Introduction to Danish Language

Jul 12, 2024

Introduction to Danish Language

Overview

  • Instructor: Adam
  • Native Speakers: ~5.4 million
  • Primary Locations: Denmark (90% first language, 10% second language)
  • Other Locations: Schleswig-Holstein (Germany), Faroe Islands, Greenland

Geographic Distribution

Denmark

  • Primary and official language

Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

  • Minority language (~10-20 thousand speakers)

Faroe Islands

  • Spoken by ~1500 people (3% of population)
  • Official language along with Faroese

Greenland

  • Language shift due to historical policies
  • ~10-15% primary language, 10-20% bilingual
  • Danish lost official status in 2009

Linguistic Influence

Faroe Islands

  • Strong in economy, education, culture
  • Not dominant in society

Greenland

  • Dominant in administration, economy, education, culture

Iceland

  • Mandatory school subject
  • Historically important in education and culture

Norway

  • Significant historical influence on vocabulary and dialect

Official Status

  • One of 24 official EU languages
  • Working language of the Nordic Council
  • Influence in Iceland and Norway

Danish Alphabet

  • Latin alphabet + 3 extra letters (æ, ø, å)
  • Special letters: c, q, w, x, z (loanwords, personal names)
  • Historical use of 'aa' instead of 'å'

Pronunciation Features

  1. Vowels: Ten distinct vocalic pairs (long/short)
  2. Uvular 'r': Similar to French/German
  3. Consonant Approximants: Post-vowel positions (e.g., syllables)
  4. Stød: Glottal closure, phonemic (can change meaning)

Grammar

  • No cases, 2 genders: Common and neuter
  • Definite articles: Added at end of words
    • e.g., "en kat" → "katten" (a cat → the cat)
  • Verb Conjugation: No person-specific conjugation
    • e.g., "svømme" (to swim) → "svømmer" (pres.), "svømmede" (past), "har svømmet" (perf.)
  • V2 Word Order: Verb in second position
    • Example: "Jeg ser en hund" (I see a dog) → "Nu ser jeg en hund" (Now I see a dog)

Dialects

  • Three Groups: Jutish, Insular, Eastern Danish
  • Modern Standard: Based on Copenhagen dialect
  • Regional Variation: Minor pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary
  • South Jutish Dialect: Still used, bilingual speakers (Standard Danish)

Language Family

  • North Germanic/Nordic: Indo-European family
  • Closely Related: Swedish, Norwegian
  • Distantly Related: English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Russian, Greek, Hindi
  • Mutual Intelligibility: Danish, Swedish, Norwegian (varies in practice)

Example Sentence

  • "I gave the cat new food": Example in Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian

Final Notes

  • Excerpt from "We, the Drowned" by Carsten Jensen
  • Encouragement to watch more videos for further learning

Thank you for watching!