Twents
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Twents (or Tweants; sometimes known as Twentsch) is a West Dutch Low Saxon dialect spoken in Twente, a Dutch region near the German border, although it is also spoken in the nearby German border regions. Its speakers also refer to Tweants as Plat.
Native speakers have a distinct accent when speaking Dutch, and are hence easily recognized. Particularly the distinct pronunciation of the 'O' is renowned. The language is also known for its wealth in proverbs:
- Loa mer kuuln, t löp wa lös – Never mind, it will sort itself out.
- As de tied koomp, koomp de ploag – When the time comes, the trouble comes. Don't worry before the trouble starts.
- Iej könt nich bloazn en t mel in n moond hoaldn – Literally, you cannot blow and keep the flour in your mouth. 'Bloaz'n' also means 'to brag', so its real meaning is the same as "put your money where your mouth is"
- Hengeler weend – Wind from Hengelo, a haughty attitude.
Twents is not used in the major cities of Twente as much as it was in the past. In the country, however, still a lot of people are able to speak Plat.
There are a fair number of authors writing in Twents.
- Johanna van Buren (poet)*
- Theo Vossebeld (poet)
- Willem Wilmink (poet, songwriter)
- Herman Finkers (comedian)
Also the Bible has been translated into Tweants.
The Van Deinse Instituut in Enschede is an organisation mainly for Twents and the Culture of Twente.
Recently, Twents has enjoyed an extra revival thanks to a soap in Tweants: "Van Jonge Leu en Oale Groond" ("About young people and old property").
