WELCOME TO OUR FOREIGN GUESTS

It is on behalf of the executive committee and the staff of the Stellingwarver Schrieversronte that I welcome you on our website.
As you may have gathered, the Frisian language is spoken in the greater part of the province, but in the south-east people have a different native tongue; similar to the regional languages of Drenthe, Groningen, Overijssel and Gelderland, which as a whole, are recognised as Low Saxon ('Nedersaksisch'), under part two of the European charter for regional and minor languages.
It is since 1972 that the Foundation Stellingwarver Schrieversronte focusses its activities on the inhabitants of the burroughs East- and West-Stellingwarf and they have a population of fifty-thousand. Also in the region itself Stellingwarfs has become a minor language.

It is typical for the minor languages to have a long oral tradition. The written Stellingwarfs appears for the first time in 1840 in the Frisian Almanac. There is only a small group of Stellingwarver writers who can be counted in the literature of the nineteenth century. Steffen Lammerts Brug, Geert L. van der Zwaag, Jan Prakken and Linze de Jong.

Around the turning of the twentieth century pusblisher and amateur historian Jan Hendriks Popping from Oosterwolde played also an active part in the area of the Stellingwarver language. He published his own open air play called Uut het leven ('Real life') in 1918, and it was performed twice in Oosterwolde and Appelscha that same year.
After Popping, Hendrik Johannes Bergveld became a well known writer. Apart from producing poetry and proze he commenced a collection of words, wrote religious works and promotionverses. Two volumes were issued after his death: De Oolde Pook and Klaeterjaegers. In 1952, and also written by Bergveld De Stellingwervers en hun dialect ('The Stellingwarvians and their dialect') came on the market.
After the second world war and a stay in a concentrationcamp Bergveld started writing again, and the young Martinus Bakker was since his debut in 1949 going to play an important part in the Stellingwarver literature.
It is with regard that we remember Lamkje Hof-de Boer. Apart from her poetry and proze, she wrote revues.

It was in 1972 that a group of active young people was formed in order to come to a more structural approach concerning the improvement of the Stellingwarver language in various dominions.
Up till then the native language was mostly spoken within the family and in rural area's.
In 1977 the first policy document was presented with the titel Veerder mit et Stellingwarfs ('Further with Stellingwarfs'), and handed to the president of the Dutch Government: Prof. dr. Anne Vondeling. In the mean time the Stellingwarver magazine De Ovend was on the go, courses for adults were given, and books in the regional language were issued.
To benefit the Stellingwarver dictionary, in twenty five villages groups of people were formed which were to meet once a month over a period of twenty years. Every month sixty chips with questions had to be answered. The projekt was leading to the publication of a four volumed dictionary, of a thousand pages each, Stellingwarfs-Dutch. All volumes are already issued: Vol II (F-K), Vol III (L-R), Vol IV (S-Z), and Vol. I (A-E) (spring 2004).
The author and editor, dr. Henk Bloemhoff is since 1991 associated with the Stellingwarver Schrieversronte and a member of the staff of the foundation.
Apart from lingual research and general vocabulary the institute occupies itself with the research of fieldnames and technical languages. There are also plans to come to an authorised grammar, to publish a pocket dictionary and a dictionary Dutch-Stellingwarfs.

Annually about six books are published in the Stellingwarvian language, and the history of the region, CD's and calendars are on the market as well, and every year 24.000 copies of the bookpaper Twie pond 'n stuver are delivered to almost every house in the region. This paper is financed by the business community. Once a year in september over fifty volunteers are occupied with selling door to door books, calendars, CD's in their own language. Of course, the books are also for sale in every regular bookshop all the year round.
The Stellingwarver Schrieversronte provides further an extensive documentationcentre in the area of the Stellingwarver language, literature, folklore and history.

Three literary prizes (for complete works and to stimulate new talent) are established by the local authorities. The Stellingwarver language is regularly used by amateur stage-companies. There are two cabaret/revue groups that perform in their own native language.
It is not very often, but sometimes church-services are being held in Stellingwarfs. On a annual base a big public event is organized, there are weekly programmes on the local radio, and the newspapers feature stories and news in the Stellingwarvian language.

At primary schools a lot of attention is payed to the regional languages within the subject of local history, and has taken the place of compulsary Frisian.
Since 1988 Sietske A. Bloemhoff, also a member of our staff, has developed special lessons material in the sense of papers for pupils, books, etcetera.

Seven people are working for the institute and it is subsidised by the province of Friesland and the authorities of East- and West-Stellingwarf. The total budget is 220.000 Euro's on an annual basis.
Apart from that the board tries to draw incidental means for projects, single activities and publications. Especially private funds and businesses supply an important financial contribution.

Since january 1997 the foundation is housed in a former bank in Oldeberkoop. The purchaseprice and an amount to meet the cost of overdued maintenance was payed for by individuals, businesses, and by government authorities.

The daily management of the foundation the Stellingwarver Schrieversronte is in the hands of a director. She carries direct responsibility towards the board consisting of seven volunteers. President is mr. Doeke Duursma from Wolvega/Wolvege. The board is assisted by the staff (dr. Henk Bloemhoff, mr. Pieter Jonker and mrs. Sietske A. Bloemhoff) and many vonlunteers. Together they make sure that a lot of events are taken place in the various language area's.

The foundation has just over 1300 members and up till now 110 books have been published. Johan Veenstra is one of the most fruitful authors. He wrote 18 books in our language. Volumes of poetry, short stories and three modern novels. De Ovend, our periodical is in its thirty first year of publication. Koosje Hornstra-van Elselo, Jimmy Visser and Henk Kroese with help of Sietske A. Bloemhoff are the editorial staff.

I hereby thank you for your attention, look around on our website and gladly I invite you for a visit in the offices of our organisation when your are just passing our region. Our offices are opened to Monday till Friday 8.30 pm – 16.30 am (please, make an appointmant by phone), Willinge Prinsstr. 10, 8421 PE Oldeberkoop, tel. 0516-451108, fax 451109 and e-mail:
info@stellingwarfs.nl
Of course, if you have any questions the staff will try to answer them in the best possible way.

Sincerely yours,

Sietske Bloemhoff,
director of the Foundation Stellingwarver Schrieversronte