Jamtlandic Dialects - Language

Language

Since the early 20th century it has been wildly debated if Jamtlandic is a dialect or a language. Proponents of Jamtlandic as a language point to the differences in vocabulary and pronunciation. A great percentage of the Jamtish speakers recognise Jamtish as a language rather than a Swedish dialect. There have been efforts to make the Swedish government recognise it as a minority language just as the Yiddish and Sami languages have been. One of the more prominent people that have been active in the effort to make Jamtish a recognised language is Bo Oscarsson. Oscarsson has written books about the Jamtish language/dialect and even compiled dictionaries.

Read more about this topic:  Jamtlandic Dialects

Famous quotes containing the word language:

    “This Light inspires, and plays upon
    The nose of Saint like Bag-pipe drone,
    And speaks through hollow empty Soul,
    As through a Trunk, or whisp’ring hole,
    Such language as no mortal Ear
    But spiritual Eve-droppers can hear.”
    —Samuel Butler (1612–1680)

    “Strange goings on! Jones did it slowly, deliberately, in the bathroom, with a knife, at midnight. What he did was butter a piece of toast. We are too familiar with the language of action to notice at first an anomaly: the ‘it’ of ‘Jones did it slowly, deliberately,...’ seems to refer to some entity, presumably an action, that is then characterized in a number of ways.”
    —Donald Davidson (b. 1917)

    “Like the train’s beat
    Swift language flutters the lips
    Of the Polish airgirl in the corner seat.”
    —Philip Larkin (1922–1986)