{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.low-german","code":"thing-q25433","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q25433/","name":"Low German","alternateNames":["Low Saxon","Westniederdeutsch","Northern Low German","Southern Low German","Friso-Saxon dialects","Old Saxon","East Low German","Middle Low German","German Low German","Northern Low Saxon","Westphalian","Eastphalian"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Information and virtual systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"INF","domain":["INF.MED"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A West Germanic language of northern Germany and the eastern Netherlands, also called Low Saxon, descended from Old Saxon and once the language of the Hanseatic League; today spoken mainly by older and rural speakers in many regional dialects, recognised as a regional language under the European Charter, and distinct from Standard German, Dutch and Frisian.","purpose":"Let an agent describe Low German as a language with regional varieties and a legal status, relay identifiers, recognition and revitalisation information, distinguish it from German dialects and Dutch, and route learning and translation questions to resources.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["West Germanic without the High German consonant shift","Many dialects, no single standard","Recognised regional language in Germany and the Netherlands","Descends from Old Saxon and Middle Low German"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"identify","name":"Identify","description":"What the language is.","layers":[{"id":"identity","name":"Identity","description":"Language identity.","findings":[{"id":"identity-finding","name":"Identity","description":"Identity.","questions":[{"text":"What is Low German, how does it differ from Standard German and Dutch, and what are its codes?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the text Low German or a High German dialect?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"varieties","name":"Varieties","description":"Dialects.","findings":[{"id":"varieties-finding","name":"Varieties","description":"Varieties.","questions":[{"text":"Which dialect groups exist, and where is each spoken?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific dialect?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"status","name":"Status","description":"Recognition and vitality.","layers":[{"id":"recognition","name":"Recognition","description":"Legal status.","findings":[{"id":"recognition-finding","name":"Recognition","description":"Recognition.","questions":[{"text":"What legal recognition and support does Low German have in Germany and the Netherlands?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits minority language rights?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"vitality","name":"Vitality","description":"Speakers.","findings":[{"id":"vitality-finding","name":"Vitality","description":"Vitality.","questions":[{"text":"How many people speak or understand it, and how is that measured?","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What do surveys say about transmission to younger generations?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"use","name":"Use","description":"Learning and literature.","layers":[{"id":"learning","name":"Learning","description":"Learning resources.","findings":[{"id":"learning-finding","name":"Learning","description":"Learning.","questions":[{"text":"How can Low German be learned, and which dictionaries and courses exist?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which spelling convention applies?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"culture","name":"Culture","description":"Literature and media.","findings":[{"id":"culture-finding","name":"Culture","description":"Culture.","questions":[{"text":"What literature, theatre and media exist in Low German?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits a specific author?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History and study.","layers":[{"id":"past","name":"Past","description":"Historical stages.","findings":[{"id":"past-finding","name":"Past","description":"Past.","questions":[{"text":"How did Old Saxon become Middle Low German, the Hanseatic language, and modern dialects?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"study","name":"Study","description":"Linguistics.","findings":[{"id":"study-finding","name":"Study","description":"Study.","questions":[{"text":"How do linguists classify Low German and its varieties?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits Germanic languages generally?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Translate to and from Low German and explain its dialects and history.","Support learners and revitalisation projects."],"mustNot":["Dismiss Low German as merely a broken form of German or Dutch.","Present one dialect as the only correct form.","Invent words or forms without sources."],"requiresHuman":["Translating official or legal documents."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["A regional language with ageing speakers depends on respect to survive.","Speakers were long told their language was inferior."],"affectedParties":["Speakers","Learners","Regional communities"]},"owners":{"steward":"The public: held in common by its speakers; it is protected under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q106937689","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q30134","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"West Germanic language","type":"related","note":"the branch"},{"target":"Old Saxon","type":"related","note":"its ancestor"},{"target":"German","type":"related","note":"it is not a dialect of Standard German"},{"target":"Dutch","type":"related","note":"a close neighbour"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.low-german","Wikidata: Q25433 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25433)","ISO 639-2: nds Low German","ISO 639-3: nds and others Plautdietsch and Dutch Low Saxon have separate codes","Glottolog: code per variety"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["speakers: a few million people - estimates vary widely by definition and survey"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["No High German consonant shift: water, maken, dat","Regional spelling conventions rather than one standard","Standard German, Dutch and Frisian are separate entries","Written in Latin script with several regional spelling conventions; sounds closer to English and Dutch than Standard German in some respects."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain varieties and their distribution","relay recognition and language policy","find learning and literature resources","distinguish it from Standard German and Dutch"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Treating Low German as a dialect of German","Language shift and loss of speakers","Inconsistent spelling across regions"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, part III in several German states","Recognition as a regional language in the Netherlands","State education and media provisions"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Communication and regional identity in northern Germany and the eastern Netherlands.","West Low German dialects such as Westphalian, Eastphalian and Northern Low Saxon","East Low German dialects such as Mecklenburgish and Brandenburgish","Dutch Low Saxon varieties","Plautdietsch spoken by Mennonite communities abroad","historical Old Saxon and Middle Low German"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q25433: Low German","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25433","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Low German","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_German","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should dialect groups be separate entries?","How should speaker estimates be sourced?","The registry entry has merged aliases for historical stages and dialect groups; should they be split off?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q25433/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q25433/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T19:36:31Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:51:57+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane INF: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}