Abstract
Since 1980 Frisian has been an obligatory school subject in Friesland and the language is now an optional medium of instruction in every grade. In 1993, attainment targets were fixed. These specify that Dutch students must be able to speak Frisian at the end of primary school. However, given the (modest) position of Frisian in and outside school, one may wonder whether Dutch children are really able to speak the minority language. This paper addresses that question. Specifically, the focus is on productive vocabulary - a first prerequisite for speaking a language - and the speaking ability of Dutch 8th graders. It is shown that Dutch children's Frisian vocabulary is rather limited, and that their speaking ability is often low. On the basis of these results, some thoughts are advanced concerning the organization of the bilingual program in Friesland. In particular, it is argued that if schools wish to comply with the attainment targets, explicit attention to vocabulary development is called for, as well as increased input and output in the target language.
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