Danish language

There are about 6 million people who speak danish. Most of them in Denmark. Since Greenland, Icelanad and Faroe Islands earlier were under danish administration, danish held an official status. In both Iceland and the Faroe Islands, danish is still taught as a compulsory foreign language in schools and therefore many people there speak danish and with that ability, they may talk to norwegians and swedes quite well too. There are a few small danish language communities in the U.S., Canada and Argentina. About 50000 people speak danish in southern Schleswig-Holstein in the upper north west of Germany.

Danish originated from Old Norse. Like Swedish, first divided into an Old East Norse where there was an Old West Norse into the Icelandic, Faroese and Norwegian languages. From about 1100 Danish and Swedish began to separate. Just as in Swedish, Lower German words were making an impact on Danish in the Middle Ages. At the same time, the synthax changed and the grammar was simplified, especially the older cases. Further as in Swedish, a considerable number of loan words taken from French the early 17th century. A huge number of English words have been implemented in the Danish language in the 20th century.

Danish today is dominated by the dialect and accent around Copenhagen, the capital city. Since Copenhagen is in the east of Denmark, dialects that are in other parts of the country may be somewhat protected in regards to their geography.

Danish dialect groups;

West danish/Jutlandic (Jysk). The western part of Denmark, Jutland (Jylland).

North Jutlandic (Nørrejysk): (North Jutlandic is divided into: West Juthlandic (Vestjysk)
and East Juthlandic (Østjysk))
South juthlandic (Sønderjysk)

Island danish. On the islands of:
Fyn. (Fynsk)
Sjælland. (Sjællandsk)
Lolland and Falster. (Sydømål)

East danish;
Only has one remaing danish dialect, in Bornholm. The other danish dialects are today defined swedish dialects since Swedish is spoken there today. The definition depends on its surrounding layer.

Bornholm dialect (Bornholmsk)1 , 2.
(And in the regions in South Sweden that once were danish;)
Halland dialects (Halländska).
Scanian dialects (Skånska).
Blekinge dialects (Blekingska)

Halland was danish until the Treaty of Brömsebro, or Peace of Brömsebro that was signed on August 13, 1645.
Scania (Skåne) and Blekinge was danish until the Treaty of Roskilde that was signed on February 26, 1658.
Bornholm was also given to Sweden in 1658 but after severe nationalist resistance on Bornholm, it was returned to Denmark in the Treaty of Copenhagen that was signed on May 27, 1660.

External links

Danish language
Danish dialects
Danish sound system and phonology.
History of Danish
Learn Danish