It is Mother Language Day. Research shows that Dutch is the main language in 65 percent of Drenthe households. Low Saxon, which includes Drenthe, is spoken in 31.1 percent of households. But what about online?
The vast majority of people, more than 83 percent, write messages on social media in Dutch. About 35 percent also use other languages, including English. Low Saxon is used online by four percent.
One of those four percent is Marco Holties. The 31-year-old from Hoogeven is a true TikTok sensation with 53,000 followers. Almost every day he posts a short video on social media and he does so in Drenthe.
Marco’s videos are viewed thousands of times. In total they have even been liked one and a half million times. The fact that Marco Drents talks is very much appreciated by his followers. But Marco also notices that there are fewer and fewer people who can speak Drenthe.