Viking Words: The Influence of Old Norse on English

Discover how the Viking language of Old Norse played an important role in the development of the English language we know and use today.

They may have occupied it for decades, but the Vikings and their descendants left their mark on the British Isles in more ways than one. Without the influence of vernaculars, the English language would not be what it is today.

In the 9th and 10th centuries, Norsemen crossed the North Sea in large numbers. Their legacy still lives on in hundreds of place names and names of people, not to mention everyday objects and days of the week.

Article published in research journal Old The number of Norsemen who settled the British Isles during the Viking Age suggested that the number of Norsemen may have been higher than previously suggested.

Up to 35,000 Scandinavians may have settled in England. Eventually, these newcomers settled across the country, marrying into local families.

Most of the Nordic languages ​​spoken today have their roots in Old Norse, which has also had its influence on the English language.

During the Danelau period Scandinavians lived and farmed alongside Old English speakers. It is therefore not surprising that the English language developed to include many words previously used in Old Norse.

Old Norse and Old English

Before delving into the specifics of Viking words, it is important to look at the languages ​​of the time for context.

The Old English spoken in the British Isles at the time was very different from the language we know today. Old English can be a challenge for a native English speaker, just as a modern Norwegian would find it very difficult to read Old Norse.

Both English and Old Norse belong to the Germanic language family. Although they are distant today, Old English and Old Norse were very closely related about 1,200 years ago.

It is difficult to be certain due to the primarily oral nature of the language at the time, but the two languages ​​may have been somewhat mutually intelligible.

Read more: Languages ​​of Norway

That means adapting Old English and adding some Old Norse words would not have seemed strange at the time. Only in retrospect can one realize the significance of the influence of the Scandinavians.

Viking Place Names in England

I grew up a few kilometers from the small village of Naseby. I didn’t know it at the time, but this was my first encounter with a Viking-influenced place name.

clue? A search – by suffix at the end of the name. Still used in Norway today, By Simply meaning place, town or village, it once meant a farm.

Today there are hundreds of place names in the British Isles of Old Norse origin. Many of them are found in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, within the borders of the former Danelaw.

In – by Clubs include Grimsby, Whitby, Askerby and many others. Another popular Viking Age suffix — ThorpeIt means village. There are over 100 Thorpe place names in Yorkshire alone.

Other place names with possible influence from Old Norse include suffixes – Hulme Or – Holm (In holmrIt means an island or high ground in a swamp. Character (In nesie title) and -Kirk (In Kirkjai.e. the church).

Pronouns

Even if you don’t know the details, many people have heard of place names in England of Viking origin. However, I would bet that very few people know the Old Norse origins of the following names They are, theirs And The.

“They, they and they are of Scandinavian origin and entered English following the 9th century Viking settlements in northern England. Although it has puzzled and intrigued linguists for a century, the phenomenon is still poorly understood,” said researcher Elise Emerson Morse-Gagne.

Previously, Old English used a plural pronoun Oh yesOften abbreviated to that ‘M. The expression still exists today in the form of “go get’em,” which many believe is an abbreviation. they.

It is assumed that people want to use it they as edge It sounded so close him and can often be misunderstood.

Viking verbs

One of the most influential verbs of Old Norse Be. In particular, There are is a fusion of Old English earun/earon with Old Norse R. It’s easy to see how the sentence looks They are Has Scandinavian roots. In modern Norway it is R.

Other verbs are derived from or influenced by Old Norse take it, to crawl, to guess And to believe.

Fighting words

Not surprisingly, early Viking raids on the British Isles left many words related to warfare in the Norse Isles. Without these tests, we would not have such words Massacre, Redemption, Association And knife.

Another Norse word that came into English Madness. Although it is used today to refer to a form of reckless defiance, it was originally used to refer to a Norseman who reached a state of deep concentration, almost trance-like, during battle.

Viking words in English dialect

No matter the language, the differences between dialects are always fascinating. In English, Viking-influenced words can be found in many dialects in Scotland and the north and east of England, particularly in Yorkshire.

One of the best examples of this phenomenon shed Or shedUsed to refer to children in Yorkshire, other parts of northern England and parts of Scotland. In modern Norway, shed is a word for children.

say Dale Valley probably comes from Old Norse Talurbecame lentils In modern Norway. There are many words of Norse origin used in and around Yorkshire, which you can read about here.

The Norse history of Orkney and Shetland is fascinating. His legacy is evident in place and family names throughout the islands. The islands remained Norse until 1472, when Norse evolved into Norn.

Although Norse mainly died out in the following centuries, many Norse words remain in common use on the islands. Northlink Ferries provides a good summary.

This is a brief description of some of the words we use in English that were imported from Scandinavia during or after the Viking Age. We hope you found this interesting!