De nordiske sprak (review)

Kurt Braunmüller presents a near-comprehensive description of the contemporary Norse languages found both in Scandinavia and in the Atlantic. His treatment is magisterial, dealing with each of the standard languages: Swedish, Danish, Norwegian (with sections on both Bokmål and Nynorsk), Icelandic, and Faeroese. The book ends with an excellent discussion of the possibilities (and problems) associated with mutilingualism and mutual comprehension between the various languages. It would be extremely difficult to fault his treatments of the phonemic, syntactic, and lexical systems of each language; this is particularly the case because of the comparative method he employs throughout and the excellent bibliographical pointers he gives after each section.

A number of queries might be raised about the book, however. The linguistic description assumes considerable prior knowledge of the terminology of phonology and syntax. It is difficult to imagine for whom the book is intended, therefore. Moreover, while a general discussion of the distinctiveness of the various Norse languages in a Scandinavian language is undoubtedly welcome, a strong argument might be made that an English version would actually have been more helpful since the book makes no assumptions about prior knowledge of any of the languages discussed (thereby demonstrating the German origin of the book). Further, although beginning the discussion with one language (Swedish) and then building upon it is an excellent means of avoiding unnecessary repetition, it does mean that it is difficult to use the book for quick reference purposes since so much prior knowledge is assumed in the description of the languages treated after Swedish in the book.

Whilst B’s arguments (9) that a historical element would warp the discussion is normally acceptable, it has to be recognized that a greater understanding of the language politics of the Nordic countries (and in particular those of Norway and the Faeroe Islands) could be achieved through just such a discussion. By the same token, by concentrating so much on the distinctions between Bokmål and Nynorsk, B has practically avoided any discussion of the dialectal diversity found in Norway, a diversity which is a barrier to comprehension to all nonnative speakers without experience and elucidation.

But despite these—relatively minor—reservations, B has achieved a great deal in a small space, and should be applauded for it.