Drèents dialects
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| Drèents, Drents, Dreins | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Netherlands |
| Region | Drenthe and a strip of Overijssel just south of Drenthe |
Native speakers | About half the population of Drenthe (total 483.173)[1] and a number of people in Overijssel |
Indo-European
| |
| Official status | |
Official language in | the Netherlands (as part of Low Saxon) |
| Regulated by | Provincial States of Drenthe (spelling) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | drt |
 | |
Drèents (also Dreins, Dreints, Drents, Drints; Dutch: Drents) is a collective term for the dialects which are spoken in Drenthe a province of The Netherlands. The dialects like they are still spoken by half the population of Drenthe are Nedersaksisch variants.
Dialects of Drèents
As stated above, all dialects from Drenthe are classified as Nedersaksisch, but that is the only common linguistic factor there is. Though, most of the local languages exist in multiple forms and usually varies by village or town, for Drèents it is so much the case that linguistically speaking "Drèents" is not really a language or dialect on its own. The dialects from the north and the east (see below: 'Noordenvelds' and 'Veenkoloniaals') are usually considered to be Gronings, the dialects from the south-west are 'Stellingwerfs', and the dialects in a few villages along the southern border with the Grafschaft Bentheim (Germany) are considered to be Sallaans (because they have an umlaut in the diminutives).
The foundation Stichting Drentse Taol distinguishes seven main variants of Drèents within the province, based upon the research made by G.H. Kocks, the main editor of the Woordenboek der Drentse Dialecten (Dictionary of the Drèents Dialects):
- Noordenvelds
- Veenkeloniaols
- Zuudoost-Zaand-Drèents
- Zuudoost-Veen-Drèents
- Midden-Drèents
- Zuudwest-Noord-Drèents (Also see Stellingwarfs)
- Zuudwest-Zuud-Drèents
It also can be divided into Midden-Drents and Zuid-Drents.
Examples of usage
| Emmen dialect: | We moet'n nie zo haast'n. |
| Standard Dutch: | We hoeven ons niet zo te haasten. |
| English: | We do not have to hurry. |
| Northern Drenthe: | ain | twai | drai | vaier | vief | zes | zeum | aacht | neegn | tien |
| Southwest Drenthe: | iene | tweie | dreie | veere | vieve | zesse | zeum | achte | neegn | tiene |
| Standard Dutch: | een | twee | drie | vier | vijf | zes | zeven | acht | negen | tien |
| English: | one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine | ten |