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Encyclopedia > Old Norwegian

West Norse is also called Old Icelandic or Old Norwegian. They were practically the same language, with little or no difference between them. The language was used from approximately 700 - 1350. This period is divided into two: 700-1050 and 1050 - 1350. The first period is before the latin alphabet was introduced. They used runes when writing. In 1050 the latin alphabet came to Norway with the vikings - from England; and along with it came christian religion. Runes from as late as the 14th century have been found in Bergen. So the runes were used side by side with the latin alphabet for a long time. The norse period ends with the Black Plague. For other uses, see number 700. ... Events Hayam Wuruk becomes ruler of the Majapahit Empire The Black Death ravages Europe (1347-1351) Births Manuel II Palaeologus, future Byzantine Emperor John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury (approximate date). ... Technical note: Due to technical limitations, some web browsers may not display some special characters in this article. ... Events Leofric becomes Bishop of Exeter Births Margrave Leopold II of Austria (d. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... You may be looking for: Bergen, Norway Bergen, Belgium, see Mons Bergen, Hessen (Germany) Bergen, Lower Saxony (Germany) Bergen, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Germany) Bergen, Limburg (Netherlands) Bergen, North Holland (Netherlands) (comprising Bergen aan Zee) Bergen (town), New York (United States) Bergen (village), New York (United States) Bergen, Wisconsin (United States...


The language used the same cases as modern German does today.

Nominative
Genitive
Dative
Accusative

The letters þ and ð are not in use today in Norwegian, the sounds they represent not being distinct from t/d, though they remain in Icelandic.


Like modern Norwegian, Old Norwegian has three articles. Masculine, Feminine and Neuter. But unlike modern Norwegian which only has singular and plural nouns, Old Norwegian defines singular, dual and plural -- the dual being used for groups of two persons or objects.


The plagues that decimated Europe in the Middle Ages came to Norway in 1349 (The Black Plague), and caused the language to fall apart. At that time the wise men holding the key to the language died. The union with Denmark established in 1380 did not help either, as Danish became the official language. Therefore the language went through several changes, including the removal of the cases system and a vowel reduction, reducing many of the last vowels in a word to a common "e".-1... Events September 8 - Battle of Kulikovo - Russian forces under Grand Prince Dmitrii Ivanovich defeat a mixed army of Tatars and Mongols (the Golden Horde), stopping their advance at Kulikovo. ...


  Results from FactBites:
 
Old Norwegian - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (402 words)
Old Norwegian is a term used for the old Norse language as spoken and written in Norway in the middle ages.
Old Norwegian is used to describe features of the language that were specific for Norway, likewise old Icelandic is used when referring to specifically Icelandic language, as different from the rest of the old Norse area.
One of the most important early differences between Old Norwegian and Old Icelandic is that h in the consonant combinations hl-, hn- and hr- was lost in the former around the 11th century, but not in the latter.
Old Norse - definition of Old Norse - Labor Law Talk Dictionary (809 words)
Old Norse or Danish tongue is the Germanic language once spoken by the inhabitants of the Nordic countries (for instance during the Viking Age).
In the 11th century, it was the most widely spoken European language, ranging from the Icelandic settlements in Vinland and Greenland to the Swedish settlements in Russia in the East, and to the Danish settlements in England and Normandy in the south.
Its modern descendants are the West Scandinavian languages of Icelandic, Norwegian, Faroese and the extinct Norn language of the Orkney and the Shetland Islands as well as the East Scandinavian languages of Swedish and Danish.
  More results at FactBites »

 

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