Thesis (doctoral)--Katholieke Universiteit Brabant, 1995. / "Stellingen" laid in. Summaries in Dutch and Frisian. Includes bibliographical references (p. 195-208).

The striking similarities between Old English (OE) and its neighbour Old Frisian (OFris)—including aspects of phonology, morphology, and alliterative phrases—have long been cause for comment, and often for controversy. The question of whether the resemblance was caused by an immediate common ancestor (Anglo-Frisian) or by neighboring positions in a dialect continuum/Sprachkreis has been hotly disputed using phonological and toponymic evidence, but not in recent years. Consensus in the nineties fell in favour of the dialect continuum, and there the issue has largely rested. However, recent finds in archaeology, history, and genetics argue that the case requires a second look. Developments in grammaticalization theory and contact linguistics give us new tools with which to investigate. Are the similarities between OE and OFris due to an exclusive shared ancestor, or are those languages merely part of a dialect continuum, with no closer relationship than that shared with the other early West Germanic dialects? And are there any reliable criteria to separate out inheritance-based similarities from those that are spread by contact? Shared developments seem, primo facie, to be evidence of shared inheritance, but there are other possible explanations. Parallel drift after separation, convergent development, or coincidence might be the cause of any shared feature. In this paper, I discuss recently proposed methods of distinguishing inheritance from drift and contact, focusing on how morphosyntax can help explore the shared history of OE and OFris. While grammaticalization processes often lead to cross-linguistic similarities, the fact that OE and OFris display a cluster of grammaticalizations not found in other early West Germanic dialects may be significant. The exclusive developments under investigation include aga(n) ‘have’ > ‘have to’ and the present participle as verbal complement. By comparing the forms, meanings, and distribution of these grammaticalized forms in the OFris corpus to that of their cognate forms in OE, I show that the two languages probably diverged from one another substantially later than they diverged from Old Saxon and Old Low Franconian.

Proefschrift--Groningen. / "Stellingen": [3] p. inserted. Includes bibliographical references.

Thèse--Université de Paris. / "Bibliographie": p. [183]-186.

In 7 scenens I describe differenses between the book and the film Beowuf. I use the scene when he arrrives in the boat, the watchman at the score, Beowulf´s arrive at the hall, a fighting scene, the moster´s mother, Finn the Frisian and the dragon

Thesis (doctoral)--Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 253-266).

Thesis (doctoral)--Universiteit Amsterdam, 1993. / "Stellingen" laid in. Includes bibliographical references (p. 312-330).

The Runic scripture is very unique and complicated and has evolved for over centuries and resulted in unique Runic variants such as Gothic Runes, Anglo-Frisian and more. But where did Runes come from and how did they spread throughout Europe is what this paper will attempt to answer by going over multiple Runic objects as well as different historical literatures and databases in order to establish potential routes for which Runes could have spread through. Such as from Rhine to Northern Europe or from Germany to the rest of Northern Europe or Gaul to Northern Europe. However the people that spread the Runes are partially unknown with some suggesting that it was a group from a Germanic area that spread it, but no clear evidence appears until around 400 AD when a clear migration of people was visible in Frisia and England.

This master’s thesis considers the differences between the minority literature from Friesland, a province in the northwest of the Netherlands, and that of the Swedish-speaking part of Finland. The author of this paper tries to draw attention to the literatures of those minorities, which often are not well-known outside their own regions. The main issue discussed in this paper is: How is minority culture problematized in the novels de fûke (1966) by the Frisian author Rink van der Velde and Där vi en gång gått (2006) by the Finland-Swedish author Kjell Westö? The Frisian population in the Netherlands is considered by many as a very old people, because famous writers of the Roman Empire, such as Pliny the Elder, wrote specifically about their region and its people. Despite this, the Frisian language has been in a peripheral situation for many centuries. The Swedish minority in Finland, on the contrary, is much younger. Finland gained autonomy in 1809 and before that time the region currently known as Finland, was the eastern part of the Kingdom of Sweden. This meant that Swedish was the predominant language until that year. Later on Finnish became the main language in Finland. However, both the Frisian and the Finland-Swedish literature were not established before the nineteenth century. This changed partially as a result of ideas of the Romanticism, but also because of historical reasons. By analyzing the previously mentioned novels, Oetze Deelstra shows how the minorities in both countries fare in opposite situations. The Swedish-speaking population has often been, and continues to be, examined as upper-class. On the other hand, in Frisia should a very old countryside culture has been preserved. Those ideas have been important in forming the images of both minorities. A noticeable distinction is that the Frisian literature is defined by language, while the Finland-Swedish literature is characterized by political and ideological arguments. / Dizze masterskripsje rjochtet him op de ferskillen tusken de literatuer fan Fryslân en dy fan de Sweedsktalige minderheid yn Finlân. De skriuwer fan dit wurk besiket op dy wize mear omtinken te freegjen foar de literatuer fan dizze minderheden, dy’t faak net sa bekend is bûten de eigen regio. De fraach dy’t sintraal stiet is: Op hokker wize wurdt stal jûn oan minderhedeproblematyk yn de romans de fûke (1966) fan de Fryske skriuwer Rink van der Velde en Där vi en gång gått (2006) fan de Finlânsweedske skriuwer Kjell Westö? Faak wurde de Friezen beskôge as in âld folk. Mooglik komt dat trochdat se al neamd wurde soene troch ferneamde skriuwers fan it Romeinske Ryk, lyk as Plinius de Aldere. Dochs hat it Frysk iuwenlang in net al te wichtige rol spile yn Fryslân en dêrbûten. De Sweedske minderheid yn Finlân is lykwols folle jonger. Finlân is pas sûnt 1809 autonoom en foar dy tiid wie dat wat wy hjoed-de-dei Finlân neame, it eastlike diel fan it Sweedske Ryk. Dat betsjut ek dat it Sweedsk oant doe ta de oerhearskjende taal wie. Letter waard it Finsk de wichtichste taal yn Finlân. Sawol de Fryske as de Finlânsweedske literatuer wiene lykwols net fêstige foar de njoggentjinde iuw. Dat feroaret pas yn de Romantyk, foar in diel fanwege de idealen út dy tiid, mar ek om politike redenen. Troch de earderneamde romans te analysearjen, lit Oetze Deelstra sjen hoe’t de minderheden fan beide lannen eins yn tsjinstelde situaasjes operearje. De Sweedsktalige befolking fan Finlân is faak, en wurdt no noch hieltyd, besjoen as de boppeklasse. Yn Fryslân soe oan ’e oare kant in iuwenâlde lanboutradysje bewarre bleaun wêze. Dizze opfettings hawwe wichtich west foar de byldfoarming fan beide minderheden. In opfallend ferskil is dat de Fryske literatuer fan de eigen taal út definiearre wurdt, wylst de Finlânsweedske literatuer karakterisearre wurdt troch politike en ideologyske útgongspunten.