[gothic-l] Re: Old Gutnish

[Tore Gannholm]

>Yes, professional and objective. I will try to analyze those examples
>this weekend. But I think that a few isolated words that sound like
>Gothic can not change the overall character of Gutnish that, for me,
>is clearly Scandinavic. I found also an explanation for this:
>In Gotland was initially spoken Gothic. A part (pprobably the grater
>part) of the Goths og Gotland crossed the Baltic sea and migrated
>south- and westwards, becoming the Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Gepids,
>Gothi Minores, Crimean Goths, etc.
>Those who chosed to remain in their homeland, Gotland, were gradually
>"scandinavized" linguistically, maybe by arrival of settlers from the
>Swedish mainland, maybe through political dominance of Sweden, or
>because of both reasons, so that the attested Old Gutnish language was
>already an East Scandinavic language with some Gothic residues, but
>the inhabitants preserved their old name (Guta "Goth", Gutland "land
>of Goths").

Hi Francisc,
Your comments are very interesting.
It was no political dominance from Sweden over Gotland. There is nothing
that indicates such a thing.
However after the Heruli immigration beginning 6th century to the Lake
Mälar area those immigrants established a kingdom in that part of Sweden.
There was probably middle of the 6th century after some wars established
peace and trade agreement between Gotland and the Svear.

During the following centuries we can see those to peolpe work together and
colonize parts of Russia.

In Gutasaga which is the foreword to Gutalagh
one can read

Mangir kunungar stridu agutland mithan hathit war. thau hieldu gutar e
iemlica sithri Oc ret sinum. Sithan sentu gutar sendumen manga tjl
suiarikis En engin thaira fic frith gart fyr than awair strabain af alfha
socn hann gierthi fyrsti frith withr suja kunung.
tha en gutar hann til bathu at fara. tha suarathi hann. Mik witin ir nu
faigastan oc fallastan giefin tha mir en ir wilin et iec fari innan slikan
watha thry wereldi. att mir sielfum. annat burnum synj minum. Oc thrithia
cunu. thy et hann war senieldr. Oc fiel kunnungur so sum saghur af ganga
gicc hann a staggathan ret withr suia kunung. Siextighi marca silfs vm arr
huert. thet ier scattr guta so at suiarikis cunungr fiauratighi marcr silfs
af thaim siextighi. En ierl hafi tiughu marcr silfs. thinna stathgath
gierthi hann mith lanz rathj. fyr en hann haiman fori.
So gingu gutar sielfs wiliandi vndir suia kunung thy at thair mattin frir
Oc frelsir sykia suiariki j huerium stath. vtan tull oc allar utgiftir. So
aigu oc suiar sykia gutland firir vtan cornband ellar annur forbuth.
hegnan oc hielp sculdi kunungur gutum at waita. En thair withr thorftin. oc
kallathin. sendimen al oc kunungr oc ierl samulaith a gutnal thing senda.
Oc latta thar taka scatt sinn. thair sendibuthar aighu frith lysa gutum
alla stethi til sykia yfir haf sum upsala kunungi til hoyrir. Oc so thair
sum than wegin aigu hinget sykia

The Gotlanders paid a small amount to the Svear in order to freely trade in
the countries the Svear conquered.

Tore



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