Hi Tels! Thanks for your inquiry. This can be a bit confusing indeed. That's part of the reason why discussion took so long here. "niedersächsisch"? 1. I believe and hope there will be no Wikipedias for German or any other dialects. I am quite strictly against creating Wikipedias for individual dialects. That's why I voted against WPs for Bavarian and Ripuarian (please cf. 'Requests for new Languages' page on Meta). 2. However, Low Saxon (=Nedersaksisch, Niedersächsisch or Plattdüütsch) is almost unanimously considered a separate language and not regarded as is belonging to the German language. As a German, I can confirm and assure that the two languages are not mutually intelligible. 3. Low Saxon consists, like most languages, of various dialects. They are sometimes even considered separate languages (but for the most part mutually intelligible). 4. Low Saxon is spoken in Germany as well in the Netherlands. 5. Due to historical reasons, the dialects of Low Saxon used in Germany are highly influenced (loan words, technical expressions, fixed expressions and especially spelling) by the German language while those spoken in the Netherlands show many Dutch characteristics because of a century-long influx coming from the national, official language. 6. There is a Low Saxon Wikipedia already (nds). However, this Wikipedia solely comprises content written in Low Saxon from Germany (where the clear majority of Low Saxon speakers lives). The possibility of including content written in "Dutch" Low Saxon was discussed widely earlier this year at Wikipedia-l (see archives) but considered not possible by the vast majority of participants, especially by all participants coming from Germany and from the Netherlands. This was not due to any nationalistic reasons or the like but solely due to practical reasons (intelligibility). 7. Thus, the varieties of Low Saxon used in the Netherlands are currently de facto excluded from Wikipedia. That is why numerous Dutch "Low Saxons" have requested a new Wikipedia. 8. "Nedersaksisch" (=Low Saxon) is the most common way of referring to the language as a whole in the Netherlands. That is why is has been agreed upon as a designation for the new Wikipedia. Btw: it has been suggested that it can be referred to as "Low Saxon (NL)" or the like in other languages where a translation is needed. 9. "Plattdüütsch" (=Low [or, literally 'flat'] German) is the most common way speakers refer to this language in Germany. It is also the self-designation of the existing "nds"-Wikipedia. This designation reflects the fact that its speakers have been part of the German nation for many centuries. It rather alludes to geographical (it is spoken in the low-laying, coastal areas of Germany) than to linguistic facts. Including the component "German", this name is not used in the Netherlands, of course. 10. "Niedersächsisch" is simply the German (linguistic) term for the language. ("Plattdeutsch" is another, less formal name). Hope this helps a little bit to understand the background of this request. Thanks for your consideration! Arbeo ___________________________________________________________ Gesendet von Yahoo! Mail - Jetzt mit 1GB Speicher kostenlos - Hier anmelden: http://mail.yahoo.de _______________________________________________ Wikitech-l mailing list Wikitech-l(a)wikimedia.org http://mail.wikipedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikitech-l

Hi Tels! Thanks for your inquiry. This can be a bit confusing indeed. That's part of the reason why discussion took so long here. "niedersächsisch"?

2. However, Low Saxon (=Nedersaksisch, Niedersächsisch or Plattdüütsch) is almost unanimously considered a separate language and not regarded as is belonging to the German language. As a German, I can confirm and assure that the two languages are not mutually intelligible.