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Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning
Team Fryske Akademy (photo: Weekend van de Wetenschap)

Team Fryske Akademy (photo: Weekend van de Wetenschap)

Search for Viking treasures, solve linguistic mysteries and explore at Weekend van de Wetenschap

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People and environment

During the Weekend of Science, staff at the Fryske Akademy once again told dozens of children and their parents about the Frisian language, history and heritage.

[Translate to English:] Taalportret (foto: Fryske Akademy)
[Translate to English:] Taalportret (foto: Fryske Akademy)

Searching for Viking treasures and chatting with an AI robot

How is it that we find Viking treasures buried in the Frisian soil? And why do people in northern Germany also speak Frisian? What does Friesland actually smell like, and what does that say about who we are?

Linguists and historians from the Fryske Akademy used the Science Weekend to demonstrate how languages are interconnected, what lies hidden in the Frisian soil, and what scents make Friesland so special.

Through fun language puzzles, children were able to discover just how multilingual they actually are, and also how, with their knowledge of Dutch and English, they might know more about Frisian and German than they realised.

Talking to a Frisian-speaking AI robot

Researcher Dylan Rose let children talk to his Frisian-speaking AI robot, Jip. And at the scent table set up as part of the ‘A Nose for Heritage’ research project, people were able to smell various scents. What memories and feelings does this evoke?

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