Professor Goffe Jensma, who taught Frisiera Tongue and Literature at the University of Groningen (CLASSIATORIA) of the Netherlands, retired in September at 67 years and has not been hired. It is replaced by an assistant teacher who works only two days a week and not a full professor. In recent years it has had degrees between five and fifteen students, and this year there are four.

This vacuum has lifted powders in Frisia and, being a minority language, several experts and citizens have denounced that it will further influence the loss of frisian. They have made protests and, among other things, 70 writers, scientists and administrative staff have sent a letter to the university and a minister has expressed concern in parliament.

The Dutch newspaper NRC announced on Monday that CLASSIPC is obliged to offer studies for frisia, as it has an agreement with the Frisian Administration, which together with the Dutch Government grants EUR 110,000 per year for the university to contribute to its support for frisi.

Barriers to minority language

Retired Professor Jensma pointed out in the interview to the NCR that frisiera is the second official language of the Netherlands and that the obligation to protect that minority language is legally collected. Today, 60% of the population of Frisia uses it daily, according to an administration study in 2019. However, the creators of the oral improvisation bartelje de frisia, taking bertsolarism as a model, told ARGIA that most consider it a domestic and colloquial language. In the public sphere, Dutch and English are used, and in the formal sphere, frisia is not seen.

"In Frisia we have not had the dictatorship of Franco, the relationship between Dutch and Frisian is not conflictive," said the founders of the bartelje project. However, frisian remains a minority language in danger: "Those who only know Dutch do not have an aggressive attitude towards Frisian, but do not have an interest in our language." That is, this lack of interest also influences the loss of the tongue.

Jensma clarifies that it is used less than in the 1950s, but it is "a more robust language than Catalan or Welsh" because "there are more people talking". The professor criticizes the fact that, year after year, these studies have been hindered: "Frisiera, as a learning, has been gradually absorbed in the LOT by international competition". She warns that the University is making excuses not to hire teachers and expects that, if TAN does not make "real efforts", there will be "linguistic euthanasia". He has asked the institutions for action: "I am surprised how the Ministry and the Frisian administration are not making the university harder."