Within the framework of language varieties, language contact and bilingualism in the United States, the subject to be studied closer in this paper will be the kind of English that has been spoken in the areas of the U.S. that are characterized by large-scale Scandinavian immigration. The question will be if the English language that already prevailed in these areas might have been influenced in any way by the language of the new settlers and what exactly can be traced of this interference.
As there are a lot of different aspects to this subject, some restrictions regarding which of these to concentrate on will have to be made. The most important restriction is that focus will lie on Norwegian and Swedish aspects, though Danish issues are considered in passing rather than in depth. With respect to a limited extent of this paper Icelandic and Finnish issues will not be dealt with at all. These and some other considerations will be resumed after a more general introduction to Scandinavian immigration to the U.S. In the next chapter a short account will be given of the historical development of the immigration process, settlement patterns as well as characteristics of the people and cultures that have come into contact during this process.
The third chapter treats some theoretical ideas and concepts which are useful in this kind of study, whereas the fourth chapter eventually deals with findings and conclusions made by researchers in this field of study. An overview of researchers’ opinions and descriptions of this linguistic phenomenon will round off this report.
Table of Contents
1. Introductory notes
2. Scandinavian immigration
2.1 Immigration and settlement patterns
2.1.1 Historical-political background
2.1.2 The Danes
2.1.3 The Norwegians
2.1.4 The Swedes
2.2 Characteristics of the Scandinavian immigrants
3. Studying bilingualism
4. Features of Scandinavian-American language mixing
4.1 Development of language contact
4.2 Phonetic interference
4.3 Syntactic and grammatical interference
4.4 Lexical interference
5. Concluding remarks
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this paper is to examine the influence of Scandinavian languages on the English spoken in areas of the United States heavily populated by Scandinavian immigrants. The research explores whether the existing English dialect in these regions underwent structural or lexical modifications due to contact with Norwegian and Swedish settler languages.
- Historical patterns of Scandinavian immigration and settlement in the U.S.
- Theoretical frameworks for studying bilingualism in immigrant communities.
- Phonetic interference and the persistence of Scandinavian accent and intonation.
- Syntactic and grammatical interference, including clitic articles and sentence structure.
- Lexical transfer and the phenomenon of "false friends" in immigrant speech.
Excerpt from the Book
4.2 Phonetic interference
Any carry-over on the phonetic level is an impact that can be realized most immediately in spoken language. Phonetic patterns of the mother tongue are applied when using English orally; words and sentences that are produced tend to follow a Scandinavian accent, intonation, and articulation.
A feature commonly associated with Scandinavian speech is the mispronunciation of certain phonemes, both single consonants, consonantal combinations, and vowels. Some examples are given in a study conducted in Minnesota in 1927-28. In this study some 115 students of Norwegian parentage were observed in different situations and their ‘speech defects’ traced. An immediate observation was that “certain American sounds are difficult for the Norwegian because they do not occur in his native language.”
First of all there can be made some comments on the articulation of consonant sounds that cannot be found in the Norwegian inventory. To this group belong e.g. [z], [∫], [dz], [w], [v], and [ð] as well as some others. The most typical and striking ones seem to be consonant substitutions such as voiceless [s] for voiced [z] and [∫] for [ʒ] respectively, and the use of the dentals [t] and [d] instead of both voiced and voiceless interdental fricatives [ð] or [θ]. These failures occur both initially, medially, and finally. The examples given for the first case are mostly verb forms in 3rd person singular, e.g. grows and says, pronounced as [gros] and [ses], and also plural forms of substantives, such as zebras with a pronunciation of [sibras]. Similarly, words like vision and pleasure became [vi∫n] and [pleʒr]. As to the substitution of dental spirants the following examples are given: smith pronounced [smit] and thugs pronounced [tΛgs].
Summary of Chapters
1. Introductory notes: This chapter defines the scope of the study, focusing specifically on Norwegian and Swedish influences on English, and outlines the organizational structure of the paper.
2. Scandinavian immigration: It provides a detailed historical overview of Scandinavian migration to the U.S., including settlement patterns and the specific demographic characteristics of the Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish groups.
3. Studying bilingualism: This section establishes the theoretical background for the study, addressing the challenges of researching bilingualism and modeling language mixing within dynamic immigrant environments.
4. Features of Scandinavian-American language mixing: This core chapter analyzes the practical linguistic impact through phonetic, syntactic, and lexical interference, utilizing empirical data from various studies.
5. Concluding remarks: The final section summarizes the findings, noting that while Scandinavian-influenced English is a dynamic phenomenon, its persistence is inextricably linked to the generational shift and ultimate assimilation into standard English.
Keywords
Scandinavian-American English, language contact, bilingualism, phonetic interference, syntactic interference, lexical borrowing, immigrant history, Swedish-American, Norwegian-American, language assimilation, sociolinguistics, loanwords, false friends, linguistic identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research?
This research investigates the linguistic influence of Scandinavian immigrant languages (specifically Norwegian and Swedish) on the American English spoken in regions with high concentrations of Scandinavian settlers.
What are the primary thematic areas covered in the work?
The work covers the history of Scandinavian immigration, the theoretical concepts of bilingualism, and the specific linguistic manifestations of language mixing such as phonetic, syntactic, and lexical interference.
What is the main research question?
The paper asks whether the English language prevailing in areas of large-scale Scandinavian immigration was fundamentally influenced by the native languages of the settlers, and how that interference can be documented.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The author conducts a secondary analysis of existing linguistic studies and data—such as interviews and field reports from the early 20th century—to observe and categorize patterns of language transfer.
What does the main body address?
The main body details the historical background of migration, defines the mechanisms of language mixing, and provides empirical examples of speech patterns that differ from standard American English.
Which keywords best describe this study?
Key terms include Scandinavian-American English, language contact, bilingualism, interference, sociolinguistics, and immigrant assimilation.
How does Scandinavian grammar affect the English spoken by immigrants?
The study highlights that Scandinavian grammatical structures, such as enclitic articles (e.g., "trainet" for "the train") and specific conjugation patterns, were frequently transferred into the English spoken by non-native speakers.
Why are "false friends" significant in this context?
False friends are significant because they demonstrate how words with similar sounds in both languages can lead to humorous or significant miscommunications, illustrating the intersection of linguistic interference and daily social interaction.
- Citar trabajo
- Anja Klein (Autor), 1998, Scandinavian-American English - Tracing Influences of the Scandinavian Immigrants Languages on English in the United States, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/6446
