| |||||||||
| Limburgian (Limburgs) | |
|---|---|
| Spoken in: | Netherlands Belgium a small part of Germany |
| Region: | Limburg |
| Total speakers: | 1,600,000 (est.) |
| Ranking: | Not in top 100 |
| Genetic classification: | Indo-European Germanic |
| Official status | |
| Recognised language in: | Not official in Belgium and theNetherlands |
| Regulated by: | -- |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | LI |
| ISO 639-2 | LIM |
| SIL | LMP |
Limburgian (Dutch: Limburgs, German: Limburgisch) is a group of Franconian varieties, spoken in the Limburg and Selfkant regions, near the common Dutch/Flemish(Belgium)/German border. Limburgian is recognised as a regional language (streektaal) in the Netherlands and as such it receives moderate protection under chapter 2 of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
Limburgian is spoken by approximately 1,600,000 people. The varieties spoken on Flanders(Belgium) territory are more influenced by French than those spoken on Dutch and German soil.
Limburgian is, unlike most other Germanic languages, a tone language (it has two tones).