Loosely named after Frisian, the presented langauge serves as a suitable auxiliary language bridge between the Scandinavian (North Germanic) and Teutonic (West Germanic) branches of the Germanic language family. To the speakers, it evokes the name of the ancient Germanic Goddess Freyja as well as the word meaning `freedom’. Last but not least, Frisian is the closest relative to English on the European continent.
The vocabulary is formed from the common words they share. When making a choice for a word between various cognate variants from the different languages, German is represented mainly by North German, which is closer in pronunciation to Dutch, the Scandinavian languages, and English, rather than by Standard German. We believe that any Germanic language speaker,
even without prior exposure to Freysska, would find it most of intelligible.
1. Pronunciation of vowels and consonants:
The alphabets are the same as in English, and do not include any accented or umlauted vowels.
Double-vowels indicate diphthongs or length. To pronounce them separately, an apostrophe must be inserted inbetween.
a - like a in man
aa - like a in father
ae - like e in fell
au - as in German Haus.
oe - like e in her, but with the mouth more circled.
ao - like aw in awful
The letter c and q:
sch - like sh in ship
q - like ch in chip
Nouns and pronouns are not declined for case. For example:
du drager ein hund = you carry a dog / you are carrying a dog
ein hund drager du = a dog carries you
This of course means that word order is rigid, as in English.
The complete list of pronouns is:
The indefinite and definite articles are, respectively, ein and den. Examples:
ein maschin = a machine
het fruw und den mann = the woman and the man
The possessive forms are obtained (inspired by English!) by suffixing -’s. The apostrophe, as in English, carries no phonetic value. For example:
du’s kat = your cat
mik’s namn er = my name is
man’s plikt = one’s duty
The plural of nouns is formed by adding the suffix -en. For example:
ein stul = a table; menga stulen = many tables
han’s taxi = his taxi; ze’s taxien = their taxis
These suffixes can also be applied to pronouns. Thus:
hunen = they (feminine)
hemen = they (masculine)
heten= they (inanimate)
miken = we (but excluding you!)
The possessive suffix may be added to these, as usual. Thus heten’s = their (inanimate).
The infinite of verbs is given by the construction tu --e. The present, past and future are formed, respectively by --er, --ed and sku --e, irrrespective of person and number. The negative is obtained by adding the particle ni after the verb (or word) being negated. Questions are formed by inverting the subject-verb order. The vocative mood is obtained from the infinitive by simply dropping the tu particle. For example:
tu forstande = to understand
du forstander den fakt = you understand the fact
ze forstanded maar wi forstander ni = they understood but we don’t understand
mik sku forstande = I will understand
Sku ze erinre und kalle wi? = Will they remember and call us?
Weited hun? Nejn, hun weited ni = Did she know? No, she didn’t know.
Kenne het! = Know it!
The progressive aspect is formed (inspired by Icelandic) by a construction of the type `to be in’ + tu + infinitive:
Mik skriber gwanligt franssk romanen. Maar nu mik er i tu skribe en deutsk buk.
I usually write French books. But now I am writing a German book.
3.2 Participles and participial constructions:
The past participle is formed by a adding ge --t to the verb stem. The present participle is formed by suffixing --and to verb stem. For example:
ein wel geforstandt sak = a well understood matter
ein gespreekt word = a spoken word
The perfect tense is obtained, as in English, using the past participle with the verb at haben (to have)
Haber Bobby ni gelest den buk? = Hasn’t Bobby read the book?
Sku hun habe gedragt det? = Will she have carried it?
Nejn, hun sku ni habe = No, she won’t have.
Mik moer habe gefindt det = I must have found it
3.3 Passive voice:
The passive is constructed (inspired by the Scandinavian medio-passive) by adding suffix -es to the active form of the verb. For example:
Tu folganes = to be followed
Tu haban gefolgtes = to have been followed
Den ball baareres van den smal barn. = The ball is carried by the small boy
Den autobil baaredes dor ein kran = The car was carried by (means of) a crane.
Sku den watn haban gedrinktes i morgon? = Will the water have been drunk tomorrow?
Dess film er ni i tu produciranes i Friisia = This movie is not being produced in Frisia
3.4 Relativizing
In reported speech, the tense of the verb in the subordinate clause, and the veracity of the action it represents, can be made relative to the tense and person in the main clause by suffixing verb in the subordinate clause by -ju. This feature, while non-standard, actually simplifies and regularizes relativization. For example:
Hun saged as hun skuju ringe a hem = She said that she would ring him up
That is, the idea is to write “She said she will ring him up” and simply flag the future as being relative to the past tense in the main clause. Similarly:
Hun saged as hun weiterju all om het = She said she knew all about it
Hun sku sage as ze kennedju hun = She will say that they knew her
That is: She will say, “They knew me.”
3.4 Conversions from nouns to verb
Any noun may be converted into a verb, by treating the noun as a verbal stem. For example:
dans, draum und swemm = dance, dream and swimming
tu dansan, tu drauman und tu swemman = dancing, dreaming and swimming
3.4 Conversions from verb to noun
Various types of nouns may be derived from the verb. The suffix -ing is added to the verb stem to indicate an effect or product that stems from the action.
tu baugge ein heim = to build a home
ein stor baugging = a large building
The suffix -tuyg denotes an object commonly associated with the verb. For example:
tu spielan = to play; spieltuyg = toy
tu flygan = to fly; flygtuyg = aeroplane
The agent of an action is indicated by the suffix -ar:
tu swemman = to swim; den swemmar = the swimmer
tu kennan = to know (be familiar with); kennaren’s fordeil = knowers’ advantage
4.1 Basic type
Adjectves can be basic words, or derived from verbs and nouns. Examples of basic adjectives are gud (good), stor (big), smal (small), slekt (bad), snel (fast), stark (strong). They are not declined for number and case.
Their corresponding abstract nouns are obtained by adding the suffix -heit. Thus we have gudheit (goodness), storheit (bigness), etc.
Two dominant types of adjectives derived from nouns are the have-adjectives and the give-adjectives. The former characterizes having a quality, which we form by suffixing -ig to the noun stem, while the latter characterizes imparting a quality, which we form by suffixing -lig. The suffix -sk is added to the noun or noun-stem to indicate the meaning of `pertaining to’. Thus:
hungr, nod = hunger, need; hungrig, nodig = hungry, needy
wundr = wonder; wundrlig = inspiring wonder, wonderful; wundrig = filled with wonder
gfaar = danger; gfaarlig = dangerous
dan = Dane; dansk = danish/dane
Adverbs are formed by suffixing -t
Den foglen synger wundrligt = the birds sing wonderfully
4.2 Comparatives and superlatives
The comparative of an adjective or adverb formed by placing mere or mest before the word, respectively.
mere intressant = more interesting; mere intressantt = more interestingly
mest gud = best; mest gudt = best (adverbial)
4.3 Nouns and verbs from adjectives
Abstract nouns are formed by adding the suffix -heit. For example:
storheit = largeness
langheit = longness
However, to form a word that non-judgmentally quantifies a quality, the suffix -te is added to the adjective denoting `positive’ quality. For example:
storte = size; ein dir af smal storte = an animal of small size
langte = length; het’s langte ed 3 meter = its length was three meters
The interrogative pronouns / adjectives / adverbs and their relative counterparts are related by replacing the initial w- in the former with a q- in the latter. Thus, we have:
Some examples:
Wem er hun? = Who is she?
En fruw qem du weiter = A woman who/whom/that you know.
Wat se’er du? = What do you see/ what are you seeing?
Den bild qem du se’ed = The picture that you saw.
Wann ankommer du? Qann den klokk slager twa = When are you arriving? When the clock
strikes two.
Wor lever hem? A den sam plats qor du arbeiter = Where does he live? In the same place
where you work
Wordan reiser du? Qordan du selv. = How do you travel? As you yourself.
Worum smiler den barn? Qorum foglen synger! = Why does the child smile? For the same
reason that birds sing!
Prepositions work in the conventional way. Some care has been taken to make them less polysemous and more precise than in the natural languages.
a = to
at = at (a location is space or time)
i = in
u = outside of
met = with
van = by
af = of
dor = by means of
um = about
genem = through