Cover not available
Part of
From West to North Frisia: A Journey along the North Sea Coast
Edited by Alastair Walker, Eric Hoekstra, Goffe Jensma, Wendy Vanselow, Willem Visser and Christoph Winter
[NOWELE Supplement Series 33] 2022
► pp. 423–436

Instances of direct speech, authentic and imaginary, in Old Frisian

| Fryske Akademy

This paper offers a descriptive account of direct speech in texts written in Old Frisian (extending till 1550). A distinction is made between two types of this stylistic device: imaginary, as found in narrative texts, and authentic, which regards recordings of sentences spoken in a conversation or an allocution. Fixed formulaic phrases in legal texts, though having the appearance of direct speech, were obviously excluded from this investigation.

The number of instances found is small, while true dialogues are even entirely lacking. The percentage of direct speech quotes in narrative texts – scarce as they are – turns out to be about the same as in some Old English narrative poems. About twenty specimens of authentic direct speech could be gathered from witness depositions and witness testimonies. Although they are perhaps somewhat less lively than might be expected, they still convey an impression of the spoken form of the late Old Frisian vernacular.

Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Instances of imaginary direct speech
  • 3.Attestations of authentic direct speech
    • 3.1Data from the charter
    • 3.2Data from administrative documents
      • 3.2.1Witness depositions
      • 3.2.2Witness testimonies
  • 4.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

Published online: 10 March 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/nss.33.24vri
References
2014 The Orality of Old Frisian Law Texts. In R. H. Bremmer Jr, S. Laker and O. Vries (eds.), Directions for Old Frisian Philology. Amsterdamer Beiträge zur älteren Germanistik 73 – Estrikken 96, 1–45. Amsterdam – New York: Rodopi. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Buma, W. J. and W. Ebel
(eds.) 1963 Das Rüstringer Recht. Altfriesische Rechtsquellen 1. Göttingen: Musterschmidt.Google Scholar
(eds.) 1977 Westerlauwerssches Recht I. Jus Municipale Frisonum. Altfriesische Rechtsquellen 6. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck.Google Scholar
Campbell, A.
(ed.) 1952 Thet Freske Riim, Tractatus Alvini. The Hague: Nijhoff. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fockema Andreae, S. J.
(ed.) 1910 Inleidinge tot de Hollandsche rechts-geleerdheid, beschreven bij Hugo de Groot, met aanteekeningen van Mr. S. J. Fockema Andreae, vol. II. Arnhem: publisher not identified.Google Scholar
Friese brieven
1967 Friese brieven uit de vijftiende en zestiende eeuw, uitgegeven door studiegroepen aan de Rijksuniversiteiten te Groningen en Utrecht onder leiding van dr. P. Gerbenzon. Estrikken 42. Groningen: Frysk Ynstitút.Google Scholar
Fryske stikken
1963 Fryske stikken út Codex Furmerius. In rige foarstúdzjes fan Grinzer en Uterter frizisten, vol. 2. Estrikken 34. Groningen: Frysk Ynstitút.Google Scholar
Introini, A.
2018 A commented translation of “Thet Freske Riim”: the myth of Frisian liberty between theory and practice. Graduation thesis, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Venice [URL]
Louviot, E.
2016 Direct speech in Beowulf and other Old English narrative poems. Cambridge: Boydell.Google Scholar
OFO I–V = P. Sipma
(ed.) 1927–1941 Oudfriesche Oorkonden, vols. 1–3. Oudfriesche Taal– en Rechtsbronnen 1–3; O. Vries (ed.) 1977 Oudfriese Oorkonden, vol. 4. Oudfriese Taal- en Rechtsbronnen 14. The Hague: Nijhoff; O. Vries (ed.) 2016 Oudfriese Oorkonden, vol. 5. Estrikken/Ålstråke 100. Gorredijk – Leeuwarden: Bornmeer – Fryske Akademy.Google Scholar
Ramge, H.
1999 ‘Dialoge im Rechtsprotokoll. Ein Wetzlarer Erbstreit a. 1309 und die Entstehung einer neuen Textsorte’. In A. H. Jucker, G. Fritz and F. Lebsanft (eds.), Historical Dialogue Analysis, 371–398. Amsterdam – Philadelphia: Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Roemeling, O. D. J.
2013 Heiligen en Heren. Studies over het parochiewezen in het Noorden van Nederland vóór 1600. Leeuwarden: Fryske Akademy. Appendix available through [URL]
SnR = M. Oosterhout
(ed.) 1960 Snitser Recesboeken 1490–1517. Assen: Van Gorcum.Google Scholar
Sytsema, J.
(ed.) 2012 A Diplomatic Edition of Codex Unia. Leeuwarden: Fryske Akademy [URL].
Van der Kuip, F. J.
2003 De Burmania-sprekwurden. Santjinde-ieuske Fryske sprekwurden ferklearre en yn har tiid besjoen. Leeuwarden/Ljouwert: Fryske Akademy.Google Scholar
Vries, O.
2012 In een werheyde dissis meckbrewis. Altfriesische Eheverträge, insbesondere ihre Terminologie. In O. Vries, De taal van recht en vrijheid. Studies over middeleeuws Friesland, 346–370. Gorredijk: Bornmeer.Google Scholar
Wassenbergh, E.
1806 Taalkundige bijdragen tot den Frieschen tongval, 2 parts. Franeker: D. Romar.Google Scholar
WNT = M. de Vries and L. A. te Winkel
e.a. 1882–1998 Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, vol. 1–29. The Hague: Nijhoff.Google Scholar