Elfdalian is the language traditionally spoken in Älvdalen, central Sweden. Due to its linguistic differences to Swedish, several attempts have been made to acquire an official recognition of Elfdalian as a minority language in Sweden. However, despite growing interest in documenting and revitalising Elfdalian, it is still regarded as a dialect.
As one of the best-preserved members of a larger but lesser-known Dalecarlian (or Dalmål) sub-branch of the Scandinavian languages, Elfdalian is a unique language to study. The purpose of the grammar is to account for Late Classical, or 'Preserved', Elfdalian from linguistic, historical and sociolinguistic angles, and to make the language, including both its archaic and innovative features, accessible to a wider audience.
The grammar has multiple target groups: people in Ölvdan who wish to revitalise or retake their language in a more original form than the one it was transferred into through language decline and Swedish influence since the beginning of the 20th century; those who wish to transmit the language to others through preschool, school or adult instruction; and likewise others who wish to study a North Germanic language for the first time. Linguists may find Elfdalian interesting from the angle of language structure and from the angles of sociolinguistics and language policy.
Yair Sapir is Senior Lecturer at Kristianstad University, Sweden. Olof Lundgren is a doctoral student in General Linguistics at Lund University, Sweden.
Format: Open Access PDF
5 B&W line drawings
Copyright: © 2024
ISBN: 9781787355392
Publication: April 01, 2024
Series: Grammars of World and Minority Languages
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