Chapter 14. Contact-induced changes in Modern West Frisian

Modernization has changed Dutch-Frisian language relations after the Second World War radically. Full bilingualism and the dominant position of Dutch have led to favourable conditions for interference of Frisian from Dutch. In this paper we go into these changes and present an overview of the types of interference that take place from different grammatical domains: the lexicon, phonology, morphology and syntax. These examples indicate that this interference is data-oriented and not grammar-oriented, as predicted by the Chomskyan view on language acquisition. Furthermore we pay attention to the external factors that defines the relation between Dutch and Frisian as one of competitive bilingualism, Frisian being the language under heavy pressure. Finally we sketch the changes in the language situation in Fryslân against the background of the provincial language policy.