[gothic-l] Re: The Goths, Gutland (Gutones) and the Guta Saga

[Tore Gannholm]

>
>Hi Anders and Matthew,
>
>thanks for your replies. I understand the difficulties in comparing
>two languages that are separated by some 1200 years. However, being
>unable to understand Gothic and Gutnish myself, my question was simply
>whether or not the claim that Gutnish is basically Gothic (which a
>certain Elias Wessen seems to have made in one form or another) is
>valid or not. Personally, I would have found it very exiting if Gothic
>had survived beyond the 6th century not only on the Crimean, but also
>on Gotland.
>
>However, the answer that is emerging seems to be that Gutnish and Old
>Gutnish are not Gothic and are not decendants of Gothic. This is also
>the view of a linguist friend of mine at Stockholm University, who
>confirmed that sources for Old Gutnish go back to the 14th century;
>that it belongs the the East Scandinavian Languages and that Gutnish
>is normally classified as a (unfortunately almost extinct) dialect of
>Swedish.

Dirk,
The Guta law and Guta saga is written down about 1220 and was the official
language of Gotland and well established at that time. There is a time
frame of about 800 years between written Gothic and written Gutnish.

Gotlandic (Gutnish) is not classified as an extinct dialect of Swedish.

If you want I can provide the full text of Guta lagh in Gutnish.

Here follows the index and first paragraph

Guta Lagh
1.	Hier byrias fyrstum.
2.	Af barnum.
3.	Af tiunt.
4.	Af blotan.
5.	Af prestum.
7.	Af munca aigum.
8.	Af mann helg.
9.	Af aldra manna frith.
10.	Af warfrithi.
11.	Af thingfrithi.
12.	Af haima frithi.
13.	Af mandrapi.
14.	Af lutnum sacum.
15.	Af wereldum manna.
16.	Af banda wereldum.
17.	Af osoythom.
18.	Af berthri cuna.
19.	Af sarum.
20.	Af lutum.
	Af mannj innitaknum
21.	Af hor carllum.
22.	Af quinna scam.	O
23.	Af quinna gripum.
24.	Af brythlaupum.
	Af erfis gierthum.
	Af scarlathi.
	Af raithclethum.
	Af gutniscum cunum.
	Af ogutniscu fulki.
	Af farvegum manz.
25.	Af scoga brigslum.
26.	Af halfgierthi.
27.	Af sauthi.
28.	Af aigna caupi.
29.	Af gieldum.
30.	Af wethium.
31.	Af thingum.
32.	Af fear crafi.
	Af cauptum mannj
33.	Af cauptum uksa.
	Af cauptri ko
34.	Af cauptum hestj.
35.	Af hesta tect.
36.	Af scipa gezlum.
37.	Af ranzaki.
38.	Af thiaufa reth.
39.	Af oquethins orthum.
40.	Af o merctu smafilethi.
41.	Af svinum.
42.	Af bo lambum.
43.	Af fastum vethuri o
	cliptum.
44.	Af fastum vethuri
	cliptum.
45.	Af buccum oc gaitum.
	Af nautum oc russum
46.	Af a merki.
47.	Af acrum.
48.	Af rofu acrum.
49.	Af hafreki.
50.	Af eldi.
51.	Af bieru eldi.
52.	Af broa gerth.
53.	Af scuti	.
54.	Af warthi.
55.	Af husum oc
	hus thiauthum.
56.	Af byrgslu fulki.
	Af setha lausu fulki
57.	Af i cornum.
58.	Af herum.
59.	Af scafli.
60.	Af messu falli.
61.	Af dufli.
Guta Lagh
1. Hier byrias lagh guta oc segia so at fyrstum
Thitta ir fyrst upp haf i lagum orum thet wir sculum naicca haithnu oc
iatta crisnu. Oc troa allir aann guth alzvaldanda. Oc hann thar bithia thet
hann unni os ar oc frith sigr oc hailsu Oc thet et vir magin halda
cristindomi orum Oc tro vari retri oc landi oru bygdu Oc vir magin huern
dag thet sysla i allum giarningum Oc vilia orum. sum guthi sei dyrth i Oc
or sei mest tharf at bethi til lifs oc sialar.

I don't know of any Swedish professor in Nordic languages that have even
suggested that Gotlandic should have been a Swedish dialect. On the
contrary they agree that Gotlandic is a separate language.

Tore



Although Old Gutnish retained many archaic features, it is
>neither Gothic nor a derivation of Gothic.
>
>cheers
>Dirk
>
>
>
>
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