Volume 4, Number 3

Low German as an Endangered Language

  Authors

Heiko Wiggers, Russian Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

  Abstract

This article discusses the status of Low German in the 21st century. Low Germanwas once spoken widely across northern Germany and is considered the indigenous language of this region. In the 20th century, Low German began eroding on such a massive scale that the European Union added it to its Charter of Endangered Languages in the 1990s. This article examines what measures are taken to protect and to promote the language, and how Low German features in the greater, worldwide context of endangered and dying languages. Finally, this article provides an outlook on the future of Low German.

  Keywords

Low German, Endangered Languages, Language Policy, Language Revitalization