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    Frisian (4 posts)
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    Board covering the language of the Frisians in Denmark, Germany, and especially the Netherlands. ...
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    10 Gebote / The 10 Commandments
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    Author: * Eirikr Knudsson - 2 Posts on this thread out of 466 Posts sitewide.
    Date: Aug 26, 2006 - 22:18

    Here is a page from Wilhelm Heuser's Altfriesisches Lesebuch mit Grammatik und Glossar [Old Frisian Reader with Grammar and Glossary] at the Germanic Lexicon Project. The bottom half (starting with "I. 10 Gebote") is an Old Frisian text of the Ten Commandments. I'm posting it, along with a slavishly literal interlinear translation, to show just how closely related Frisian is to English.

    In a couple of places I used an English word that's a better translation, then another (English or, occasionally, German word) in brackets that's related to the Frisian word. Of all the Frisian words in the text, only four don't have direct modern English cognates. (And incidentally, all the Latin words used have English cognates as well!)




    Hir is scriven alsa dene bode, sa god selua ief Moysi in monte Synai, upp tha berche Synai, on tuam stenena teflum; tha scelen wita allera monnalik, ther cristen send.
    Here is written ('scribed') all ten commandments (bidden), that God [him]self gave Moses "in monte Synai" -- upon the berg (mount) Sinai, on two stone tablets; that shall know (wit) all men (man + -ly), that Christian [are].

    Primum mandatum, thet erste bod: minna thinna god fore feder ende moder mith inlekere herta.
    "Primum mandatum" – The (that) first commandment: Mind thine god [be]fore father and mother [within] (your) inner (in-ly) heart.

    Thet other bod; minna thinne euncristena like thi selwm.
    The second (other) commandment: Mind thine neighbor ('even-Christian', fellow-Christian) like thyself.

    Thet thredde bod; fira thene sunnandei and there helche degan.
    The third commandment: Celebrate (Germ. Ferien) thine Sunday as (to/unt[il]) the holy day.

    Thet fiarde bod: minna thine feder end thine moder, hu thu longe libbe.
    The fourth commandment: Mind thy father and thine mother, how thou long live (however long you live).

    Thet fifte: thet thu thi nowet ne ower hore.
    The fifth: That thou thy[self] naught ever whore.

    Thet sexte: thet thu nenne mon ne sle.
    The sixth: That thou none man slay.

    Thet sogende: thet thu nowet ne stele.
    The seventh: That thou naught steal.

    Thet achtende: thet thu thi nowet ne ursuere, ne nen falesk withscip ne driue.
    The eighth: That thou thy[self] naught (for-)swear, nor none false wit-ship (wit-ness) drive.

    Thet niugende: thet thu nenes thines euncristena wiues ne gereie.
    The ninth: That thou none [of] thine neighbor's ('even-Christian's') wives covet (Germ. begehren).

    Thet tiande: thet thu nenes thines euncristena godes ne ierie.
    The tenth: That thou none [of] thine neighbor's ('even-Christian's') goods covet (Germ. begehren).


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