Low Saxon

Low Saxon, also known as Low German or Plattdeutsch, is spoken in northern Germany and parts of the Netherlands. In Germany, it is spoken in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen, Hamburg, and parts of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, and Saxony-Anhalt. In the Netherlands, it is known as Neder-Saksisch and is spoken in Groningen, Drenthe, Overijssel, and parts of Gelderland. Historically, Low Saxon developed from Old Saxon and was influenced by Middle Low German, which was the language of the Hanseatic League. It has retained its own vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar despite pressure from High German and Dutch. The Hanseatic influence made it a key trade language in medieval northern Europe. Today, Low Saxon is considered a regional language in both Germany and the Netherlands. While fewer people speak it fluently today, it remains an important part of local culture. It is taught in schools and supported by cultural initiatives to preserve it. Efforts to promote the language include literature, music, and festivals.

Low Saxon

Low Saxon differs from both standard German and Dutch in several ways. Unlike High German, Low Saxon lacks the High German consonant shift (e.g., “maken” vs. German “machen”). It has distinct vocabulary and grammatical structures influenced by Old Saxon and Middle Low German. Compared to Dutch, Low Saxon has a more conservative phonetic system, preserving older Germanic sounds. It also shows strong regional variation, with different dialects across Germany and the Netherlands. Grammatically, Low Saxon maintains a more complex verb conjugation system than Dutch but simplifies the case system seen in High German.

Publications

Six Asterix albums have been published in Low Saxon (Plattdeutsch). Titles include De Törn för nix (1996) and De Gallier (2024), translated by Hartmut Cyriacks, Peter Nissen, Reinhard Goltz, and Jürgen Ruge, and published by Bookschoosteree Ehapa Verlag. There have been attempts to translate Asterix albums into Dutch Low Saxon, but these have seen little to no success, except for some bootleg versions. However, Twents, a Low Saxon dialect spoken in the Dutch province of Overijssel, has one official Asterix translation.