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Scandinavians left more
than archaeological
artefacts when they
conquered parts of
the British Isles – the
Scottish language is full
of Scandinavian words.
From the beginning of the
9th century AD through
the 11th century AD,
Vikings raided the coast of
the British Isles. But there
were also quite a number of
Scandinavians who chose
to settle there. Evidence of
their impact can be found
even today in Scottish
Gaelic, Irish and partly in
English.
The Scottish Gaelic word
trosg
(cod in English, torsk
in Norwegian) and
stòl
(stool in English, krakk
in Norwegian) have their
origins in Old Norse. So do
the English words window
(vindu in Norwegian) and
sky (himmel in Norwegian).
"There were many
Scandinavian settlements
along the coast, and many
settlers specifically went to
Scotland. It was natural for
them to stay there because it
was close to the ocean," says
Pavel Iosad, a PhD candidate
at the Center for Advan-
ced Study in Theoretical
Linguistics (CASTL) at the University of
Tromsø.
Place names
The Scottish Gaelic language has tradi-
tionally been very strong on the Isle of
Lewis in the Hebrides, off the west coast
of Scotland. The Gaelic name of the site
is
Leòdhas
, which many believe comes
from the Scandinavian name
Ljo›ahús
.
This is a compound word, comprised of a
person's name and the word for resi-
dence or home.
"What is special about this area is that
up to 90 per cent of all place names have
Nordic origins. Place names are clearly
the most visible influence," says Iosad.
Many of the names end with suffixes
such as -bost, including Siabost and
Làbost. Bost comes from the Old Norse
word
bolsta∂r
, or "bosted" in Norwegian,
which means residence.
Borrowed words
When two languages come into contact
with each other, it is common for words
to be borrowed from the other language.
These are words that we don't have an
equivalent word for in our own language.
Since the Scandinavian immigrants who
settled on the coast of Scotland engaged
in fishing, many words related to the sea,
boats and various fishing gear gained
ground in the Scottish language.
For example, the Old Norse word
Batr
was
Bata
to the Scottish, which means
boat, and
bakbor>
, which became
bacb-
hord
and means port.
"When two languages come
into contact, the grammar
of both languages often also
gets easier. English grammar
is in many ways simplified
compared to Old English,
which is probably as a result
of the influence of other
languages. Old Irish was
also radically changed at
precisely the time when the
Scandinavians were there,"
says Iosad.
Immigration and linguistic
influences also went the
other way; a number of Irish
monks went to Scandinavian
countries and settled. Some
Scandinavians also took
Irish wives and slaves with
them when they returned
home.
Language under
pressure
Scottish has been in a steep
decline for some time, and
is one of the many languages
in the world that is in danger
of disappearing.
"Today, mostly older people speak it, and
it should come as no surprise that a lot of
rural areas in Scotland are losing popu-
lation. At the same time there are some
bright spots. In Glasgow, for example,
there is a school where all the instruction
is in Scottish Gaelic," Iosad says.
Not as Norwegian as you might think
University of Tromsø –
Labyrint E/11
•••
37
Text: Randi M. Solhaug
A Norse mill and kiln in Siabost. This building was used
to grind grain. Some people think the design dates back
to the Viking Age, others think it dates as far back as the
Iron Age. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Word comparison:
Scottish Gaelic word Old Norse word
Norwegian
English
Bacbhord
bakborði
babord
port
Bàta
bátr
båt
boat
Borgh
borg
borg
castle
Dail
dalr
dal
valley
Geadas
gedda
gjedde
pike
Grunnd
grunnr
grunn
reason
Iarla
jarl
jarl
Earl
Osan
hosa
sokker
socks
Sgeig
skegg
skjegg
beard
Traill
þræll
trell
thrall
Source: Thomas W. Stewart Jr. Lexical Imposition: Old Norse Vocabulary in Scottish Gaelic.
Diachronica 21(2). 393-420 (2004).
Siabost village lies in the Outer Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland. Many of the place
names in this area end in -bost, which comes from the Old Norse bolster ∂ r, or residence.
Photo: Blue Sky 4691/Flickr