The Language Question
The Salic law code contains the earliest surviving attestations of Old Dutch. They consist mainly of stray words or glosses (Malbergse glossen), but include a full sentence:
| Old Dutch | - | maltho | thi | - | afrio | lito |
| Dutch | ik | meld | jou | ik | bevrijd (je) | laat* |
| English | I | tell | you | I | free (you) | freedman |
- A laat was a form of serfdom in the feudal system. He was a half freed farmer; connected to the land of his lord he worked for, but not owned by his lord. While a "horige" was in full ownership of the lord.
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