On Saturday 24 June, the Fryske Akademy and the Oldenburgische Landschaft organise a conference on Sater Frisian, the 'Tag der Saterfriesen/ Dai fon do Seelter'. It will take place in Roomelse (German: Ramsloh) in Saterland and is intended for a wide audience. The programme alternates audience readings with activities by the Seelter Buund, such as a quiz, a sketch, folk dancing and singing by schoolchildren. From Mercator, Fryske Akademy's knowledge centre for multilingualism, Katharina Thomas will give a lecture, and Bouke Slofstra (Lingua Slofstra) and Eric Hoekstra (Fryske Akademy) are also on the programme. The day, which is free to enter, will end with a lecture in the Johanniter Chapel. You can view the programme here (pdf).

About Sater Frisian

Sater Frisian is the only Frisian that remains of East Frisian, which was once spoken between the Lauwers and the Weser rivers. Sater Frisian is spoken in Saterland, a region found between Oldenburg and Papenburg. Sater Frisian is a language that is heavily endangered. There are just under 1,000 - 1,500 speakers left.

Sater Frisian grammar

Currently, the Fryske Akademy is in the process of producing an English grammar of Saterfries. The project is partly paid for by the Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur, the Bundesbeauftragte für Kultur und Medien and the municipality of Saterland. This is an annual grant, which was also awarded to the Fryske Akademy in 2021 and 2022, in cooperation with Henk Wolf (Oldenburgische Landschaft). The project is being carried out by Bouke Slofstra of language agency Lingua Slofstra and Eric Hoekstra on behalf of the Fryske Akademy. They previously worked on the German-language grammar of Sater Frisian, the Sprachlehre des Saterfriesischen 2022.

Sign up

Register for the free public conference on 24 June 2023 in Ramsloh (DE) through Ms T. Kalsbeek, kalsbeek@saterland.de. More information can be found (soon) on the website of the Seeltersk-Kontoor of the Oldenburgische Landschaft.