Hoofnur
| Hoofnur | |
|---|---|
| hoofnisk maal | |
| Created by | User:RoTM94 |
| Native speakers | 50,000 (2020) |
Indo-European
| |
The Hoofnur language (Hoofnur: hoofnisk maal) is a language spoken by the Hoofnur people. It is a fairly mixed language with its primary base evolving from Old Norse, subsequently being influenced by Inuit phonology and vocabulary.
The language is spoken in two main regions, each having their own dialect. The Maaknuna (Markland) dialect is spoken along the coast of central and southern Labrador and some areas of Newfoundland, while the Kalaalann (Greenland) dialect is spoken in Greenland. There is also a standard dialect called Standard Hoofnur.
Vocabulary linked here
Etymology
The language in it's native language is referred to as hoofnisk maal or just hoofnisk, which is an adjective derived from the demonym hoofnur, which evolved from earlier hååfinur. This word comes from the Old Norse word haf, meaning sea, and the Proto-Inuit word *inuɣ, meaning "man"; thus, hoofnur literally means "man of the sea". This is a reference to Hoofnur history, as Norse settlers inhabited Greenland and then Markland later on and mingled and settled with some indigenous culture of the Old World including the Inuits, the Dorset culture, and the Innu. It might also reference the Labrador Sea in between Greenland and Labrador.