Jens Christian Svabo
Encyclopedia
Jens Christian Svabo was a pioneering Faroese linguist
, scholar, and ethnographer. Svabo was born in Miðvágur
, Vágar
, the Faroe Islands
to a minister and his wife. Svabo studied history, music, and theology in Miðvágur and later in Tórshavn
. Between 1765 and 1800 he lived in Denmark and studied music there, especially the violin. In 1800, he returned to Tórshavn and lived in a house known as the Pætursarstovu: it was in the attic of this home that in 1928 a book of songs written by Svabo was found. This manuscript is now part of the collection of the Føroya Landsbókasavn (Faroese National Library).
Svabo's work as a songwriter is of merit and indeed, his songs are still played and recorded by groups interested in traditional Faroese and Celtic music. However, it is Svabo's work on the Faroese language and its tradition of oral folktales that has brought him the greatest attention. Svabo's travels around Vágar and later the areas around Tórshavn were at their time unmatched and his efforts to write down oral legends and tales were the first real impetus to the serious study of Faroese oral history
. He also wrote a dictionary (republished in the 1960s as: Dictionarium færoense. København: Munksgaard) and worked to standardize the Faroese written language in terms of spelling and grammar to match the traditional spoken language (see Svabo's Om den færøske marsviin-fangst). His efforts to examine distinct dialects of Faroese (especially that of his native Vágar) were the first efforts in this area of regional linguistics of Faroese, also.
The Føroya Landsbókasavn has a number of items and exhibits related to Svabo's diverse career.
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, scholar, and ethnographer. Svabo was born in Miðvágur
Miðvágur
Miðvágur is a village in the Faroe Islands on Vágar. It has been a municipality until 1 January, 2009 when it fused with Sandavágur into Vága kommuna.Located on the south coast of the island of Vágar, Miðvágur is the largest town on this Faroese island...
, Vágar
Vágar
Vágar is one of the 18 islands in the archipelago of the Faroe Islands and the most westerly of the large islands. With a size of 178 km² , it ranks number three, behind Streymoy and Eysturoy....
, the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
to a minister and his wife. Svabo studied history, music, and theology in Miðvágur and later in Tórshavn
Tórshavn
Tórshavn is the capital and largest town of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the north west of the town lies the high mountain Húsareyn, and to the southwest, the high Kirkjubøreyn...
. Between 1765 and 1800 he lived in Denmark and studied music there, especially the violin. In 1800, he returned to Tórshavn and lived in a house known as the Pætursarstovu: it was in the attic of this home that in 1928 a book of songs written by Svabo was found. This manuscript is now part of the collection of the Føroya Landsbókasavn (Faroese National Library).
Svabo's work as a songwriter is of merit and indeed, his songs are still played and recorded by groups interested in traditional Faroese and Celtic music. However, it is Svabo's work on the Faroese language and its tradition of oral folktales that has brought him the greatest attention. Svabo's travels around Vágar and later the areas around Tórshavn were at their time unmatched and his efforts to write down oral legends and tales were the first real impetus to the serious study of Faroese oral history
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
. He also wrote a dictionary (republished in the 1960s as: Dictionarium færoense. København: Munksgaard) and worked to standardize the Faroese written language in terms of spelling and grammar to match the traditional spoken language (see Svabo's Om den færøske marsviin-fangst). His efforts to examine distinct dialects of Faroese (especially that of his native Vágar) were the first efforts in this area of regional linguistics of Faroese, also.
The Føroya Landsbókasavn has a number of items and exhibits related to Svabo's diverse career.