--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "xigung" <xigung@...> wrote:
> Terje Ellefsen wrote:
>
> > I'm referring to the language of Gotland.
> >(I think someone on this list called it gutniska)
That would be I. Scholars refer to the classical language of Gotland
as Gutniska.
> The Gotlanders themselves seem to prefer to call it "gutamål"
> (see the web page I quote below).
Yes, Gutamål is the what they call the language of today; however,
this is far from being the same as the classical language of yore.
Scholars use the term 'Gutniska' because it is the term they believe
an actual Viking Age Gotlander would have called his tongue.
> When I entered "gutnisk" into the search engine, not
> much came up. But when I entered "gutamål" lots of
> pages came up.
You can find a lot of modern things in Gutamål, but you will find
only one surviving manuscript and some inscriptions in Gutniska.
> Then I also realized that in Sweden they say "Gutasagan"
> with an "n" at the end. In fact, when I entered it like that,
> I did find it here:
>
> http://www.guteinfo.com/special/103.htm
> (with Swedish text in paralell)
The '-n' in 'Gutasagan' is the definite article (=the story of the
Gutar). This text, as well as the longer 'Guta Lagh' from the same
manuscript, are all that survive of Gutniska except for some runic
inscriptions (which can also be found online). This manuscript is
usually dated to the late 13th or early 14th century. The spelling
is erratic and every bit as bad as the spelling seen in many West
Norse manuscripts - the writer often spells the same word several
different ways, much like in most West Norse manuscripts.
> I'll advise all Old Norse fans to take a look at it.
> Can you see much difference in comparison to ON?
Linguists do classify it as the 'same' language as other Old Norse.
I can read it with only occasional obstacles. However, as the most
easterly recorded dialect of Scandinavian, Gutniska contrasts well
with Old West Norse/Icelandic - it shows the greatest difference.
Keep in mind, however, that the true language of Viking Age Gotland,
the language of the pre-Christian population, could hardly have been
exactly the same as the poorly-spelled and otherwise younger version
seen in this late 13th or early 14th century text. In reality, the
language of Viking Age Gotland was almost certainly more rather than
less like the West Norse of the same period. Because the language of
Viking Age Gotland was the easternmost dialect, and because it is
believed to have been a linguistic gem of comparable value to the
most oldest and purest West Norse of the same period, many scholars
have shown a keen interest in trying to reconstruct the language of
Viking Age Gotland. This manuscript is invaluable for this purpose,
as well as for having something important to say about the history
and laws of the island. I hope you enjoy it.
Regards,
Konrad.
> Best
> Xigung