#elfdalian

[yvanspijk]

Nine, neun, negen

There are two types of words for 9 in the Germanic languages. Type 1 is g-less: there's German neun, Swedish nio, and Icelandic níu among others. Type 2 does have a g, as in Dutch negen, West Frisian njoggen, and Low Saxon negene. You'd think that English nine is type 1, but it used to have a g too: in Old English, it was nigon. It lost its g in Middle English. So did neun, nio and níu lost their g too? No, they've never had one. The g only evolved in the north-western branch of West Germanic. Words from other Indo-European branches, such as Latin novem, lack a g too. My new graphic tells you all about it.

[edensmidian]

[krisfreedain]

A small town in Sweden fights to preserve the Elfdalian language

[ball-eis-korakas]

Isolated people in Sweden only stopped using runes 100 years ago

In a remote part of Sweden they used runes until just a hundred years ago The people in the area also speak their own language: Elfdalian.

The runes of Älvdalen -- dalrunerne -- are reminiscent of those used on runes stones in Denmark but there are a number of differences.  Dalrunerne developed over time, influenced partially by the Latin alphabet.

[maureenlycaon]

Nursery to teach 'Viking language'

Swedish nursery school will use the immersion method to teach children a rare Viking-era language.

What appeals to me the most about this is that there is a language called Elfdalian. Really.

Better yet, Elfdalian runes were still used until 1929.

[voluptuarian]

Weekly World Music: “Swart” - Lena Willemark

Lena Willemark is a Swedish composer, singer, and fiddler who began her solo career in 1989. Her sound frequently draws on jazz and traditional music; she also frequently sings in Elfdalian, an extremely rare language spoken only within the parish of Älvdalen in Dalarna, that evolved from Old Norse.

She has collaborated with a variety of other artists over the years, and in addition to her solo career is also a member of several bands including Frifot, “a group devoted to improvising on traditional Swedish tunes” and Nordan, which reworks medieval ballads.

Black as a forest lake Above the water the moon hangs I am waiting for a whole new life I am waiting And the heart yearns for the light.

[learn-old-norse]

Älvdalska runor/Elfdalian runes.

Dalrunor from the 1500 century

Dalrunro from the 1700-1800 century. 

[tokonsaken]

Some Älvdalska vocabulary

(disclaimer: image isn’t mine and probably doesn’t depict Sweden)

Älvdalska (Elfdalian) is an endangered North Germanic language spoken in coastal Western Sweden. It is considered a distinct language from Swedish by linguists.

trai | wood iemat | home av | sea syta | to guard suolniðgaungg | sunset stimba | fog, evening fog glyöða | to glow kelingg | wife