Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Language switching and script mixing: multilingual landscapes of medieval Scandinavia

Project description

New insights into the multilingual literacy of medieval Scandinavia

The spread of Latin marks a pivotal point in the development of all European literate societies. In Scandinavia, for instance, the Latin and the Roman script mixed with an 800-year-old native tradition based on the local vernacular and the runic script. As a result, Scandinavia became multilingual and multiscriptal. In this context, the EU-funded LangMix project will study the medieval writers’ multilingual and multiscriptal proficiency and the status relationship between the Latin and runic written traditions. It will also investigate the ideological presuppositions and purposes of the use of different languages and scripts. The findings will provide new insight into the multilingual literacy of medieval Scandinavia and its underlying cultural and ideological aspects.

Objective

The present project aims to investigate the encounter between the Latin and the native vernacular written culture in medieval Scandinavia, through phenomena of language and script switching in epigraphic sources. The spread of Latin is a pivotal point in the development of all European literate societies. Scandinavia represents a unique case study where Latin and the Roman script encountered and mixed itself with an 800 year old native tradition based on the local vernacular and the runic script. From being monolingual and monoscriptal, Scandinavia became multilingual and multiscriptal.

Through an interdisciplinary framework to be developed in synergy with leading scholars at the University of Oslo, epigraphic methods completed by multimodal and sociolinguistic analyses within a linguistic landscape perspective will serve to determine: 1) the medieval writers’ multilingual and multiscriptal proficiency; 2) the status relationship between the Latin and runic written tradition; and 3) the ideological presuppositions and purposes of the use of different languages and scripts.

For the first time, these phenomena will be studied systematically and through an unexplored combination of historical material and modern sociolinguistic methods. This will not only yield new insights in the multilingual literacy of medieval Scandinavia and on its underlying cultural and ideological aspects, but also in its significance in a European context. By embedding the Scandinavian case in the process of cultural and political formation of Europe, this project will also contribute to understand the common cultural heritage in modern European societies.

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

UNIVERSITETET I OSLO
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 214 158,72
Address
PROBLEMVEIEN 5-7
0313 Oslo
Norway

See on map

Region
Norge Oslo og Viken Oslo
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 214 158,72
My booklet 0 0