SV: The Indo-European Hypothesis [was Re: The Neolithic Hypothesis]

[Lars Martin Fosse]

Larry Trask [SMTP:larryt at cogs.susx.ac.uk] skrev 6. april 1999 16:22:

> One of my favorite examples is Norwegian and Icelandic.  Iceland was
> settled from Norway at a time when North Germanic (Scandinavian) already
> exhibited noticeable regional variation.  Accordingly, we would expect
> Icelandic and Norwegian to form a single node within Germanic.  As it
> happens, however, Norwegian has largely developed in contact with its
> neighbors Danish and Swedish, and modern Norwegian is much closer to
> Danish and Swedish -- with which it is at least partly mutually
> comprehensible -- than it is to Icelandic -- with which it is not
> mutually comprehensible at all.  Consequently, our family tree today
> usually puts Icelandic (and Faroese) off on a separate branch from the
> three continental languages, in spite of the historical position.  And
> this example is not isolated.

When you speak about the three Nordic languages Norwegian, Swedish and
Danish, it is necessary to remember that these languages in the period
between 1350 and 1550 (roughly) were heavily influenced by Platt German.
The German Hansa ruled the Nordic world, and its influence upon the Nordic
languages was devastating. It has been estimated that about 35 % of the
most usual words of everyday communication are derived from Platt (this
probably goes both for Swedish and Norwegian), and this is the main reason
why a modern Norwegian can't just pick up his Snorri and read it in the
original like an Icelander. The situation is therefore a little bit more
complex than what you suggest in your mail. Since the development of the
Nordic languages is fairly easy to study, they are excellent examples of
how a "Wave" can work in language development.

Best regards,
Lars Martin Fosse

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Lars Martin Fosse
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