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The WesternFrisianLanguage is a FrisianLanguage of the Netherlands. SIL code: FRI. ISO 639-1: fy. ISO 639-2: fry. Population: 700,000 in the Netherlands, including 400,000 in Friesland, 300,000 elsewhere (1976 Stephens). Population total all countries 730,000 or more. Region: Friesland, northern Netherlands. Also spoken in Canada, Denmark, Germany, USA. Alternate names: FRYSK, FRIES. Dialects: TOWN FRISIAN. Comments: Linguistically between Dutch and English. Not intelligible with Eastern and Northern Frisian of Germany (E. Matteson SIL 1978). 71% lexical similarity with Standard German, 61% with English, 74% with Eastern Frisian. Most speakers are bilingual in Dutch. Over 70% of those in Friesland still speak Western Frisian. Town Frisian is a mixed language. National language. Literacy rate in first language: Speakers not generally literate in Frisian. Bilingual education is compulsory in Friesland but speakers are not generally literate in Frisian. Has an official orthography in the Netherlands. Bible 1943-1978.(extract from http://www.ethnologue.com/)
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