Introduction.
The Nordic area and general history of the Nordic countries
SAS1. January 22, 2016
SAS1
Course description
SAS1 intends to give an overview of the linguistic conditions in Scandinavia in general and in Norway in particular. The lectures will focus on changes within language itself due to internal conditions as well as on historical, political, and social factors influencing language. The syllabus consists of various articles focusing on
development and variation in the Nordic languages in past and present. The course attempts to compare and account for the differences of these languages on a micro structural level as well as on a macro structural level. Being a major minority language in the region the Sámi language is also discussed in a similar linguistic context.
We will also see how the question of language triggers conflicts on many levels (aesthetically, geopolitically, and socially) for instance explaining why and how Norway with a population of 5.1 million inhabitants has two – surprisingly similar – standard varieties ("Bokmål" and "Nynorsk"). Sessions will consist of group discussions, lectures, plenary discussions and group assignments.
Target group: Exchange students
Normal full-time study load: ½ semester, 15 ECTS
Exam: There will be a written exam May 12. Examination duration: 6 hours
SAS1, Norwegian Language, Spring 2016
January 22
Introduction. The Nordic area and the general history of the Nordic countries.
Reading: Vikør 2001, ch. 1 and pp. 29−64
January 29
History of the Nordic languages
Reading: Birkmann 2002, Akselberg 2004, Gregersen 2001 February 5: No lecture
February 12
Norwegian language history in the 19th Century with the development of two standard varieties in Norwegian.
Reading: Vikør 2001, pp. 17−63, 98−103 and 206−213. Haugen 1966, ch. 1, 2, and 7, Gregersen 2001.
February 19
Language conflict and language planning: Norwegian in the 20th Century Reading: Jahr 2004, Lundeby 2004
February 26: No lecture
March 4
The current situation for Nynorsk
Reading: Vikør: “The Nynorsk Language of Norway” and Halleråker: “The Nynorsk Language”.
March 11
Dialects of spoken Norwegian
Reading: Akselberg 2002, Akselberg 2004, Røyneland 2009
March 18
Is there a Norwegian spoken standard language?
Reading: Akselberg 2004, Røyneland 2009
March 25: No lecture, Easter
April 1
Sami and minority languages
Reading: Vikør 2001, pp. 64−80, 91−98, 175−177 and 204−206. Helander 1997, Hyltenstam 2004
April 8
Student presentations Summary
April 15
The languages of Sweden and Danmark Reading: Vikør 2001, pp. 45−52, 188−199
April 22 Insular Nordic
Reading: Karlsson 2004, Sandøy 2008
April 29
Ideologies and issues in Nordic language planning; purism vs. liberalism. Attitudes towards English loanwords.
Reading: Vikør 2001, chapter 7 and pp. 57−66 and 172−175.
May 6
The Scandinavian “semi-communication”
Curriculum
• Vikør 2001: book or free online version
• litteraturkiosken.uib.no
• oria.no
– Akselberg, Gunnstein 2004: “Dialects and regional linguistic varieties in the 20th century II:
Norway”. In: O. Bandle et. al. (ed.): The Nordic languages. An International Handbook of the History of the North Germanic Languages, Volume 2. Berlin and N.Y.: Walter de Gruyter, pp.
1707−1722. Free digital access via UBB/Oria:
http://bibsysprimo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/UBB:default_scope:BIBSYS_ILS090079493 Chapter download pp. 678–692.
Task
The Nordic countries
Nordic countries incl. autonomous territories
Sweden
Denmark
Norway Independence 1905
Iceland Independence 1944
Finland Independence 1917
Åland
Semi-autonomous position within Finland
Faroe Islands
Autonomous territory within Denmark Home rule since 1948
Greenland
Autonomous territory within Denmark Home rule since 1979
Viking attacks (green arrows) and trade routes (read lines)
Historical background
800 – 1050: Viking Age 1349 – 1350: The Black Death 1300 – 1700: Hansa era 1397 – 1521: The Kalmar Union
1523 – 1830: A divided region. Sweden-Finland (incl. Åland) forms alliance against Denmark-Norway (incl. Iceland, Greenland and the Faroes). Denmark looses Norway to Sweden during Karl Johan’s reign (1814). Finland is occupied by Russia (1809) 1536: Reformation
1830 – 1860: Scandinavianism and nationalism 1905: Norway declares independence 1917: Finland declares independence
1921: Åland obtains semi-autonomous position 1940 – 1945: WWII
1944: Iceland declares independence 1948: Home Rule for the Faroe Islands 1953: The Nordic council
1954: Nordic Passport Union 1979: Home Rule for Greenland
Languages in the Nordic region
• Denmark (Danish, German)
– The Faroe Islands(Faroese, Danish) – Greenland(Inuit/Greenlandic (and Danish))
• Finland (Finnish and Swedish
are national languages. Sámi has official status in some areas. The Sami, Romani and other peoples have the right to maintain and develop their language (Romani, Russian, Tatar, Yiddish, Karelian) and culture + right to use sign language)– Åland Islands (Swedish)
• Sweden (Swedish
+ six official minority languages: Finnish, Meänkieli (Torne Valley Finnish), Sami, Yiddish, Romani Chib and Swedish sign language)• Norway (Norwegian
(Bokmål and Nynorsk) + languages with different degrees of official status: Norwegian Sami (three written languages:Northern Sami, Lule Sami and Southern Sami), Kven, Romani, Romanes and Norwegian sign language)
• Iceland: Icelandic
In addition: heterogeneous immigrant groups
http://www.norden.org/en/fakta-om-norden-1/language
The weather forecast page yr.no:
(Official) languages in the Nordic countries
Indo-european Uralic Eskimo-Aleut
Germanic
Nordic (North Germanic)
Finno-Ugric
Greenlandic Danish Swedish Norwegian Faroese Icelandic
Sámi Finnish
Kven Meänkieli
http://www.ethnologue.com/browse/families
One Version of the Theory of the Spread of Indo-European Languages
(From M. Bernal, Black Athena).
http://www.uark.edu/campus- resources/dlevine/MAP.html
Indo-European languages
Emigration from areas between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea about 3000 years ago towards north (Slavic languages), towards northwest (Germanic languages), towards west (Romance languages and Celtic languages) and towards southeast (Indo-Iranian languages).
Great differences because of influence from
substrata (earlier languages in the different areas).
The traditional illustration
August Schleicher pioneered the idea that languages could be arranged in evolutionary trees.
This is a model with
shortcomings.
Link to more information
Uralic languages
Alternative models of the Nordic
language family
Old Nordic
West Nordic East Nordic
Icelandic Faroese Norwegian Swedish Danish
Model of the relationship between the Nordic languages, based on historical language changes
Nordic
Insular Nordic Scandinavian
Icelandic Faroese Norwegian Swedish Danish
Model of the relationship between the Nordic languages, based on mutual understanding nordskandinavisk sørskandinavisk
Major languages in Norway
• Norwegian
– Nynorsk as main written form: 10-15% (approx.
500 000 people)
– Bokmål as main written form: 90-85% (4,5 mill)
• 30,000 Sámi speakers
• 2000 Finnish and Kven speakers
• A few hundred Romani and Romanes speakers
• (Immigrant languages)
Immigrants from Poland are still the largest immigrant group in the country, with 91 000 persons. The growth in the Polish immigrant group during 2014 was 7 000. Poles now constitute nearly 14 per cent of immigrants in Norway. The second largest group of immigrants are still Swedes, with 36 900 residents. Lithuanians are in third place with 35 900 persons; 3 000 more than the previous year.
Nordic history in five lines
200 − 500: Ancient Scandianvian 500 − 700: Syncope period
800: Split between East and West Nordic languages 1200: Split between North and South Nordic languages Post 1500: Split between Insular and Mainland Nordic
jag vet att han kommer hem jeg ved at han kommer hjem jeg vet at han kommer hjem eg veit at han kjem heim eg veit at hann kemur heim ég veit að hann kemur heim
Low Middle German influence on Modern Norwegian:
• Skredderen tenkte attrøya passet fortreffelig, men kunden klaget og mente atplagget varkort ogtøyet simpelt oggrovt.
• De schrâder dachte dat die trôie vortreffelik paste, men de kunde klâgde und mênde dat die plagge kort was und dat tüg simpel und grof.
• Klæðskerinn hélt að skyrtanpassaðifullkomlega, en
viðskiptavinurinn kvartaði og taldi að flíkin væri stutt og efnið einfalt og gróft.
Abstandsprache and Ausbausprache
(Torp 2004)
Abstandssprache: (language by distance: the Sámi languages) and Ausbausprache (language by development, key word
«degree of standarization», BM, NN, Sw. and Danish. Old Icelandic also a ausbau language compared to Old Norwegian.)
Language or dialect?
- Kven Finnish
- Norwegian Danish Swedish
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML)
Geographical dialect continuua
(Torp 2004)
The creation of (written) standard languages
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Danish Norwegian Swedish
Norden
Danmark Finland
Island
Norge
Sverige Färöarna
Grönland
Åland
Five states, eight countries Denmark
Finland Iceland Norway Sweden The Faroe Islands
Greenland Åland
24 million inhabitants (EU: 370 million) 19 inhabitats pr km2(EU: 116)
samfunnsbærende språk: Danish, Finnish, Faroese, Greenlandic, Icelandic, Sámi and Swedish, Norwegian
statsbærende språk: Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Swedish and Norwegian
(Nordisk språkdeklarasjon, 2006)
The Nordic language community
• A diverse and loosely united unity. 24 mill. people – 18 mill. with Scandinavian as their first language
• A Nordic language unity is neither a given natural fact nor is it certain and safe for the future. Dependent on state support and popular support
