Scots Norse: Difference between revisions

From Linguifex
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Melinoë (talk | contribs)
Melinoë (talk | contribs)
 
(21 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 44: Line 44:
Scots Norse originates in the mid to late 13th century, around the time Suðreyjar was handed over to Scotland with the [[w:Treaty of Perth|Treaty of Perth]]. Though the language would continue to be largely unchanged from the Old Norse of the 12th century, 1266AD is often used as a dividing date between Old Norse and the earliest forms of Scots Norse. While 1266 is a relatively arbitrary date, it serves its purpose as a convenient divide between two stages, as following the Treaty of Perth, the Hebrides would gain a much larger population of [[w:Gaelic|Gaelic]] and [[w:English|English]] speakers (At this point still Middle Irish and [[w:Middle English|Middle English]]), and from roughly 1450AD onward, Scots Norse would be increasingly influenced by Scots Gaelic and, to a lesser extent, Scots.
Scots Norse originates in the mid to late 13th century, around the time Suðreyjar was handed over to Scotland with the [[w:Treaty of Perth|Treaty of Perth]]. Though the language would continue to be largely unchanged from the Old Norse of the 12th century, 1266AD is often used as a dividing date between Old Norse and the earliest forms of Scots Norse. While 1266 is a relatively arbitrary date, it serves its purpose as a convenient divide between two stages, as following the Treaty of Perth, the Hebrides would gain a much larger population of [[w:Gaelic|Gaelic]] and [[w:English|English]] speakers (At this point still Middle Irish and [[w:Middle English|Middle English]]), and from roughly 1450AD onward, Scots Norse would be increasingly influenced by Scots Gaelic and, to a lesser extent, Scots.


Having been spoken throughout Suðreyjar, Scots Norse had a dialect within the [[w:Isle of Man|Isle of Man]] (Scots Norse {{lang|snon|{{term|Monaèirr}}}}). Little is known about Manx Norse ({{lang|snon|{{term|Monaèsc}}}}), as it is very poorly recorded, the most extensive description being a short document from around 1500AD that contains a list of about 150 words, with a very poor description of the pronunciations. Though from this description we can gather that Manx Norse still had the [[w:dental fricative|dental fricatives]] that had been lost in other dialects (merging with t/d), we get this from the description "... these [th and dh] are like that of the Saxons' beloved þ."
Having been spoken throughout Suðreyjar, Scots Norse had a dialect within the [[w:Isle of Man|Isle of Man]] (Scots Norse {{lang|snon|{{term|Monaèirr}}}}). Little is known about Manx Norse ({{lang|snon|{{term|Monaèsc}}}}), as it is very poorly recorded, the most extensive description being a short document from around 1500AD that contains a list of about 150 words (see ''[[the Noreine speche fra Man]]''), with a very poor description of the pronunciations. Though from this description we can gather that Manx Norse still had the [[w:dental fricative|dental fricatives]] that had been lost in other dialects (merging with t/d), we get this from the description "... these [th and dh] are like that of the Saxons' beloved þ."


Following the treaty of Perth, the usage of Norse began declining significantly, with evidence it was nearly extinct by 1550. A small revitalization occured in the mid 18th century when several of the last native speakers (at the time, Scots Norse had no more than 150 remaining speakers) gathered together to document the language so it could be taught to children. This effort was mostly effective, leading to the first noticeable rise in speaker count since it began declining. By the 1880's, there would be upwards of 1,500 native speakers, a majority of them young.
Following the treaty of Perth, the usage of Norse began declining significantly, with evidence it was nearly extinct by 1550. A small revitalization occured in the mid 18th century when several of the last native speakers (at the time, Scots Norse had no more than 150 remaining speakers) gathered together to document the language so it could be taught to children. This effort was mostly effective, leading to the first noticeable rise in speaker count since it began declining. By the 1880's, there would be upwards of 1,500 native speakers, a majority of them young.
===Modern===
===Modern===
Modern Scots Norse is typically classed as critically endangered due to how few speakers it has, having no more than 2,500 native speakers as of 2020, and virtually all of them live in the Hebrides, making it extremely limited.
Modern Scots Norse is typically classed as critically endangered due to how few speakers it has, having no more than 2,500 native speakers as of 2020, and virtually all of them live in the Hebrides, making it extremely limited.
Line 745: Line 746:
==Morphology==
==Morphology==
===Nouns===
===Nouns===
A major development in nouns is the complete loss of the definite forms, being replaced by the independent "hinn", which precedes the noun, triggering nasal mutation in some forms.
Nouns have been reduced down to a basic singular/plural distinction, with the masc/fem distinction only maintained in the singular and when paired with the article ''{{lang|snon|{{term|hin}}}}''.
 
{{inflection-table-top|palette=blue|title=Noun declensions|tall=yes}}
! class=outer rowspan=2 |
! colspan=2 | masculine
| class=separator rowspan=4 |
! colspan=2 | feminine
|-
! singular
! plural
! singular
! plural
|-
! indefinite
| {{lang|snon|-ᶫ}}
| {{lang|snon|-arr}}
| {{lang|snon|-}}
| {{lang|snon|-arr}}
|-
! definite
| {{lang|snon|hin h-ᶫ}}
| {{lang|snon|hin h-arr}}
| {{lang|snon|hin -}}
| {{lang|snon|hin -arr}}
|-
{{inflection-table-bottom}}
 
''All'' nouns fit into one of these two patterns, regardless the forms in Old Norse. Below are several examples.
{{inflection-table-top|palette=blue|title=Declension of ''{{lang|snon|{{term|ald}}}}'' (masculine)|tall=y}}
! class=outer |
! singular
! plural
|-
! indefinite
| {{lang|snon|aldᶫ}}
| {{lang|snon|aldarr}}
|-
! definite
| {{lang|snon|hin h-aldᶫ}}
| {{lang|snon|hin h-aldarr}}
|-
{{inflection-table-bottom}}
 
{{inflection-table-top|palette=blue|title=Declension of ''{{lang|snon|{{term|hàet}}}}'' (masculine)|tall=y}}
! class=outer |
! singular
! plural
|-
! indefinite
| {{lang|snon|hàetᶫ}}
| {{lang|snon|hàtarr}}
|-
! definite
| {{lang|snon|hin 'àetᶫ}}
| {{lang|snon|hin 'àtarr}}
|-
{{inflection-table-bottom}}


Many of the forms have merged, this leads to a far stricter word order.
{{inflection-table-top|palette=blue|title=Declension of ''{{lang|snon|{{term|hàmar}}}}'' (masculine)|tall=y}}
:The nominative and accusative merged together in the mid 1700's, leading to a necessarily stricter word order. The neuter has also merged with the masculine. The masculine genitive has also fallen together, while it remains distinct in feminine nouns. The singular direct and dative have also merged, with the masculine genitive being identical to these forms as well. (see the table for ''{{lang|snon|ald}}'')
! class=outer |
! singular
! plural
|-
! indefinite
| {{lang|snon|hàmarᶫ}}
| {{lang|snon|hàmararr}}
|-
! definite
| {{lang|snon|hin 'àmarᶫ}}
| {{lang|snon|hin 'àmararr}}
|-
{{inflection-table-bottom}}


The genitive singular has two endings, these are highly consistent, being a null ending in the masculine and -arr in the feminine.
{{inflection-table-top|palette=blue|title=Declension of ''{{lang|snon|{{term|bèdh}}}}'' (masculine)|tall=y}}
! class=outer |
! singular
! plural
|-
! indefinite
| {{lang|snon|bèdhᶫ}}
| {{lang|snon|bèdharr}}
|-
! definite
| {{lang|snon|hin bhèdhᶫ}}
| {{lang|snon|hin bhèdharr}}
|-
{{inflection-table-bottom}}


The genitive has been increasingly falling out of use over the past two centuries, and is now largely superseded by constructions like "at [possessor (in dative)]".
{{inflection-table-top|palette=blue|title=Declension of ''{{lang|snon|{{term|bòegh}}}}'' (masculine)|tall=y}}
! class=outer |
! singular
! plural
|-
! indefinite
| {{lang|snon|bòeghᶫ}}
| {{lang|snon|bògharr}}
|-
! definite
| {{lang|snon|hin bhòeghᶫ}}
| {{lang|snon|hin bhògharr}}
|-
{{inflection-table-bottom}}
 
{{inflection-table-top|palette=blue|title=Declension of ''{{lang|snon|{{term|màel}}}}'' (masculine)|tall=y}}
! class=outer |
! singular
! plural
|-
! indefinite
| {{lang|snon|màelᶫ}}
| {{lang|snon|màlarr}}
|-
! definite
| {{lang|snon|hin mhàelᶫ}}
| {{lang|snon|hin mhàlarr}}
|-
{{inflection-table-bottom}}


The youngest speakers only distinguish three forms; the singular, the direct plural, and the dative plural. The singular is split into direct vs dative when paired with an article, but it is otherwise the same for both.
{{inflection-table-top|palette=blue|title=Declension of ''{{lang|snon|{{term|poest}}}}'' (masculine)|tall=y}}
====Strong nouns====
! class=outer |
=====Masculines=====
! singular
These first few are a-stems.
! plural
{{snon-decl-m-a|ald|1l=h-ald|1n=n-ald}}
|-
{{snon-decl-m-a|hàt|hòt|hàet|1l='àt|2l='òt|3l='àet|1n=nhàt|2n=nhòt|3n=nhàet}}
! indefinite
{{snon-decl-m-a|r=y|hàmar|hòmar|1l='àmar|2l='òmar|1n=nhàmar|2n=nhòmar}}
| {{lang|snon|poestᶫ}}
| {{lang|snon|postarr}}
|-
! definite
| {{lang|snon|hin phoestᶫ}}
| {{lang|snon|hin phostarr}}
|-
{{inflection-table-bottom}}


The masculine i-stem has also merged with the a-stem.
{{snon-decl-m-a|bèdh|1l=bhèdh|1n=mèdh}}


As has the u-stem.
{{snon-decl-m-a|bògh|3=bòegh|1l=bhògh|1n=mògh|3l=bhòegh|3n=mòegh}}


The following were originally neuter, but various changes have merged them with the masculine.
{{inflection-table-top|palette=blue|title=Declension of ''{{lang|snon|{{term|arrv}}}}'' (feminine)|tall=y}}
{{snon-decl-m-a|màl|mòl|màel|1l=mhàl|2l=mhòl|3l=mhàel}}
! class=outer |
{{snon-decl-m-a|post|3=poest|1l=phost|3l=phoest|1n=mhost|3n=mhoest}}
! singular
! plural
|-
! indefinite
| {{lang|snon|arrv}}
| {{lang|snon|arrvarr}}
|-
! definite
| {{lang|snon|hin arrv}}
| {{lang|snon|hin arrvarr}}
|-
{{inflection-table-bottom}}


=====Feminines=====
{{inflection-table-top|palette=blue|title=Declension of ''{{lang|snon|{{term|bèt}}}}'' (feminine)|tall=y}}
{{snon-decl-f-ō|arrv|orrv|1l=h-arrv|2l=h-orrv|1n=n-arrv|2n=n-orrv}}
! class=outer |
! singular
! plural
|-
! indefinite
| {{lang|snon|bèt}}
| {{lang|snon|bètarr}}
|-
! definite
| {{lang|snon|hin bèt}}
| {{lang|snon|hin bètarr}}
|-
{{inflection-table-bottom}}


===Adjectives===
===Adjectives===
As with nouns, the definiteness distinction has been lost in adjectives, though it was lost far earlier than in nouns, this is attributed to the increasing reliance on the noun for definiteness. (Which itself too eventually fell to the use of "hi")
Adjectives have essentially lost all declension, at most declining for gender, where the forms are identical, the only difference being that the masculine form triggers lenition. (see ''{{lang|snon|{{term|sèl}}}}'')
 
Both the comparative and superlative forms were lost by the time of Sudrey Norse, being replaced with the usage of {{lang|snon|{{term|mèr}}}} ("more") and {{lang|snon|{{term|mast}}}} ("most"), so rather than, say, Old Norse "beztr" (hypothetical Scots Norse **{{lang|snon|bast}}) for "better", it is instead {{lang|snon|mèr ghòedh}} (lit. "more good").
 
===Numerals===
{|class="wikitable"
!1
|{{lang|snon|{{term|èn}}}}
|-
!2
|{{lang|snon|{{term|tfèrr}}}}
|-
!3
|{{lang|snon|{{term|trìrr}}}}
|-
!4
|{{lang|snon|{{term|fiòrarr}}}}
|-
!5
|{{lang|snon|{{term|fi}}}}
|-
!6
|{{lang|snon|{{term|sac}}}}
|-
!7
|{{lang|snon|{{term|siò}}}}
|-
!8
|{{lang|snon|{{term|àet}}}}
|-
!9
|{{lang|snon|{{term|naì}}}}
|-
!10
|{{lang|snon|{{term|taì}}}}
|-
!11
|{{lang|snon|{{term|aliov}}}}
|-
!12
|{{lang|snon|{{term|tòlv}}}}
|-
|}


The forms of adjectives quickly began falling together, with the nominative/accusative distinction being lost quite early on.
{{lang|snon|èn}} is the only adjective-like word in all of Scots Norse that retains a distinct plural form, ''{{lang|snon|{{term|ènarr}}}}''
{{snon-decl-adj|sèl}}


===Prepositions===
===Prepositions===
Scots Norse has a very, very simple system of inflected prepositions, only inflecting for person and number, but never for case or gender, likely because it can usually be told through context.
Scots Norse has a very, very simple system of inflected prepositions, only inflecting for person and number.


A large amount of speakers simply don't use inflected prepositions, though the majority does.
A large amount of speakers simply don't use inflected prepositions.


{{snon-infl-prep|in|1l=inh|2l=ionh|1v=im}}
{{snon-infl-prep|in|1l=inh|2l=ionh|1v=im}}
Line 797: Line 974:


The original mediopassive indicative only remains in a small set of verbs acting as a reciprocal, typically physical actions taken towards others, like {{lang|snon|{{term|}}}} ("to fight"), {{lang|snon|{{term|slà}}}} ("to hit"), {{lang|snon|{{term|}}}} ("to embrace"), as well as a few abstract verbs, such as {{lang|snon|{{term|}}}} ("to love"). Otherwise it's been replaced by {{lang|snon|{{term|hìnu n-onaru}}}}
The original mediopassive indicative only remains in a small set of verbs acting as a reciprocal, typically physical actions taken towards others, like {{lang|snon|{{term|}}}} ("to fight"), {{lang|snon|{{term|slà}}}} ("to hit"), {{lang|snon|{{term|}}}} ("to embrace"), as well as a few abstract verbs, such as {{lang|snon|{{term|}}}} ("to love"). Otherwise it's been replaced by {{lang|snon|{{term|hìnu n-onaru}}}}
====Strong verbs====
Strong verbs have survived rather well into Scots Norse, at times weak verbs have been made strong (though the opposite has also happened).
=====Class 1=====
=====Class 2=====
=====Class 3=====
=====Class 4=====
=====Class 5=====
=====Class 6=====
=====Class 7=====


====Weak verbs====
Verbs have reduced to such a limited number of forms that analogy and sound changes have leveled them all down to essentially one pattern (excluding a few irregular verbs), which seemingly descends from Old Norse's weak class 2 pattern.
=====Class 1=====
 
The original distinction between "heavy" and "light" stems has long been lost in Scots Norse, the distinction between them having either been leveled out or sound changes led to its loss.
{{snon-conj|tàl|tòl|tàel}}


{{snon-conj-weak1|mèl|mèlt|1o=mèol|2o=mèolt}}


=====Class 2=====
{{snon-conj|mèl|1l=mhèl|st=n}}
{{snon-conj-weak2|tàl|tàldh|1e=tàel|2e=tàeldh|1u=tòl|2u=tòldh}}
{{lang|snon|mèl}} was originally a class 1 verb.


=====Class 3=====


====Suppletive verbs====
====Suppletive verbs====
There is only one known suppletive verb in Scots Norse, that being the copula ''{{lang|snon|vèr}}'', and even it has been leveled by many speakers.
{{snon-conj-vèr}}
"arr" and "varr" are the more prevalent forms, but the regularized forms "vèrarr" and "vèradharr" are also rather common.


==Syntax==
==Syntax==
Line 829: Line 998:
Allir menn eru bornir frjálsir ok jafnir at virðingu ok réttum. Þeir eru allir viti gœddir ok samvizku, ok skulu gøra hvárr til annars bróðurliga.
Allir menn eru bornir frjálsir ok jafnir at virðingu ok réttum. Þeir eru allir viti gœddir ok samvizku, ok skulu gøra hvárr til annars bróðurliga.
====Scots Norse====
====Scots Norse====
{{lang|snon|alarr ma n-èor bhorrnarr friàlsarr o hiavnarr, hàevn vhirrdhing h-o rhèot h-atharr. tèrr èor h-alarr vìt gaèdarr o shanviosc, o shcùl gaèr vhàrr til anarr bhròdhorrligh.}}
{{lang|snon|arr manarr al bhori mhriàl h-o hiavn, vèrann vhirrdhing o rhèt h-atharr. vèrann gaèdhadh h-o shanvisc h-atharr, o shcùl ghèor hanna thil bròdhligh.}} </br>
:alarr ma n-èor bhorrnarr friàlsarr o hiavnarr, hàevn vhirrdhing h-o rhèot h-atharr. tèrr èor h-alarr vìt gaèdarr o shanviosc, o shcùl gaèr vhàrr til anarr bhròdhorrligh.
arr manarr al bhori mhriàl h-o hiavn, vèrann vhirrdhing o rhèt h-atharr. vèrann gaèdhadh h-o shanvisc h-atharr, o shcùl ghèor hanna thil bròdhligh.


=====English translation=====
=====English translation=====
:lit: "all men are born free and equal, being dignity and rights at them. they are all endowed to reason and to conscience, and should act each to others to brotherly(ness)"
:lit: "all men are born free and equal, being dignity and rights at them. being reason and conscience at them, and should act to brotherhood at each other"
:"all men are born free and equal, having dignity and rights. they are all endowed with reason and conscience, and should act to eachother as a brotherhood"
:"all men are born free and equal, having dignity and rights. they have reason and conscience, and should act to eachother as a brotherhood"


===Deor===
===Deor===

Latest revision as of 03:29, 23 April 2026


Scots Norse
Sudhraèsc
Pronunciation[sˠɤðˠ.ˈreʃc]
Created byMelinoë
DateApril 3rd, 2026
Native toSuðreyjar
EthnicityNorse Scots
Native speakers(L1) 2,000 (2019)
(L2) < 50,000
Early forms
Dialects
  • Inner South
  • Inner Central
  • Inner North
  • Outer South
  • Outer North
Official status
Official language in
Scotland
Scots Norse is classified as critically endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Scots Norse (Also Sodor Norse; endonym: Sudhraèsc; /sˠɤðˠ.ˈreʃc/) is a West Nordic language, thus closer to Icelandic and Faroese than Swedish or Danish. It is natively spoken throughout Suðreyjar, being the dominant language of the isles. It has recieved heavy influence from Gàidhlig over the last several centuries, contributing heavily to the spelling conventions of the language, and likely being the primary pushing force behind the development of the broad/slender distinction in Scots Norse.

Scots Norse is typically split into two main dialect groups, Inner and Outer, corresponding to the Inner and Outer Hebrides, these are further divided into North and South for both, with a Central division for Inner. These dialects are almost entirely mutually intelligible within their groups, and mostly so even between the groups. Uniting all of these is the standardized form, Hàsudraèsc, literally meaning "High Scots Norse". ("high" as in "exalted")

Scots Norse is hard to classify type-wise, as it shows signs of creolization, but not to the extent where it could typically be classed as a creole, this leads to the branching from Insular West Norse into so-called "Gaelo-Nordic", characterized by the partial creolization of Old West Norse with Middle Irish and Scots Gaelic. Regardless how it is classed, Scots Norse is with no doubt some kind of mixed language.

History

Pre-Modern

Scots Norse originates in the mid to late 13th century, around the time Suðreyjar was handed over to Scotland with the Treaty of Perth. Though the language would continue to be largely unchanged from the Old Norse of the 12th century, 1266AD is often used as a dividing date between Old Norse and the earliest forms of Scots Norse. While 1266 is a relatively arbitrary date, it serves its purpose as a convenient divide between two stages, as following the Treaty of Perth, the Hebrides would gain a much larger population of Gaelic and English speakers (At this point still Middle Irish and Middle English), and from roughly 1450AD onward, Scots Norse would be increasingly influenced by Scots Gaelic and, to a lesser extent, Scots.

Having been spoken throughout Suðreyjar, Scots Norse had a dialect within the Isle of Man (Scots Norse Monaèirr). Little is known about Manx Norse (Monaèsc), as it is very poorly recorded, the most extensive description being a short document from around 1500AD that contains a list of about 150 words (see the Noreine speche fra Man), with a very poor description of the pronunciations. Though from this description we can gather that Manx Norse still had the dental fricatives that had been lost in other dialects (merging with t/d), we get this from the description "... these [th and dh] are like that of the Saxons' beloved þ."

Following the treaty of Perth, the usage of Norse began declining significantly, with evidence it was nearly extinct by 1550. A small revitalization occured in the mid 18th century when several of the last native speakers (at the time, Scots Norse had no more than 150 remaining speakers) gathered together to document the language so it could be taught to children. This effort was mostly effective, leading to the first noticeable rise in speaker count since it began declining. By the 1880's, there would be upwards of 1,500 native speakers, a majority of them young.

Modern

Modern Scots Norse is typically classed as critically endangered due to how few speakers it has, having no more than 2,500 native speakers as of 2020, and virtually all of them live in the Hebrides, making it extremely limited.

Since the early 1990's, Scots Norse has gained a small but dedicated community of linguists that are determined to further document it and make resources more readily available. As of 2018, an online course has been published that goes over Standard Scots Norse, and it has been continually updated since then, improving the quality and extent of the contents, having started out as a rather barebones description of the phonology, orthography, and rudimentary grammar.

Phonology

labial dental alveolar velar
plain broad slender plain broad slender plain broad slender plain broad slender
Nasal m n ɲ
Stop Unvoiced p t k c
Voiced b d g ɟ
Fricative Unvoiced f θ θˠ θʲ s ʃ x ç
Voiced v ð ðˠ ðʲ z ʒ ɣ ʝ
Approximant r, l rˠ, lˠ rʲ, ʎ j
  1. /h/ merges with /x/ outside of Standard Scots Norse.
Front Back
Unround Round
High i u
Near-High ɪ ɤ~ʊ
Mid e (ə) o
Low æ~ɛ ɔ~ɒ
  1. /ə/ is the unstressed realization of /æ, ɔ/. (differing by slender vs broad)
  2. /æ/ is often /ɛ/ before nasals, but rarely so anywhere else.

Long vowels have long been lost, though their effects remain prominently, influencing the languages stress patterns heavily.

Every vowel can appear nasalized, though nasalization only occurs in specific positions, and is always shown with a single N. (though not all single Ns are nasalization)

  • Word finally
  • Before a fricative (Though "nh" is /n̥/)
  • In some irregular positions when loaned from another language.

Dialects

Uist Norse

labial dental alveolar velar
broad slender broad slender broad slender broad slender
Nasal m n ɲ
Stop Unvoiced p t k c
Voiced b d g ɟ
Fricative Unvoiced f θ θʲ s ʃ x ç
Voiced v ð ðʲ z ʒ ɣ ʝ
Approximant r, ɫ rʲ, ʎ j
Front Back
Unround Round
High i u
Mid e o
Low ɛ (ɐ) ɔ~ɒ
  1. /ə/ is the unstressed realization of /ɛ, ɔ/. (differing by slender vs broad)

Nasal vowels in Uist Norse are typically realized slightly centralized and longer, often without the nasalization.

Front Back
Unround Round
High ɪ̈ˑ ʊ̈ˑ
Mid ɘˑ ɵˑ
Low ɜˑ (əˑ) ɞˑ

Prosody

The rules for stress are very slightly more complex than they were in Old Norse, but not by much.

Stress always goes on the left-most syllable possible. When there are vowels with a grave, stress goes to the first one, skipping over all vowels without one. (so sudhraèir is stressed on "aèi")

Mutation

Since Old Norse, initial consonant mutation has developed. Scots Norse has several forms:

radical (basic)
lenited
nasal
voiced

these can be shown quite well through pronoun + verb, as a pronoun exists that causes most of them (except voiced), the word order for these will be slightly odd.

The following gives an example using each of the nominative pronouns:

e thàel /ˈɛ θoʎ/ — "I speak"
tù thàlarr /ˈtˠu ˈθo.lər/ — "you speak"
ha nhàlarr /ˈha n̥o.lər/ — "he speaks"
ho nhàlarr /ˈxɔ ˈn̥o.lər/ — "she speaks"
tat tàlarr /ˈtat ˈto.lər/ — "it/they (sg) speak(s)"
vit tòlu /vʲɪt tˠo.ɫɤ/ — "we speak"
it tòlud /ɪt tˠo.ɫɤd/ — "you (pl) speak"
tèrr tòl /ˈtʲer ˈtˠoɫ/ — "they (m/f) speaks"
tò thòl /ˈtˠo ˈθˠoɫ/ — "they (n) speak"

Orthography

(updated up to "dh")

Morphology

Nouns

Nouns have been reduced down to a basic singular/plural distinction, with the masc/fem distinction only maintained in the singular and when paired with the article hin.

Noun declensions
masculine feminine
singular plural singular plural
indefinite -ᶫ -arr - -arr
definite hin h-ᶫ hin h-arr hin - hin -arr

All nouns fit into one of these two patterns, regardless the forms in Old Norse. Below are several examples.

Declension of ald (masculine)
singular plural
indefinite aldᶫ aldarr
definite hin h-aldᶫ hin h-aldarr
Declension of hàet (masculine)
singular plural
indefinite hàetᶫ hàtarr
definite hin 'àetᶫ hin 'àtarr
Declension of hàmar (masculine)
singular plural
indefinite hàmarᶫ hàmararr
definite hin 'àmarᶫ hin 'àmararr
Declension of bèdh (masculine)
singular plural
indefinite bèdhᶫ bèdharr
definite hin bhèdhᶫ hin bhèdharr
Declension of bòegh (masculine)
singular plural
indefinite bòeghᶫ bògharr
definite hin bhòeghᶫ hin bhògharr
Declension of màel (masculine)
singular plural
indefinite màelᶫ màlarr
definite hin mhàelᶫ hin mhàlarr
Declension of poest (masculine)
singular plural
indefinite poestᶫ postarr
definite hin phoestᶫ hin phostarr


Declension of arrv (feminine)
singular plural
indefinite arrv arrvarr
definite hin arrv hin arrvarr
Declension of bèt (feminine)
singular plural
indefinite bèt bètarr
definite hin bèt hin bètarr

Adjectives

Adjectives have essentially lost all declension, at most declining for gender, where the forms are identical, the only difference being that the masculine form triggers lenition. (see sèl)

Both the comparative and superlative forms were lost by the time of Sudrey Norse, being replaced with the usage of mèr ("more") and mast ("most"), so rather than, say, Old Norse "beztr" (hypothetical Scots Norse **bast) for "better", it is instead mèr ghòedh (lit. "more good").

Numerals

1 èn
2 tfèrr
3 trìrr
4 fiòrarr
5 fi
6 sac
7 siò
8 àet
9 naì
10 taì
11 aliov
12 tòlv

èn is the only adjective-like word in all of Scots Norse that retains a distinct plural form, ènarr

Prepositions

Scots Norse has a very, very simple system of inflected prepositions, only inflecting for person and number.

A large amount of speakers simply don't use inflected prepositions.

Inflection of in
1st 2nd 3rd
singular inᶫ ionhᶫ inhᶰ
plural imat int inharr

ᶫ: causes aspirate
ᶰ: causes nasal


Inflection of til
1st 2nd 3rd
singular tilᶫ tiolhᶫ tilhᶰ
plural tilvat tilt tilharr

ᶫ: causes aspirate
ᶰ: causes nasal


Verbs

Many significant changes have happened to the verb system since Old Norse, notably both the mood and voice distinctions have been lost. The active indicative has descended into the present and past tense, while the active subjunctive was lost entirely. The oppositive happened in the mediopassive, with the subjunctive becoming the future and stative, while the indicative was lost.

The stative doesn't exist for every verb, but the forms are still displayed for convenience's sake.

The original mediopassive indicative only remains in a small set of verbs acting as a reciprocal, typically physical actions taken towards others, like [Term?] ("to fight"), slà ("to hit"), [Term?] ("to embrace"), as well as a few abstract verbs, such as [Term?] ("to love"). Otherwise it's been replaced by hìnu n-onaru

Verbs have reduced to such a limited number of forms that analogy and sound changes have leveled them all down to essentially one pattern (excluding a few irregular verbs), which seemingly descends from Old Norse's weak class 2 pattern.

Conjugation of tàel (weak)
present past future stative
infinitive tàel
participle tàlann tàladh
finites tàlarr tàladharr tàlist tàladhst
Combined conjugation of tàel (weak)
singular plural impersonal
1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd
pos. pres. tàlarr mik tàlarr tik tàlarr ha tàlarr vit tàlarr tit tàlarr tèrr tàlarr
past tàladharr mik tàladharr tik tàladharr ha tàladharr vit tàladharr tit tàladharr tèrr tàladharr
fut. tàlist mik tàlist tik tàlist ha tàlist vit tàlist tit tàlist tèrr tàlist
stat. tàladhst mik tàladhst tik tàladhst ha tàladhst vit tàladhst tit tàladhst tèrr tàladhst
neg. pres. è {{{1l}}}arr mik è {{{1l}}}arr tik è {{{1l}}}arr ha è {{{1l}}}arr vit è {{{1l}}}arr tit è {{{1l}}}arr tèrr è {{{1l}}}arr
past è {{{1l}}}adharr mik è {{{1l}}}adharr tik è {{{1l}}}adharr ha è {{{1l}}}adharr vit è {{{1l}}}adharr tit è {{{1l}}}adharr tèrr è {{{1l}}}adharr
fut. è {{{1l}}}ist mik è {{{1l}}}ist tik è {{{1l}}}ist ha è {{{1l}}}ist vit è {{{1l}}}ist tit è {{{1l}}}ist tèrr è {{{1l}}}ist
stat. è {{{1l}}}adhst mik è {{{1l}}}adhst tik è {{{1l}}}adhst ha è {{{1l}}}adhst vit è {{{1l}}}adhst tit è {{{1l}}}adhst tèrr è {{{1l}}}adhst
continuative arr tàlann u mik arr tàlann u dtik arr tàlann u nha arr tàlann u bvit arr tàlann u dtit arr tàlann u dtèrr arr tàlann u
perf. pres. arr tàladh u mik arr tàladh u dtik arr tàladh u nha arr tàladh u bvit arr tàladh u dtit arr tàladh u dtèrr arr tàladh u
past varr tàladh u mik varr tàladh u dtik varr tàladh u nha varr tàladh u bvit varr tàladh u dtit varr tàladh u dtèrr varr tàladh u
fut. vèrist tàladh u mik vèrist tàladh u dtik vèrist tàladh u nha vèrist tàladh u bvit vèrist tàladh u dtit vèrist tàladh u dtèrr vèrist tàladh u
stat. vèradhst tàladh u mik vèradhst tàladh u dtik vèradhst tàladh u nha vèradhst tàladh u bvit vèradhst tàladh u dtit vèradhst tàladh u dtèrr vèradhst tàladh u
neg. perf. pres. arr è {{{1l}}}adh u mik arr è {{{1l}}}adh u dtik arr è {{{1l}}}adh u nha arr è {{{1l}}}adh u bvit arr è {{{1l}}}adh u dtit arr è {{{1l}}}adh u dtèrr arr è {{{1l}}}adh u
past varr è {{{1l}}}adh u mik varr è {{{1l}}}adh u dtik varr è {{{1l}}}adh u nha varr è {{{1l}}}adh u bvit varr è {{{1l}}}adh u dtit varr è {{{1l}}}adh u dtèrr varr è {{{1l}}}adh u
fut. vèrist è {{{1l}}}adh u mik vèrist è {{{1l}}}adh u dtik vèrist è {{{1l}}}adh u nha vèrist è {{{1l}}}adh u bvit vèrist è {{{1l}}}adh u dtit vèrist è {{{1l}}}adh u dtèrr vèrist è {{{1l}}}adh u
stat. vèradhst è {{{1l}}}adh u mik vèradhst è {{{1l}}}adh u dtik vèradhst è {{{1l}}}adh u nha vèradhst è {{{1l}}}adh u bvit vèradhst è {{{1l}}}adh u dtit vèradhst è {{{1l}}}adh u dtèrr vèradhst è {{{1l}}}adh u


Conjugation of mèl (weak)
present past future stative
infinitive mèl
participle mèlann mèladh
finites mèlarr mèladharr mèlist

Seemingly no stative exists for this verb

Combined conjugation of mèl (weak)
singular plural impersonal
1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd
pos. pres. mèlarr mik mèlarr tik mèlarr ha mèlarr vit mèlarr tit mèlarr tèrr mèlarr
past mèladharr mik mèladharr tik mèladharr ha mèladharr vit mèladharr tit mèladharr tèrr mèladharr
fut. mèlist mik mèlist tik mèlist ha mèlist vit mèlist tit mèlist tèrr mèlist
stat.
neg. pres. è mhèlarr mik è mhèlarr tik è mhèlarr ha è mhèlarr vit è mhèlarr tit è mhèlarr tèrr è mhèlarr
past è mhèladharr mik è mhèladharr tik è mhèladharr ha è mhèladharr vit è mhèladharr tit è mhèladharr tèrr è mhèladharr
fut. è mhèlist mik è mhèlist tik è mhèlist ha è mhèlist vit è mhèlist tit è mhèlist tèrr è mhèlist
stat.
continuative arr mèlann u mik arr mèlann u dtik arr mèlann u nha arr mèlann u bvit arr mèlann u dtit arr mèlann u dtèrr arr mèlann u
perf. pres. arr mèladh u mik arr mèladh u dtik arr mèladh u nha arr mèladh u bvit arr mèladh u dtit arr mèladh u dtèrr arr mèladh u
past varr mèladh u mik varr mèladh u dtik varr mèladh u nha varr mèladh u bvit varr mèladh u dtit varr mèladh u dtèrr varr mèladh u
fut. vèrist mèladh u mik vèrist mèladh u dtik vèrist mèladh u nha vèrist mèladh u bvit vèrist mèladh u dtit vèrist mèladh u dtèrr vèrist mèladh u
stat.
neg. perf. pres. arr è mhèladh u mik arr è mhèladh u dtik arr è mhèladh u nha arr è mhèladh u bvit arr è mhèladh u dtit arr è mhèladh u dtèrr arr è mhèladh u
past varr è mhèladh u mik varr è mhèladh u dtik varr è mhèladh u nha varr è mhèladh u bvit varr è mhèladh u dtit varr è mhèladh u dtèrr varr è mhèladh u
fut. vèrist è mhèladh u mik vèrist è mhèladh u dtik vèrist è mhèladh u nha vèrist è mhèladh u bvit vèrist è mhèladh u dtit vèrist è mhèladh u dtèrr vèrist è mhèladh u
stat.

Seemingly no stative exists for this verb

mèl was originally a class 1 verb.


Suppletive verbs

There is only one known suppletive verb in Scots Norse, that being the copula vèr, and even it has been leveled by many speakers.

Conjugation of vèr (suppletive)
present past future stative
infinitive vèr
participle vèrann vèradh
finites arr varr vèrist vèradhst
Combined conjugation of vèr (suppletive)
singular plural impersonal
1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd
pos. pres. arr mik arr tik arr ha arr vit arr tit arr tèrr arr
past varr mik varr tik varr ha varr vit varr tit varr tèrr varr
fut. vèrist mik vèrist tik vèrist ha vèrist vit vèrist tit vèrist tèrr vèrist
stat. vèradhst mik vèradhst tik vèradhst ha vèradhst vit vèradhst tit vèradhst tèrr vèradhst
neg. pres. è h-art mik è h-art tik è h-art ha è h-art vit è h-art tit è h-art tèrr è h-art
past è vhart mik è vhart tik è vhart ha è vhart vit è vhart tit è vhart tèrr è vhart
fut. è vhèrist mik è vhèrist tik è vhèrist ha è vhèrist vit è vhèrist tit è vhèrist tèrr è vhèrist
stat. è vhèradhist mik è vhèradhist tik è vhèradhist ha è vhèradhist vit è vhèradhist tit è vhèradhist tèrr è vhèradhist
continuative arr vèrann u mik arr vèrann u dtik arr vèrann u nha arr vèrann u bvit arr vèrann u dtit arr vèrann u dtèrr arr vèrann u
perf. pres. arr vèradh u mik arr vèradh u dtik arr vèradh u nha arr vèradh u bvit arr vèradh u dtit arr vèradh u dtèrr arr vèradh u
past varr vèradh u mik varr vèradh u dtik varr vèradh u nha varr vèradh u bvit varr vèradh u dtit varr vèradh u dtèrr varr vèradh u
fut. vèrist vèradh u mik vèrist vèradh u dtik vèrist vèradh u nha vèrist vèradh u bvit vèrist vèradh u dtit vèrist vèradh u dtèrr vèrist vèradh u
stat. vèradhst vèradh u mik vèradhst vèradh u dtik vèradhst vèradh u nha vèradhst vèradh u bvit vèradhst vèradh u dtit vèradhst vèradh u dtèrr vèradhst vèradh u
neg. perf. pres. arr è vhèradh u mik arr è vhèradh u dtik arr è vhèradh u nha arr è vhèradh u bvit arr è vhèradh u dtit arr è vhèradh u dtèrr arr è vhèradh u
past varr è vhèradh u mik varr è vhèradh u dtik varr è vhèradh u nha varr è vhèradh u bvit varr è vhèradh u dtit varr è vhèradh u dtèrr varr è vhèradh u
fut. vèrist è vhèradh u mik vèrist è vhèradh u dtik vèrist è vhèradh u nha vèrist è vhèradh u bvit vèrist è vhèradh u dtit vèrist è vhèradh u dtèrr vèrist è vhèradh u
stat. vèradhst è vhèradh u mik vèradhst è vhèradh u dtik vèradhst è vhèradh u nha vèradhst è vhèradh u bvit vèradhst è vhèradh u dtit vèradhst è vhèradh u dtèrr vèradhst è vhèradh u

"arr" and "varr" are the more prevalent forms, but the regularized forms "vèrarr" and "vèradharr" are also rather common.

Syntax

Texts

UDHR Article 1

Original (English)

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Old Norse (modern translation)

Allir menn eru bornir frjálsir ok jafnir at virðingu ok réttum. Þeir eru allir viti gœddir ok samvizku, ok skulu gøra hvárr til annars bróðurliga.

Scots Norse

arr manarr al bhori mhriàl h-o hiavn, vèrann vhirrdhing o rhèt h-atharr. vèrann gaèdhadh h-o shanvisc h-atharr, o shcùl ghèor hanna thil bròdhligh.
arr manarr al bhori mhriàl h-o hiavn, vèrann vhirrdhing o rhèt h-atharr. vèrann gaèdhadh h-o shanvisc h-atharr, o shcùl ghèor hanna thil bròdhligh.

English translation
lit: "all men are born free and equal, being dignity and rights at them. being reason and conscience at them, and should act to brotherhood at each other"
"all men are born free and equal, having dignity and rights. they have reason and conscience, and should act to eachother as a brotherhood"

Deor

Old English

Welund him be wurman
wræces cunnade,
anhydig eorl
earfoþa dreag,
hæfde him to gesiþþe
sorge and longaþ,
wintercealde wræce,
wean oft onfond
siþþan hine Niðhad on
nede legde,
swoncre seonobende
on syllan monn.
Þæs ofereode,
þisses swa mæg.

Scots Norse

Vòluenn shi, thur ròvnirr
cvàlarr cenn,
ànar iall
arrvidh thoeld,
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
ta h-oevgangtirr,
tash thil mègh.

(lines with "-" are yet to be translated)

Lexical comparison