THE PRONUNCIATION  OF FRISIAN
(these examples are keyed to my Frisian Reference Grammar, 2nd ed.)

NOTE: some sound files are large and may take a few minutes to load, depending on the speed of your internet connection.

section 2.1.1: the vowel inventory
                           dipthongs

section 2.1.2.1: nasalization

section 2.1.2.5: shortening

section 2.1.2.6: breaking

section 2.2.1: the consonant inventory

section 2.2.2.1: assimilation

section 2.2.2.2: syllabification

section 2.2.2.6: R-deletion

section 2.2.2.8: Final d-deletion

Some Frisian Texts

Excerpt from De Besegeling by Nyckle Haisma

  Berne en opgroeid yn Ynje, sil dêr syn grêf wêze. Syn Heitelân. Ien grutte
  emoasje út syn libben stiet him klear foar eagen.  It frjemde lân, it lân fan
  Heit, en noch  ien, dat fan Mem.  Fan Heit: Fryslân, fan Mem:
  Noarwegen.  Tsien jier wie er, Heit gie mei ferlof, en beide lannen hat er
  sjoen. Fryslân yn maitiidspracht, wylst de sinne skynde oer de marren en de
  wide greiden mei fee. Noarwegen, doe't de hege sinne dreamde yn 'e
  fjorden. Hoe djip is dat alles net fêst set yn syn siel. Heite en Memme lân.
  Mar sines?  Hy hat der nea werom west.

 More-or-less literal translation:
  Born and raised in the Indies, will there his grave be. His fatherland. One
  great emotion from his life stands him clearly before eyes. The strange land,
  the land of father, another one, that of mother.  Of father: Friesland, of
  mother: Norway. Ten years was he, father went on leave, and both lands has
  he seen.  Friesland in spring-splendor, whilst the sun shone over the lakes
  and the wide pastures with cattle. Norway, when the high sun dreamed in
  the fjords. How deeply is that all not fast set in his soul. Father's and
  mother's land. But his? He has there never back been.

Excerpt fan ‘It fleanend Skip’, edited by Ype Poortinga
(a collection of Frisian folk tales)

It Boekje fan de Dea

In jongkeardel út Garyp arbeide by in boer yn Eastermar. Syn faam kaam fan
Sumar en hy lei yn ’e kost by har âlden. It wie in baas reedrider en as it heal
koe gong er op redens nei ’t wurk. Op in kear ried er wer oer iis nei de pleats
en doe seach er op ’e Lits de dea oan ’e kant stean. Dy stiek syn bonkige hân
yn ’e hichte en woe him oanhâlde, mar de feint stode sa hurd as er koe foarby
en kaam efter de pûst en feralterearre op ’e pleats oan. Hy fertelde de boer dat
er de dea stean sjoen hie en dat dy oan him wonken hie – in teken dat er
ferdrinke soe. Hy frege om in hynder, want hy woe daalk oer de hurde wei nei
hûs – de dea hie him samar net te pakken. Hy krige it hynder en sette ôf.

De boer woe witte wat hjir fan oan wie. Hy bûn de redens ûnder en ried nei
de Lits: de dea stie der noch, dat de boer sette de redens dwers en frege him oft
er oan syn feint wonken hie om him mei te nimmen. De dea skodholle en sei:
“Nee, ik woe him net meinimme – ik woe him freegje hoe’t er hjir op redens
foarbykomme koe, wylst yn myn boekje stiet dat er om dizze tiid by Sumar fan
’t hynder falle en de nekke brekke sil.

Translation:
A young fellow from Garyp worked for a farmer in Eastermar. His girlfriend
came from Sumar and he boarded by her parents. He was an excellent skater and
if it was at all possible he went to work on skates. One time he was skating over
the ice to the farm and then on the Lits he saw death standing on the side. Death
stuck his boney hand into the air and wanted to stop him, but the young man
rushed past as fast as he could and arrived at the farm out of breath and terrified.
He told the farmer that he had seen death standing and that he had beckoned to
him – a sign that he would drown. He asked for a horse, because he immediately
wanted to return home via the hardened road – death would not get him that
easily! He took a horse and set off.

The farmer wanted to know what was going on. He tied his skates on and
skated to the Lits. Death was still standing there, so the farmer stopped and asked
him if he had beckoned to his helper to take him along. Death shook his head and
said: “No, I didn’t want to take him along – I wanted to ask him how he could
skate past here, while in my book it says that around this time he’ll fall from his
horse near Sumar and break his neck.”