From: konrad_oddsson
Message: 2827
Date: 2003-03-23
> If I speak Danish, you speak Norwegian.True. Modern Bokmål and Modern Danish are classed together by modern
> And both of us speak German.
> Sørlandsk (Norwegian from the south (coast)) has severaldialects, none of which are excactly the same as Danish, norsk
> a dialectal area. Sørlandsk is no more danish than the othernorwegian dialects just because the pronounciation is different.
> Lillesand, we have plenty of words more commonly assosiated withnynorsk or old norse, but not danish. For example, we say 'au' (ON
> other languages like german, danish and english (or rather latin-based words), yet it's still norwegian.
> it changed. Sad, but true.Norway was hit harder than any country in Europe by the Black Death -
>Gottskálksson
>
>
>
> >From: "konrad_oddsson" <konrad_oddsson@...>
> >Reply-To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
> >To: norse_course@yahoogroups.com
> >Subject: [norse_course] Re: 'Ek em frá Aust-Ögðum' - Oddur
> >þýddisouth
> >Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 03:32:15 -0000
> >
> >Sæll Terje!
> >
> >--- In norse_course@yahoogroups.com, "Terje Ellefsen"
> ><radiorabia@...> wrote:
> > >
> > > "With sout Norwegian I mean the dialects spoken not in the
> >east, but rather in the extreme south and south west. In this areavisited
> >people speak with a very strong Danish accent, which makes the
> >classifications quite difficult."
> > >
> > > I come from a small town near Kristiansand in Aust-Agder, so I
> >speak south norwegian. Yet to me, it's not that much Danish. True,
> >many of us use soft consonants rather than hard (e.g. d instead of
> >t), but I think there's a common misconception that down south, we
> >speak almost Danish.
> >
> >You speak Danish. I have relatives from Aust-Ögðum and have
> >and stayed in the area. I also inherited a lot of books publishedin
> >southern Norway during roughly the 17th - 19th centuries. Priorthe
> >Norwegian independence, the published language of southern Norwayafter
> >(usually called 'Bokmål') was actually called Danish (which is the
> >'correct' term for the language). The name 'Bokmål' was chosen
> >independence, largely for political reasons. Originally, 'Bokmål'it
> >was a term used by Norwegians to refer to the Danish language as
> >appeared in books - this was before most Norwegians had learned toprotestant
> >read or speak this new 'Bokmål', in the aftermath of the
> >reformation. The Danish-speaking merchant class in southern Norwaythe 'educa-
> >had grown tremendously in power and prestige since the Black Death
> >nearly destroyed Norway roughly two centuries earlier. West Norse
> >(the original language) as a living language was dead in most of
> >southern Norway by the reformation. Those who still spoke it were
> >looked down on by the gentile 'upper' classes, who spoke
> >ted' 'book'-language of the Danes, who were then in charge of thethan
> >country. There were few schools, especially in the poorer outlying
> >areas where the language was still descended from Norse rather
> >Modern Danish. While the Black Death left Norway reeling and closethe
> >to linguistic extinction, it was the reformation that delivered
> >death-blow to Norse in Norway. The fatal decision was made by thedecision
> >wealthy ruling elite in the south of the country - it was a
> >made purely in their own self-interest (they could not understandthe
> >the Norse language), a decision which would later greatly anger
> >rural population of their country after indepence, a decisionwhich
> >would damn their own country to linguistic extinction - the Danishat
> >Bible. Yes, that´s right - the Danish Bible and the thousands of
> >Biblical tracts and commentaries printed and disributed to every
> >home in the Danish language. The Danish Bible - read every Sunday
> >church, every day at home. Did they have a choice? Yes, they did.the
> >They had a choice and they made the wrong decision - they chose
> >Bible only they could read (the fancy 'bokmål' one) over the onethe
> >rest of their impoverished countrymen would be able to understand.Oddur
> >They rejected the excellent New Testament translation made by
> >Gottskálsson into Norse, which became the basis for all of thelater
> >Icelandic versions. Oddur was 1/2 Norwegian and 1/2 Icelandic -and,
> >most importantly, he offered both countries his translation (moreNew
> >correctly, others did his bidding for him). Oddur translated the
> >Testament into Norse secretly as he laboured away secretly nightfor
> >after night in a 'fjós' (Norse for 'cow-house', older 'féhús'). He
> >had to hide his work from the Bishop of Skálholt - fourtunately
> >Oddur, the bishop was old and going blind. To this day, Norway islanguage -
> >the only Scandinavian country not to have a Bible in its
> >for this we have the Danish-speaking ruling class to thank, aclass
> >which did not care for the welfare and education of theircountrymen
> >until long after independence from Denmark. Truely, they stilldon´t
> >care - they never have. Only Ireland lost a higher percetage ofits
> >native population than Norway to the United States and Canada.Why?
> >Need we ask? Their ARE real West Norse words for what was happingin
> >Norway from the Black Death (svarti dauðinn) down to our times - aclass
> >few are 'lénsmennska', 'lénsríki' and 'lénssjórn'. There is a
> >of cold and cruel robber-barons in every Scandinavian country(there
> >is no exception to this rule), but in no Scandinavian country haveNor-
> >they committed worse crimes against their own countrymen than in
> >way. I have heard it said 'they should have been hung fortreason'.
> >Without taking sides on the issue of capital punishment, I willsay
> >that I am firmly opposed to their plans for the 'Norwegian'language.
> >stop
> >Oddur Gottskálksson þýddi - en honum enginn hlýddi
> >
> >Kveðja,
> >Konráð.
> >
> >P.S. I once recall hearing a rather well-educated Norwegian woman
> >complain about all of the mideaval Norwegian art and valuables now
> >sitting in Danish Museums. I told her, 'One can take a ferry and
> >visit friends and museums in Denmark - one cannot take a ferry to
> >visit the language of Norway'. As she obviously had no clue what I
> >was even talking about, I informed her that Norwegians can now
> >blaming the Danes - nothing happened without the full co-operationetc.'
> >of the self-interested and guilty in back home in Norway.
> >
> >Ask any educated Icelander and you will likely receive a similar
> >answer about what went on in Iceland during the long years leading
> >up to independence - 'you know, connections, money to be made,
> >mellom deg og
> >May we have happier Nordic tides in years to come.
> >
> >Regards,
> >Konrad.
> >
> >
> >
>
>
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