Fourth Class. Pres. Pret. Sing. Pret. Plur. Part biada, offer, bdd. bedon, beden. briuwa, brew, browen. bruka, use. bruken. driaga, deceive, drein. driapa, drip, flia, flee, (Mch), flegon, flain. fliaga, fly, fliata, flow. flat, kiasa, choose^ kds, keron. ekeren. kriapa, creep, ur-liasa, lose, leren. mka, lock, leken. letzen. — 53 — luka, draw, letzen. skiata, shootj esketen. sliapa, slip, sluta, shut, sl4t, spruta, sprout, tia, draWy tach, tegon, tein. Fifth Class. Pres. Pret. Sing. Pret Plur. Part. drega, drew, droch, drogon, dregen. fara, fare, f6r, f 6ron, faren. heva, heave, h6f, hoven, geheven. hlada, load. hleden. skeppa, make. skop, skopon, skepen. sla, strike. sloch, alogon, 1 slain. / slagen. swera, swear, swor, sworen, sweren. waxa, wax. wox, woxon, waxen* wada, wade, wod, Irregular forms are geddn; wesa, be, wes, tenden. seen in dua, do, dede, deden^ eden, 'den and weron, wesen; start, stand, stod, stodon, es- WEAK CONJUaATION. Two forms of verbs are preserved as in the Anglo-Saxon and Old Saxon. They correspond in part to the Gothic weak verbs, in ja and o. The connecting vowel of the preterit of these verbs is the weakened e, as nera, nerede, or nerde. In many verbs gemination has taken place, developed by the ja of the lengthened root, as sella, 0. S. sellian, A.-S. sellan, Icl. seija; thekka, deck, A.-S. \eccan, 0. H. Gr. thecian ; seka, say, A.-S. secgan^ . 0. S. seggian ; also in tella, tell, 0. H. Gr. zaljan, A.-S. talian. The preterit is formed by adding de or te to the root, verbs end- ing in a liquid, or sonant mute, or simple s which join the term- ination directly to the root without a connecting vowel, add de to form the preterit ; verbs ending in a surd mute or double s add te to form the preterit, as in the Old Saxon. The past participle adds d to roots whose vowel is long, id or ed to roots whose vowel is short. When the preterit is formed by adding te, the participle ends in t; lira, teach, lerde, wisa, point out, wisde; thekka, deck, thachta; resta, rest, pret. reste. What is termed for convenience riickumlaut ap- pears in a few verbs, ending in k, as seka, seek, sochte, Gr. sokjan. The termination of the 0. S. preterit, -da, connecting vowels i and — 54 — Of Anglo-Saxon de^ connecting vowels e and o, is in Frisian c?e, with the connecting vowels e and a ; compare 0. S. ner-i-da, and seaiv- 6-da ; A.-S. ner-e-de, and sealf-6-de ; Frisian ner-e-de^ and sealf-a-de. The forms which still show a/ in the present tense are often further lengthened to "ige-^ -^^-, •^ffi'-i as endia^ end, endigia, endgia. FIRST WEAK CONJUGATION. Indicative Mood. Present Tense. First Weak Conjugation. Second Weak Conjugation. Sing. 1. ner-e, sek-e, ask-je. 2. ner-i-st^ ner -St, sek-i-st, sek-st. ask-a-st. 3. ner-ith, ner- -th, sek-i-th, sek-th, ask-a-th. 1. ner-a-th, sek-a-th, ask-ja-th. 2. ner-a-th, sek-a-th, ask-ja-th. 3. ner-a-th, sek-a-th, ask-ja-th. Preterit. Preterit. Preterit. Sing. 1. ner-e-de, nerde, s6ch-te. ask-a-de. 2. ner-e-dest, soch-test, ask-a-dest. 3. ner-e-de, s6ch-te. ask-a de. Plur. 1. ner-e-don, ner-don , soch-ton. ask-a-don. 2. ner-e-don, soch-ton, ask-a-don. 3. ner-e-don. soch-ton, ask-a-don. Subjunctive Mood. Present. Present. Present. Sing. 1. ner-i (e) sek-i (e) ask-je. 2. ner-i, sek-i. dsk-je. 3. ner-i, 8^k-i, dsk-je. Plur. 1. ner-i, sek-i (e) 4sk-je. 2. ner-i. sek-i. ask-je. 3. ner-i, sek-i, ask-je. Preterit. Preterit. Sing. 1. ner-de, soch-te, ask-a-de. 2. ner-de. soch-te. dsk-a-de. 3. ner-de. s6ch-te. ask-a-de. Plur. 1. ner-de, soch-te. ask-a-de. 2. ner-de. soch-te. ask-a-de. 3. ner-de, soch-te. ask-a-de. Imperative. Sing. 2. ner-e, seke, ask-ja. Plur. 2. nerath. sek-ath, ask-ja-th. Inf. nera. s^ka, ask-ja. Part nerand, sek-and, dsk-ja-nd. nerid, s6ch-t, ask-a-d. — S5 — Anomalous Verbs. Impf. Pres. Sing. Pres. Plural Pret. L kunna, know J kan, i konnen, \ konath. konde. thura, dare^ thur, thuron. thorste* thurva, j need^ thurf, thurvon* } be alhw^d^ IL skila, owe^ skil, skiln, skolde. mega, able^ mei, mi, machte. III. dga, I hdga,( have^ ^h, agon, achte. wita, Jmow, wet, wit, IV. duga, to be worth, duch, mot, y. mota? mustj mostev West-Lauwers VerbSv The distinguishing features of these verbs are in brief: 1. The changes by ablaut are not uniform in verbs of the first class, as binda, bandj banden, bonden ; helpa, hulp^ hulpen^ hulpen^ 2. The tendency to employ o instead of u in the preterit and participle. 3. The fourth ablaut-class shows ie for m, io for iu, 4. The fuller vowels in the endings of inflection have become e. 5. The th of the third person singular and the plural is t or d. 6. A few infinitives, and the subjunctive in the plural show w, as gduj go, qv4n, say. § 7. DECLENSION OF NOUNS. Strong Declension. A-DECLENSION. Masculine. Feminine. Sing. Nom. fisk. jeve, Gen. fiski-s, (-es), jeve, je/e. Dat. fisk-a, -e, -i. Ace. fisk. jeve, Plur. Nom. fiskar, -a, jeva. G-en. fisk-a, jeve-n-a, Dat. fisk-um, -on, -em, jevu-m, -or Ace. fiska, -ar. jeva, Neuter. word. skip. word-is, -es. skipi-s, -es. word-a, -e. skipa» -e. word, skip. word (a), skipu, -0. word-a, skip-a wordu-m, -on, skipu-m, -on. word-a, skipu, -o. The masculine nominative plural exhibits two forms in -a and -an When r is omitted the plural corresponds to that of the weak de- clension. Compare 0. H. G-. neuters in -^r and Icl. masculine and neuters in -ar. t^ -56- The genitive singular of the mascuhne and neuter nouns in is^ is retained in the Rustringer dialect, while the other dialects exhibit the weakened es. The dative in a is retained in the Hunsingoer and Emsiger dia- lects. The Rustringer has i and the Brokmer e. In the dative plural the Rustringer has o?i, the Brockmer um and the other dialects em. When in the feminine singular a appears in the oblique cases, the forms of the strong and weak declensions correspond. The genitive plural has often a instead of ena, 0. H. G. Sno, A.-S. ena. Neuter nouns have in the plural two forms accord- ing as the root has a long or short vowel. The short syllabled neu- ters show u as in the A.-S. and 0. S., commonly represented by o, Emsiger e ; the long-syllabled show a as jer, year, pi. jera. Dis- syllabic neuters in el and en form the plural in e, weakened from u, as in the Anglo-Saxon, as beken^ beacon, pi. hehene. Compare A.-S. hedcen^^l. bedcenu. Of themes in ja no traces are left, except in the termination -e of the nom. sing, of a few masc. and neut. nouns, as hodere, hat-bearer. / appears for j- vocalized in hiri, army, Gr. harjis. I-DECLENSION. This declension contains only masculine and feminine nouns. Only four masculine nouns remain, liode^ Grer. Leute^ only found in the plural; fot^ foot, ^\. fet ; toth, tooth, both of which belonged to the ii-declension originally. The feminine nouns are declined like nouns of the same class in Anglo-Saxon. The dative plural shows the forms -im, -em, -um, -on. Masculine, fot, foot. Feminine, ned, need. Sing. N. fot, ned, G-. fote-s, nede. D. fote, nede. A. fot, nede. Plur. N. fet, neda, -e. Gr. fot-a, neda. D. fote-m, -on, ned-im, -em, -um, -on. A. fet, neda. U-DECLENSION. This declension retains but two masculine nouns sunu, son, frethOj peace, and the neuter ^la, Grer. vieh, G.failhu. Masculine, Sing. N. sunu, -o, Gr. suna, D. suna, A. sunu. Plur. N. sun-ar, -a, Gr. (suna), D. sun-um, A. sun-a-r, -a. Neut. N. fia, G. fias, D. and A. fia. 57 WEAK DECLENSION. Sing. Feminine. Neuter. tunge, tongue, tunga, tunga, tunge, tunga, tungan-a, tungum, tunga, The Emsiger, Hunsingoer and Fivelgoer dialects exhibit a ten- dency to restore the u which has been lost, as frowe^ Ger. Frau, frowan. Masculine. N. hona, cock, G. hona, D. hona, A. hona, Plur. N. hona, G. honan-a, (-ona), D. honu-m, A. hona. age, eye, are, ear. aga, ara. aga, ara. age. are. agon. ara. agen- ■a? agen , aren-a. agenu :"^' aru-m. agon. agene, ara. CONSONANT STEMS IN -R AND -AND. Sing. N. brother, friund, friond. G. brother-es (-s), friunde-s. D. brother-e, friunde. A. brother, friund. Plur. N. brother-a (-e), friund. G. brother-a (-e), friund-a. D. brother-um, friund-um, -on, -em. A. brother-a, -e, friund. The feminine nouns moder, mother, swester, sister, and dochter, daughter, are declined in the same way. The genitive singular may have -e instead of -s, as modere. 8. DECLENSION OF ADJECTIVES. Strong Declension. Masculine. Feminine. Sing. N. blind, blind-e, G. blind-es, blind-ere, (-re), D. blind-a, (-e), blind-ere, (-re), A. blind-ene, (-ne, -en), blind-e, Plur. N. blind-a, (-e), blind-a, (-e), G. bhnd-era, (-ra), bhnd-era, (-ra), D. blind-a, (-e), bhnd-a, (-e), A. bUnd-a, (-e), blind-a, (-e), Neuter. bhnd. blind-es. blind-a, (-e). blind. bhnd-a, (-e). blind-era, (-ra). blind-a, (-e). blind-a, (-e). -58- WEAK DECLENSION. Masculine. Feminine. Neuter. Sing. N. blind-a, blind-e, blind-e. G. blind-a, blind-a, blind-a. D. blind-a, blind-a, blind-a. A. blind-a, blind-a, blind-e. Plur. D. blind-a, blind-a, blind-a. G. blind-ena, blind-ena, blind-ena. D. blind-um, blind-um, blind-um. A. blind-a, blind-a, blind-a. Participles both present and perfect are declined like adjectives of the strong and weak declension The present participle when uninflected shows a final e from a fuller formative y, sl^ findande. The infinitive has a dative form in e, before which it resumes the consonant ti, lost from the infinitive as to far arte, to fare. The Rus- tringer dialect shows the form to farande^ as if influenced by the present participle. Adjectives are compared by means of the suffixes ir and or^ and ist^ ost and ast. The weakened forms er and est are frequent. The old comparison in m is preserved in for-m-a first, super- lative for-m-est Adjectives in the comparative degree are in- flected only according to the weak declension, those in the super- lative degree, according to both the strong and weak declensions. The numerals afford no especial occasion for remark. They pre- sent few variations from Anglo-Saxon and Old Saxon forms. West Lauwers Declension. This dialect shows a tendency to form the plural of masculine nouns from vowel themes in n. as eth^ oath, plural, ethan. The fem- inine nouns do not exhibit this tendency in the same degree. §9. PRONOUNS. Personal Pronouns. III Pers. 1 Pers. II Pere. III. Mas. Fem. Neut. Sing. N. ik, thu, hi, he. hiu, se. hit. G. min. thin, sin. sin], hiri. [sin]. D. mi. thi, lim. hiri, him. A. mi, thi, hini, (-e, -a). Ilia, se. hit. Plur. iST. wi, hia, se. G. user. iuwer, hira, hiara. D. us. iu, io, him, hiam, A. us, iu, io; Ilia, se. — 59 — For the pronoun of the third person, is used the demonstrative hi as in Anglo-Saxon, and in the nominative mascuUne of the Old Saxon. The genitive singular, masculine and neuter, is supplied by the form sin, not marking gender, as in 0. H. Gr. There is a marked tendency to join the nominative of this pronoun, to other forms of the same pronoun and to the demonstrative, as hit for hi hit ; hint for hin hit ; hitha for hit tha. The indefinite ma, G-er. man, is early distinguished from the con- crete man or mon. It is often joined to a following pronoun, as maSj for ma thes. Possessive Adjective Pronouns. min and mein, my. unser and W. F. ouse, our. thin and dein, thy. iuwe, '' iuw^er, your. sin, his, its. The inflection is like that of the strong adjective. The effort to form a possessive from the feminine pronoun is early manifest, as hire kindis and hires hirnes, of her child. Compare the similar de- velopment of the form ir, in Middle High Grerman. Demonstrative Pronouns. thi- Mas. Fern. Neut. Sing. Nom. thi. thiu. thet. Gen. thes. there, thes. Dat. tham, tha, there, tham. Ace. them. tha. thet. Inst. thiu. Plur. Nom. tha. Gen. thera. Dat. tham, tha. Ace. tha. The lengthened demonstative from the old forms tja and sa i-s. Masculine. Feminine. Neuter. Sing. Nom. thi-s, the-s, thiu-s. thi-t. Gen. thisses. thisse, thisses. Dat. thissa. thisse, thissa. Ace. (this-ne). thisse, thit. Plur. Nom. thisse, thesse, thisse, thisse. Gen. thessera, thessera, thessera. Dat. thisse, thesse, thisse. thisse. Ace. thisse, thisse, thisse. The demonstrative jen^ G. jains, is vranting in Frisian as in Old Saxon. — 6o Interrogative Pronouns. Masculine and Fern. Neuter. '' Sing. Nom. hwa, • hwet. Gen. hwammes, hwammes. Dat. hwam, hwam. Ace. hwane, hwene, hwet. Relative Pronouns. The Frisian uses the demonstrative or the particle ther for the relative. The Indefinite Pronouns Are Sum^ some, ek^ each, monich, many, enich, any, annen, one, nen and nanen, no, one, ammon, immen^ 0. S. eoman^ any one, awei, ought, nawet, naught, al, frequently uninflected, all, ek, each. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY BERKELEY Return to desk from which borrowed. This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 6Nov'53BW . \ ft ''• w 72 -1 PM 4 9 gETO FEB 2 8 19^AN 1 8 2000 /\U6 9\%m^ Of c^L^f •• ^^f • ^ ^^ 2007 RECEIVED ARl 1* SEP 2 2 '66 -12 A| LD 21^00m-7,'52(A2528sl6)476 DEC S E0b3 •96 i U. C. BERKELEY LIBRARIES Ivi44927 THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY