Scandinavian Influence on English Language -Bhiksu University-03 Year Students (Internal)

Viking colonization (Scandinavian) of the British Isles had a considerable effect on the English language and vocabulary.

Even today, after hundreds of years, we can still see the evidence of Scandinavian influence.

Introduction

English has been influenced by many languages and one of them is Scandinavian.

Vikings were the Germanic tribes of the Scandinavian Peninsula and Denmark.

Vikings conquered large areas of England.

Scandinavian place-names

Many places in today England bear Scandinavian names (more than 1,400).

There are more than 600 places with names ending in -by (such as Whitby, Grimsby).

Scandinavian word thorp that means 'village'

(Althorp, Bishopsthorpe, Linthorpe)

There are almost as much place-names that contain the word thwaite, 'an isolated piece of land' (e.g. Applethwaite, Langthwaite). Around a hundred end in toft, 'a piece of ground, (Brimtoft, Nortoft).

Even personal names bear witness to the Scandinavian influence. Names with the suffix -son like Stevenson or Johnson

NOUNS

Band/bank/birth/bull/egg/fellow/gap/guess

Husband/kid/law/leg/link/loan/ race/root/score/seat/sister/skill/skin/skirt

Sky/want/window/

1.  Discuss the reasons for the English Language to be the Global Language.

2.  Explain the term, Scandinavian English and point out the way it expanded the vocabulary of the English Language.