Difference between revisions of "Some Viking words in English"
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| − | One of the strange features of the long period of Danish rule of parts of England (and [[Canute|short rule]] of virtually all of it) is the comparatively small influence that | + | One of the strange features of the long period of Danish rule of parts of England (and [[Canute|short rule]] of virtually all of it) is the comparatively small influence that Old Norse vocabulary had on English - until after the Vikings had lost much of their power. (For some of the linguistic changes other than vocabulary, go to [[Old Norse]].)However, there was a steady flow of words from northern [[dialect]]s (in the areas which show the greatest Danish political influence) to mainstream English. Some examples of words which tell us about the sort of life that Vikings led include: |
*'''anger''' | *'''anger''' | ||
* '''berserk''', a word probably from Icelandic which means 'a frenzied fury' or 'fighting mad'. "Now " says ''[[OED]]'', "usu. as ''adj''., frenzied, furiously or madly violent; esp. in phr. to go berserk." | * '''berserk''', a word probably from Icelandic which means 'a frenzied fury' or 'fighting mad'. "Now " says ''[[OED]]'', "usu. as ''adj''., frenzied, furiously or madly violent; esp. in phr. to go berserk." | ||
* '''slaughter''' (pronounced 'SLAW-ter'), both [[noun]] and [[verb]]. In ON, '''slaughter''' meant 'the killing of [farm] animals for food', or 'the start of a butcher's work'.The meaning of 'killing humans' is not recorded in ''[[OED]]'' till the fourteenth century; and the meaning of killing humans in large numbers, as in battle, does not appear till the end of that time. So much for the image of Vikings! | * '''slaughter''' (pronounced 'SLAW-ter'), both [[noun]] and [[verb]]. In ON, '''slaughter''' meant 'the killing of [farm] animals for food', or 'the start of a butcher's work'.The meaning of 'killing humans' is not recorded in ''[[OED]]'' till the fourteenth century; and the meaning of killing humans in large numbers, as in battle, does not appear till the end of that time. So much for the image of Vikings! | ||
| + | *'''outlaw''' | ||
But the Vikings settled, mostly in the north, and led domestic lives. Their vocabulary included: | But the Vikings settled, mostly in the north, and led domestic lives. Their vocabulary included: | ||
Revision as of 12:15, 12 September 2007
This page forms part of an etymology course that gives an outline of the development of English. It is written in a sequence that you may want to follow. The best place to start, if you want to follow the whole course, is Etymology course, or, if you are only interested in English, Development of English. You may also arrive at any of these articles from other links. For more information about the history of English, you should of course read a good history of the language, such as Baugh (1993), Strang (1970), or Crystal (2005)
One of the strange features of the long period of Danish rule of parts of England (and short rule of virtually all of it) is the comparatively small influence that Old Norse vocabulary had on English - until after the Vikings had lost much of their power. (For some of the linguistic changes other than vocabulary, go to Old Norse.)However, there was a steady flow of words from northern dialects (in the areas which show the greatest Danish political influence) to mainstream English. Some examples of words which tell us about the sort of life that Vikings led include:
- anger
- berserk, a word probably from Icelandic which means 'a frenzied fury' or 'fighting mad'. "Now " says OED, "usu. as adj., frenzied, furiously or madly violent; esp. in phr. to go berserk."
- slaughter (pronounced 'SLAW-ter'), both noun and verb. In ON, slaughter meant 'the killing of [farm] animals for food', or 'the start of a butcher's work'.The meaning of 'killing humans' is not recorded in OED till the fourteenth century; and the meaning of killing humans in large numbers, as in battle, does not appear till the end of that time. So much for the image of Vikings!
- outlaw
But the Vikings settled, mostly in the north, and led domestic lives. Their vocabulary included:
- Fell in the sense of a hillside, or rolling hilltop, is a Norse word that is only current in the north of England, and in some place-names. Moor (or muir in Scots) is an OE near-equivalent. In the south, another OE word is down, a strange name for an upland. (It is cognate with dune, usually a mound of drifted sand.)
- happy
- Although wife is OE, husband is from the Norse bóndi, a peasant; specifically. a hus bondi is a peasant with a house - and therefore marriageable. The OE terms were 'lord' (~ guardian of the loaf') and 'lady' (~ loaf-kneader).
- sister
- sky (the OE word was heaven)
| Old Norse (ON) | Old English (OE) |
|---|---|
| beck, "the ordinary name in those parts of England from Lincolnshire to Cumbria which were occupied by the Danes and Norwegians" OED | brook is OE, and another OE word, burn, the usual word in Scotland for such a stream, is now only found in England as an element in place-names like Westbourne. |
| birk, the ordinary word for this tree in older Scots. | birch |
| kirk. Though a good Scots word, kirk survives in the north of England as an element in place-names. | church |
| dyke | ditch |
| hale | whole |
| skipper (captain of a ship) | ship |
| skirt | shirt |
| garth | yard, meaning 'an enclosed patch of land', 'a garden' or 'smallholding'. |
