Ancient Gutnian language is an extinct language from the group of Germanic languages (northern subgroup). Assimilated by the Swedish language in the 17th-18th centuries; relics of the language are found in the Gutnian dialect of the Swedish language , widespread on the island of Gotland .
| Ancient gutnian language | |
|---|---|
| Country | Sweden |
| Regions | Gotland |
| Total number of speakers | |
| Classification | |
| Category | Languages of Eurasia |
Indo-European family
| |
| Writing | and |
Sample Text
(excerpt from the Guta Saga )
Gutland hitti fyrsti mathr than sum thieluar hit. tha war gutland so eluist at thet daghum sanc Oc natum war uppj. En thann mathr quam fyrsti eldi a land Oc sithan sanc thet aldri. thissi thieluar hafthi ann sun som hit hafthi. En haftha cuna hit huita stierna thaun tu bygthu fyrsti agutlandi fyrstu nat som thaun saman suafu tha droymdi hennj draumbr.
Gotland was the first to find one person named Thielwar. At that time, Gotland was so enchanted that it sank to the bottom of the sea during the day, and floated at night. But this man brought fire to the island for the first time, and after that that [island] never sank. This Tielvar had a son, whose name was Hafdi. And Huffie's wife was called the White Star. They were the first inhabitants of Gotland. On the first night they slept together, the White Star had a dream.
Literature
- Noreen, Adolf (1904). Altnordische Grammatik II: Altschwedische Grammatik mit Einschluss des Altgutnischen . Halle: Max Niemeyer
Links
- Ancient Gutnian Glossary (Swedish)
- An Ancient Gutnian page on Gutamålsgillet, an organization that supports modern Gotland dialects