Drèents dialects

Drents
Dreins
Drèents
Native to	Netherlands
Region	Drenthe and a strip of Overijssel just south of Drenthe
Native speakers	About half the population of Drenthe (total 480,000) and a number of people in Overijssel (date missing)
Language family	Indo-European Germanic West Germanic Low Saxon West Low Saxon (Dutch Low Saxon) Drents
Official status
Official language in	Netherlands (as part of Low Saxon)
Regulated by	Provincial States of Drenthe (spelling)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	drt
Glottolog	dren1238

Drèents (also Dreins, Dreints, Drents, Drints; Dutch: Drents) is a collective term for the dialects spoken in Drenthe, a province of the Netherlands. The dialects, which are still spoken by half the population of Drenthe, are Dutch Low Saxon variants.

Dialects of Drèents

All the dialects of the province of Drenthe are classified as Nedersaksisch (Dutch Low Saxon). The dialects from the north and the east (see below: 'Noordenvelds' and 'Veenkoloniaals') are somehow more related to Gronings, the dialects from the south-west are 'Stellingwerfs', and the dialects in a few villages along the southern border with the Grafschaft Bentheim (Germany) are considered to be Sallaans (because they have an umlaut in the diminutives).

The foundation Stichting Drentse Taol distinguishes seven main variants of Drèents within the province, based upon the research made by G.H. Kocks, the main editor of the Woordenboek der Drentse Dialecten (Dictionary of the Drèents Dialects):

• Noordenvelds
• Veenkeloniaols
• Zuudoost-Zaand-Drèents
• Zuudoost-Veen-Drèents
• Midden-Drèents
• Zuudwest-Noord-Drèents (Also see Stellingwarfs)
• Zuudwest-Zuud-Drèents

It also can be divided into Midden-Drents and Zuid-Drents.

Examples of usage

Emmen dialect:	We moet'n nie zo haast'n.
Standard Dutch:	Wij hoeven ons niet zo te haasten.
English:	We do not have to hurry.

Northern Drenthe:	ien	twei	dreei	vier	vief	zes	zeum	aacht	neegn	tien
Southwest Drenthe:	iene	tweie	dreie	veere	vieve	zesse	zeum	achte	neegn	tiene
Standard Dutch:	een	twee	drie	vier	vijf	zes	zeven	acht	negen	tien
English:	one	two	three	four	five	six	seven	eight	nine	ten