Elfdalian | |
---|---|
Övdalian | |
övdalsk, övdalską | |
Native to | Sweden |
Region | Älvdalen, Dalarna |
Ethnicity | Swedish |
Native speakers | c. 2,400 (2010)[1] |
Indo-European
| |
| |
Official status | |
Regulated by | Swedish Language Council |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | ovd |
qer | |
Glottolog | elfd1234 |
Älvdalen Municipality in Dalarna, where Elfdalian is spoken in the southeastern half |
Elfdalian or Övdalian (övdalsk or övdalską, pronounced [ˈœvdɐlskãː] in Elfdalian, älvdalska or älvdalsmål in Swedish) is a North Germanic language spoken by up to 3,000 people[4] who live or have grown up in the locality of Älvdalen (Övdaln), which is located in the southeastern part of Älvdalen Municipality in northern Dalarna, Sweden.
Like all other modern North Germanic languages, Elfdalian developed from Old Norse, a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age until about 1300. It has developed in relative isolation since the Middle Ages and is considered to have remained closer to Old Norse than the other Dalecarlian dialects.
Traditionally regarded as a Swedish dialect,[5] but by several criteria closer to West Scandinavian dialects,[2] Elfdalian is a separate language by the standard of mutual intelligibility.[6][7][8] There is low mutual intelligibility between Swedish and Elfdalian, but since education and public administration in Älvdalen are conducted in Swedish, native speakers are bilingual and speak Swedish at a native level. People who speak Swedish as their sole native language, neither speaking nor understanding Elfdalian, are also common in the area.
In many aspects, Elfdalian, takes up a middle position between East and West Nordic. However, it shares some innovations with West Nordic, but none with East Nordic. This invalidates the claim that Elfdalian split off from Old Swedish