Newton Vander Woude speaking Frisian

This 94 yo telling his story in the Frisian language(from the province of Fryslan, Netherlands)

[@dalstein3708]

I find it amazing that, so many years after emigratjng, his Frisian has not been "anglicized" one bit. It still sounds as if he has lived in Fryslan all his life.

[@Dariusuzu]

frisian accent is almost identical to some of american one xD

[@weonanegesiscipelibba2973]

@@Dariusuzu Frisian is either the first or second most related to English(depending on whether or not you say Scots is a dialect) so they'd have some similarities. church, tsjerke, cheese, tsiis

[@ashtonbabcock2656]

It also hasn't been Dutchified either, like the Frisian spoken in that Wikitongues video with the middle-aged woman.

[@imprwikiimprwiki6898]

It doesn’t need to be, it already sounds just like English

[@dkfsamurai]

@@ashtonbabcock2656 This sounds like regular (Western) Frisian to me. That you would hear in any typical town or city in Friesland.

[@Aleiza_49]

It's so interesting, the cadence is just like English. I can understand a good deal of what he's saying as well (I'm a native English speaker, and also know some German).

[@cguibcx]

This is incredible. I love learning about our sister languages. I understand a bit of German and I'm shocked I can understand most of what he's saying the first 2 minutes of him speaking. Language is fascinating. One of humanity's greatest accomplishments.

[@beautifulnature3919]

yeah, also similar to africaans & dutch

[@CobraTheSpacePirate]

We used to call it Grandma Minnie Talk after to my grandma Wilhelmina Hoitenga. Great Grandpa Tjitte Hoitenga and Great Grandma Anna Homminga immigrated from Witmarsum and Midlum to Missaukee County, Michigan around 1895.

[@lamadaw9840]

as a native frisian speaker its cool that he still speaks it perfectly

[@2sqnbandit379]

You can sort of understand him. Semi English. I understand he emigrated to North America where he was from I think the Netherlands. Florence with his Wife very similar language.

[@Indylimburg]

And where was Bert?

[@rwbruinsma]

My mom (Anna Bruinsma van der Heide) and I just enjoyed the lovely frisian story.

[@iceomistar4302]

Very similar to Middle English and Old English.

[@gabrieldettmannb4509]

The historian Niel Oliver spoke old English to a Frisian in a supermarket, and he understood him almost perfectly.

[@fezzes428]

@@gabrieldettmannb4509 do you know where i can find a video of this?

[@Fry09294]

Uh, not really. Old Frisian was similar to Old English, but Modern English and (West) Frisian are now totally different animals.

[@jordanesewals]

Zo kras en jong, prima gedaan Newton !!!!!!

[@Indylimburg]

Hello from a fellow Kees!

[@lisettem.6241]

What a great story! Ik bin grutsk! Groetnis ut Fryslan!

[@duranimation]

As a native english speaker and a decent german speaker I can understanda good amount of what he said, very sweet sounding language.

[@beautifulnature3919]

yeah , it also sounds as Afrikaans which is sister to dutch & german

[@sydosys]

honestly just sounds like listening to a scottish person speaking english

[@gak0021]

You’ve obviously never heard a Scottish person before I take it

[@cmmndrblu]

lol not to anyone in the UK it doesn't, but there are probably similarities with Scots

[@hydragamingonpc]

This is a literal translation. I added some footnotes for things that aren't or might not be clear. Sometimes he uses English words, but that's what you get over time. Since I'm tying to be true to his word some sentences are not grammatically correct in English, I enclosed them in () to make it work as best as I can. He also mumbles at times, which makes it hard/challenging for me to understand what he says. Enjoy! (or not...) - Do I have to start talking now? - Yes, just tell me your story, yeah. Where were you born? I'm born in 1924, 7th of October in Hantumhuzen, municipality Dongeradeel. Later we moved to Boarnwert, near Dokkum. During the war-movements things have happened.* And in '53 my wife and I immigrated to America with 3 little children.** And the 6th of juli we went to Rotterdam and went on a ship, "Veendam". And 11 days later we arrived in Hoboken, New Jersey in North America. (And there was) my cousin, William Bill van der Woude, and his wife were there to pick us up. But because we had a young family we could leave the ship before the others. And so we did. And we entered a large building, there were no walls, but a roof to keep us out of the sun and heat. We started to look around if we can find Bill and Jean. But we've never seen them, only on a photo, a portret. And Egbert saw some men; "does he look like him, does he look like him?". And suddenly was the little boy, that was three and a half years old, Eibert/Egbert... ***, was gone. I said**** to Florence, my wife; "where is Eibert?" We named him "Bert" I said: "Where is Bert?" She said "I don't know"****, he was here just a moment ago. So I said; "Well, I'll have to look around". So I walked around for a while, and I walked around..and... But I couldn't speak a single word of English, I couldn't ask anyone anything. I saw a couple of police officers standing, and they had some fun. I thought: "I wish I could talk to those men", but I didn't even know where to start. Then I went back to my wife and the other two little girls... You were one of them. -Yes. And then****... He still wasn't there, he didn't come back yet. Then my wife started to panic; "We already lost a boy!". I said; "Nooo, we'll find him", but I was also upset. I thought I'll run around and go further and further. And I thought; "I really want us to be back in Rotterdam, what are we doing here..?" "We are maybe 15 minutes in America and I've already lost a child." So I walked a little further and then I saw a small blond head jumping up, so now and then. I thought; "That's still far away, but I have to go and see" ... mumbles ... >> Probably says: "where he is..."

[@amandak8250]

Thank you so much for the translation. I got that they left Rotterdam and were looking for someone but my Frysk knowledge ended after that.

[@saoirsesigurardottir5105]

I love this so much ❤️❤️❤️

[@beautifulnature3919]

why

[@Vancha112]

Moai fertelt, hy hat ek sa'n protte details ûnthâlden ^^, mar moai om te hearren!

[@klaassiersma4892]

My parents nearly went around the same time but instead opted for the noord oost polder, he probably knows about that too going on back then.

[@musikSkool]

It sounds halfway between English and German.

[@GUITARTIME2024]

I'm an American who speaks Dutch. I understand almost everything.

[@imprwikiimprwiki6898]

How helpful is English in that effort?

[@h.j.b3705]

"I've been in the USA for 15 minutes, and I've already lost sight of one of my children"... :P Quote of the day. :P

[@Indylimburg]

Was that during the "Where is Bert?" part?

[@harrypjotr4987]

@@Indylimburg yes

[@estherbos6820]

Fryslân boppe...dat Frysk klinkt dochs bêst....dochs wol hiel spannend asto dyn jonkje sa kwyt rakkest yn een frjemd lân. Lokkich genôch alles wer goed kaam

[@kuddelmuddel5060]

Iik sai ans vööl sonk, van an öömrang fraskan. Leev ha iik jam. Iil wanske jam an rocht good, puask fest.

[@folkert2938]

Wow, is that North-Frisian? Pretty rare. I only speak Western-Frisian.

[@padraigmaclochlainn8866]

Neat

[@purromemes7395]

It’s almost mutual intelligible. If I was listening in I’d be able to understand some stuff

[@frisianfreedom1143]

Sa moai

[@brumm0m3ntum94]

kinda odd how much the mutual intelligibility changes between speakers, i can pick up on many words in this video and have some idea what he’s saying, but in other videos i couldn’t understand a word

[@brumm0m3ntum94]

born on the 6th of july i think (but i think i heard two dates so i could be confusing them) immigrated to new jersey in north america and something about a family, i think the first child was a boy because i heard the words “erste” and “junge” near what sounded like family, i think his wife’s name is florence, the boy might be named bert, at some point he was missing, maybe for 50 minutes, although that might’ve been referring to something else, i heard something that sounded like “verstehen” which for the life of me i cant remember what it means without a translator, heard “engl” sprache which i assume engl means english, which im noting because its doesn’t have an “ish” at the end, unlike both english and german, given that that he quoted himself saying “me no speak english” immediately after, something about billie jean maybe, then after he says what i have to assume means “that’s about it”

[@brumm0m3ntum94]

nvm i think the second of october was his birth, july 6 might’ve been when he emigrated also i notice how to my knowledge, most if not all germanic languages use ge- as a prefix to indicate past tense, but contemporary english uses an -ed suffix instead, which to my knowledge is a recent change, only happening in middle english iirc, if anyone knows why/how this is i’d be interested to hear, though i’ll probably have just googled it by the time you respond

[@jibbarich]

Can someone write the translation please?

[@frisianmouve]

Well a year later there's a translation if you're still interested in it, might've done it myself but @hydragamingonpc beat me to it

[@janpietervisser6961]

Hantumhuzen I'it not that far from my home

[@alexr2790]

It sounds like German in an American accent. Did he say “Hoosier” at around the :23 mark?

[@jelleclaw]

Moai ferhaal!

[@Lasplashboy]

i can kinda understand him

[@MarcHarder]

Dat hiert nô Platdiets, ôber ek kan nust festône. It sounds like Plautdietsch, but I can't understand anything.

[@nimmen]

Moai fehaal!

[@aSandwich.13]

Wild, it sounds like Dutch with an American accent.

[@православныйвоин-э6б]

IT sounds like that, but in reality In Holland they can’t understand or read their language it’s weird because they are basically Dutch 😂 Frisian is bassicaly a part of it own, and their capital (Leeuwarden) are basically Frisian but they hate frisians. I don’t understand it either it’s very complex.

[@aSandwich.13]

@@православныйвоин-э6б I say that as an American who doesn't know a lick of Dutch 🤣 I just meant in terms of phonetics and cadence, that's what comes to mind.

[@yaelhennekes6052]

@@православныйвоин-э6б thats wrong, im from south holland and i can understand almost everything it just takes a bit more concentration

[@2380Shaw]

Interesting his first name is my last name. I wondered if there are Newton's in Frisland

[@dalstein3708]

"Newton" is not a name that you normally hear in Frisia, or in the Netherlands. I'm guessing he changed his first name after emigrating, because English speakers were unable to pronounce his original name.

[@neznyw]

Nutte and his wife Foekje changed their names: Newton and Florence.

[@queensabina9983]

To me it does not differ a lot from Dutch to be honest

[@88yaz88]

Beautiful man