Greenlandic Norse
Encyclopedia
Greenlandic Norse is an extinct North Germanic language that was spoken in the Norse settlements of Greenland
until their demise in the late 15th century. The language is attested through some 80 runic inscriptions
, many of which are difficult to date and not all of which were necessarily carved by people born in Greenland.
It is difficult to identify specifically Greenlandic linguistic features in the limited runic material. Nevertheless, there are inscriptions showing the use of t for historical þ in words such as torir rather than þorir and tana rather than þana. This linguistic innovation has parallels in West Norwegian in the late medieval period. On the other hand Greenlandic appears to have retained some features which changed in other types of Scandinavian. This includes initial hl and hr, otherwise only preserved in Icelandic
, and the long vowel œ, which merged with æ in Icelandic but was preserved in Norwegian
.
Greenlandic Norse is believed to have been in language contact
with Kalaallisut
, the language of the local Inuit people
, and to have left loanword
s in that language. In particular, the Kalaallisut word Kalaaleq (older Karaaleq), meaning Greenlander, is believed to be derived from the word Skræling
r, the Norse term for the people they encountered in North America
. It has also been suggested that the word kona, meaning woman, is of Norse origin.
The available evidence does not establish the presence of language attrition
, the language most likely disappeared with the ethnic group that spoke it.
, far north of the Norse settlements. It was presumably carved by Norse explorers.
The patronymic Tortarson (standardized Old Norse: Þórðarson) shows the change from þ to t while the word hloþu (Old Icelandic hlóðu, Old Norwegian lóðu) shows the retention of initial hl.
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
until their demise in the late 15th century. The language is attested through some 80 runic inscriptions
Runic inscriptions
A runic inscription is an inscription made in one of the various runic alphabets. The body of runic inscriptions falls into the three categories of Elder Futhark , Anglo-Frisian Futhorc and Younger Futhark .The total 350 known inscriptions in the Elder...
, many of which are difficult to date and not all of which were necessarily carved by people born in Greenland.
It is difficult to identify specifically Greenlandic linguistic features in the limited runic material. Nevertheless, there are inscriptions showing the use of t for historical þ in words such as torir rather than þorir and tana rather than þana. This linguistic innovation has parallels in West Norwegian in the late medieval period. On the other hand Greenlandic appears to have retained some features which changed in other types of Scandinavian. This includes initial hl and hr, otherwise only preserved in Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
, and the long vowel œ, which merged with æ in Icelandic but was preserved in Norwegian
Old Norwegian
Old Norwegian refers to a group of Old Norse dialects spoken and written in Norway in the Middle Ages. They bridged the dialect continuum from Old East Norse to Old West Norse.-Old Norwegian vs Common Norse:...
.
Greenlandic Norse is believed to have been in language contact
Language contact
Language contact occurs when two or more languages or varieties interact. The study of language contact is called contact linguistics.Multilingualism has likely been common throughout much of human history, and today most people in the world are multilingual...
with Kalaallisut
Kalaallisut language
Greenlandic is an Eskimo–Aleut language spoken by about 57,000 people in Greenland. It is closely related to the Inuit languages in Canada, such as Inuktitut...
, the language of the local Inuit people
Kalaallit
Kalaallit is the contemporary term in the Kalaallisut language for the indigenous people living in Greenland, also called the Kalaallit Nunaat. The singular term is kalaaleq. The Kalaallit are a part of the Arctic Inuit people. The language spoken by Inuit in Greenland is Kalaallisut.Historically,...
, and to have left loanword
Loanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
s in that language. In particular, the Kalaallisut word Kalaaleq (older Karaaleq), meaning Greenlander, is believed to be derived from the word Skræling
Skræling
Skræling is the name the Norse Greenlanders used for the indigenous peoples they encountered in North America and Greenland. In surviving sources it is first applied to the Thule people, the Eskimo group with whom the Norse coexisted in Greenland after about the 13th century...
r, the Norse term for the people they encountered in North America
Norse colonization of the Americas
The Norse colonization of the Americas began as early as the 10th century, when Norse sailors explored and settled areas of the North Atlantic, including the northeastern fringes of North America....
. It has also been suggested that the word kona, meaning woman, is of Norse origin.
The available evidence does not establish the presence of language attrition
Language attrition
Language attrition is the loss of a first or second language or a portion of that language by individuals. Speakers who routinely use more than one language may not use either of their languages in ways which are exactly like that of a monolingual speaker...
, the language most likely disappeared with the ethnic group that spoke it.
Sample text
The Kingittorsuaq Runestone dates from ca. 1300, discovered near UpernavikUpernavik
Upernavik is a small town in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northwestern Greenland, located on a small island of the same name. With 1,129 inhabitants as of 2010, it is the thirteenth-largest town in Greenland. Due to the small size of the settlement, everything is within walking distance...
, far north of the Norse settlements. It was presumably carved by Norse explorers.
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