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he North Germanic languages or Scandinavian languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages, a sub-family of the Indo-European languages, along with the West Germanic languages and the extinct East Germanic languages. The language group is sometimes referred to as the Nordic languages, a direct translation of the most common term used among Danish, Swedish and Norwegian scholars and laypeople. In Scandinavia, Scandinavian language(s) is also used as a term referring specifically to the mutually intelligible languages of the three Scandinavian countries.
The '''North Germanic languages''', '''Norse''' or '''Scandinavian languages''' make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages, a sub-family of the Indo-European languages, along with the West Germanic languages and the extinct East Germanic languages like [[Gothic]].  
The term "North Germanic languages" is used in genetic linguistics, while the term "Scandinavian languages" appears in studies of the modern standard languages and the dialect continuum of Scandinavia.
Approximately 20 million people in the Nordic countries have a Scandinavian language as their mother tongue,[4] including a Swedish minority in Finland. Languages belonging to the North Germanic language tree are, to some extent, spoken on Greenland and by immigrant groups mainly in North America and Australia.  


== History ==
In a letter to [[Naomi Mitchison]], [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] wrote that:


From around the year 200 AD, speakers of the [[North Germanic]] branch became distinguishable from the other Germanic language speakers. The early development of this language branch is attested through Runic inscriptions.
{{quote|The [[Dalish|language of Dale]] and the [[Long Lake]] would, if it appeared, be represented as more or less Scandinavian in character; but it is only represented by a few names, especially those of the Dwarves that came from that region. These are all Old Norse Dwarf-names.|{{L|144}}}}
After the Proto-Norse and [[Old Norse]] periods, the North Germanic languages developed into an East Scandinavian branch, consisting of Danish and Swedish; and a West Scandinavian branch, consisting of Norwegian, Faroese and Icelandic. [[Scandinavia]]n settlers brought [[Old North Germanic]] to Iceland and the Faroe islands around 800 CE. Of the modern Scandinavian languages, written Icelandic is closest to this ancient language. An additional language, known as Norn, developed on Orkney and Shetland after Vikings had settled there around 800 CE, but this language became extinct around 1700.
In medieval times, speakers of all the Scandinavian languages could understand one another and they referred to it as a single language, called the "Danish tongue" until the 13th century in Sweden and Iceland. In the 16th century, Danes and Swedes still referred to North Germanic as a single language, which is stated in the introduction to the first Danish translation of the Bible and in Olaus Magnus' A Description of the Northern Peoples.
Yet, by 1600, the genetic East Scandinavian and West Scandinavian branches had become reconfigured from a syntactic point of view into an insular group (Icelandic and Faroese) and a continental group (Danish, Norwegian and Swedish). The division between Insular Scandinavian (ö-nordisk/ø-nordisk) and Continental Scandinavian (Skandinavisk) developed due to different influences, and is based on the degree of mutual intelligibility between the languages in the two groups.  


Most of the non-English names in ''[[The Hobbit]]'' are Norse (mostly from a list of Dwarves found in ''Voluspa'' and the ''Gylfaginning'')<ref name="intro">''[[An Introduction to Elvish]]''</ref> although anglicized, such as [[Gandalf|Gandalfr]], [[Durin|Durinn]], [[Dwalin|Dvalinn]], [[Thrór|Þrór]], [[Oakenshield|Eikinskjaldi]], [[Arkenstone|Jarknasteinn]], [[Beorn]], [[Bard]], [[Smaug]] and [[Golfimbul]].


== References ==  
In the backstory developed for ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', Tolkien explained that [[Durin's Folk]], after migrating to [[Lonely Mountain|Erebor]], adopted the language of Dale for their names when interacting with [[Men]] because their secretive nature prevented them from using [[Khuzdul]]<ref>{{HM|AF}}</ref><ref>{{HM|PM}} p.304</ref>. Names in ''The Lord of the Ring'' like [[Gimli]], [[Narvi]] and [[Tom Bombadil|Forn]] are also Norse.
Wikipedia
 
Tolkien never gives the "original" Dalish forms, however the Norse translations fit conveniently their meaning; for example Dwarf relations - like father-son or brothers- have rhyming or similar names (cf. [[Glóin]]-[[Gróin]]-[[Óin]], [[Thrór]]-[[Frór]]-[[Grór]], [[Fíli]]-[[Kíli]] etc)<ref name="intro"/>  possibly reflecting a similar relationship in their original forms.
 
Norse used [[Runes]] for a writing system, however Tolkien in ''The Hobbit'' used [[Old English]] runes.
==See also==
*[[Dalish]]
*[[Khuzdul]]
*[[Gothic]]
 
Other non-germanic languages that appear in [[Tolkiennymy|Tolkien names]] are [[Celtic]] and [[:Category:Greco-Romance names|Greek or Latin]] (and derivatives).
{{references}}
 
==External links==
*{{WP|North Germanic languages}}
*[http://www.heimskringla.no/wiki/Gylfaginning Gylfaginning text] with the Dwarf names (section '''16''' and below)
*[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Poetic_Edda/V%C3%B6lusp%C3%A1 Voluspa text] with the Dwarf names (section '''9''' and below)
[[CATEGORY:Languages (real-world)]]
[[de:Altnordische Sprache]]
[[fi:Muinaisnorja]]

Revision as of 20:36, 11 April 2015

The North Germanic languages, Norse or Scandinavian languages make up one of the three branches of the Germanic languages, a sub-family of the Indo-European languages, along with the West Germanic languages and the extinct East Germanic languages like Gothic.

In a letter to Naomi Mitchison, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote that:

"The language of Dale and the Long Lake would, if it appeared, be represented as more or less Scandinavian in character; but it is only represented by a few names, especially those of the Dwarves that came from that region. These are all Old Norse Dwarf-names."
J.R.R. Tolkien; Humphrey Carpenter, Christopher Tolkien (eds.), The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, Letter 144, (dated 25 April 1954)

Most of the non-English names in The Hobbit are Norse (mostly from a list of Dwarves found in Voluspa and the Gylfaginning)[1] although anglicized, such as Gandalfr, Durinn, Dvalinn, Þrór, Eikinskjaldi, Jarknasteinn, Beorn, Bard, Smaug and Golfimbul.

In the backstory developed for The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien explained that Durin's Folk, after migrating to Erebor, adopted the language of Dale for their names when interacting with Men because their secretive nature prevented them from using Khuzdul[2][3]. Names in The Lord of the Ring like Gimli, Narvi and Forn are also Norse.

Tolkien never gives the "original" Dalish forms, however the Norse translations fit conveniently their meaning; for example Dwarf relations - like father-son or brothers- have rhyming or similar names (cf. Glóin-Gróin-Óin, Thrór-Frór-Grór, Fíli-Kíli etc)[1] possibly reflecting a similar relationship in their original forms.

Norse used Runes for a writing system, however Tolkien in The Hobbit used Old English runes.

See also

Other non-germanic languages that appear in Tolkien names are Celtic and Greek or Latin (and derivatives).

References

External links