Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LangMix (Language switching and script mixing: multilingual landscapes of medieval Scandinavia)
Berichtszeitraum: 2019-07-01 bis 2021-06-30
The use of different languages and alphabets is not surprising in the globalized society we live in. In our cities, we encounter signs, posters, and advertisements with messages written in multiple languages and sometimes different writing systems. We are used to seeing, for example, English on signs at airports independently of where we are in the world, Italian on the menu at our favorite pizzeria, and Japanese at sushi bars. The choice of language and writing system in such cases is not random. On the contrary, it says something about those who have written the message, for example, their competence in multiple languages and writing systems, and about the language proficiency of the intended audience of the message. A certain language choice can also depend on the purpose of the message, which can be a practical one – as at an airport – but can also be about wanting to construct and show a certain identity and cultural affiliation with the help of linguistic resources.
Although we may primarily associate multilingualism and multiliteracy with modern society, these phenomena already existed during the Middle Ages. About a thousand years ago, a radical change began in the use of writing in the Scandinavian societies, which involved the introduction of a new language and a new alphabet, namely Latin and the Roman letters. The spread of Latin is a phenomenon that at various times affected all of Europe, but Scandinavia constitutes a particularly interesting example of how this process took place. There, the Latin script culture met a several-hundred-year-old local written tradition based on the use of the Nordic ancient languages and runes. Some of society's strata thus went from being monolingual to being multilingual and "multiliterate." But how did this transition happen? What happened when Latin met the Nordic languages and when the Roman alphabet met the runes? Did the two traditions influence each other, and if so, how? Who used one tradition or the other, and why?
This project investigated these questions by examining phenomena of language and script mixing in Nordic medieval inscriptions. When Latin and Roman letter letters began to spread, they could be mixed with the local languages and the runes in different ways in one and the same text. For example, there are inscriptions that start in Latin and with Roman letter letters and then transition to Old Norse and runes. In other cases, the texts are entirely composed in Latin or Old Norse, but different parts are inscribed with different alphabets. Another thing that occurs is that the inscribers changed alphabets, for example, from letters to runes in the middle of a word. By analyzing which language and which writing system the inscribers chose and how different languages and alphabets were arranged visually, we can reveal how competent the writers were in one or the other language and alphabet, and to whom they addressed their messages. In a similar way to the restaurant owner who uses Italian to signal affiliation with a particular culture or the advertising agency that uses English to connect with an international audience, we can access the medieval inscribers’ cultural and ideological purposes behind the use of a certain language or writing system
Although we may primarily associate multilingualism and multiliteracy with modern society, these phenomena already existed during the Middle Ages. About a thousand years ago, a radical change began in the use of writing in the Scandinavian societies, which involved the introduction of a new language and a new alphabet, namely Latin and the Roman letters. The spread of Latin is a phenomenon that at various times affected all of Europe, but Scandinavia constitutes a particularly interesting example of how this process took place. There, the Latin script culture met a several-hundred-year-old local written tradition based on the use of the Nordic ancient languages and runes. Some of society's strata thus went from being monolingual to being multilingual and "multiliterate." But how did this transition happen? What happened when Latin met the Nordic languages and when the Roman alphabet met the runes? Did the two traditions influence each other, and if so, how? Who used one tradition or the other, and why?
This project investigated these questions by examining phenomena of language and script mixing in Nordic medieval inscriptions. When Latin and Roman letter letters began to spread, they could be mixed with the local languages and the runes in different ways in one and the same text. For example, there are inscriptions that start in Latin and with Roman letter letters and then transition to Old Norse and runes. In other cases, the texts are entirely composed in Latin or Old Norse, but different parts are inscribed with different alphabets. Another thing that occurs is that the inscribers changed alphabets, for example, from letters to runes in the middle of a word. By analyzing which language and which writing system the inscribers chose and how different languages and alphabets were arranged visually, we can reveal how competent the writers were in one or the other language and alphabet, and to whom they addressed their messages. In a similar way to the restaurant owner who uses Italian to signal affiliation with a particular culture or the advertising agency that uses English to connect with an international audience, we can access the medieval inscribers’ cultural and ideological purposes behind the use of a certain language or writing system
The project aimed to reach four goals:
1. To develop an interdisciplinary approach to analyze historical texts written in multiple languages and scripts using modern advancements in the fields of multilingualism, sociolinguistics, and linguistic landscape studies. This involved combining different areas of study to better understand the complexities of these texts.
2. To investigate how Latin and the Scandinavian languages, as well as the Roman and runic alphabets, were used together, how they influenced each other, and how they were displayed in the layout of the texts.
3. To explore how geographic and sociocultural factors influenced the way in which different languages and alphabets were mixed together (or not). This included examining differences and similarities in texts from different Nordic countries, as well as in various contexts such as churches, monasteries, urban centers, and rural areas.
4. To make a synthesis of these results to produce new knowledge about how literacy developed in medieval Scandinavian societies, and why different languages and alphabets were mixed together.
The project produced a new collection of inscriptions from medieval Scandinavia which made use of different languages and alphabets, by gathering previously unpublished inscriptions and improving documentation of existing ones. The inscriptions were then categorized based on several contextual factors, such as origin, date, object type, language and alphabet use, type of mixing of languages and alphabets, and their visual presentation.
Through analysis, the project discovered that various factors played a role in determining which languages and scripts were used in the texts, as well as the type of mixing that occurred. The proficiency of the inscribers in the chosen language and script was one factor, particularly their proficiency in Latin. Other important factors were sociolinguistic and sociocultural, such as the cultural value attached to Latin and other languages. In some cases, inscribers even chose Latin despite their low proficiency due to the social prestige associated with the language.
1. To develop an interdisciplinary approach to analyze historical texts written in multiple languages and scripts using modern advancements in the fields of multilingualism, sociolinguistics, and linguistic landscape studies. This involved combining different areas of study to better understand the complexities of these texts.
2. To investigate how Latin and the Scandinavian languages, as well as the Roman and runic alphabets, were used together, how they influenced each other, and how they were displayed in the layout of the texts.
3. To explore how geographic and sociocultural factors influenced the way in which different languages and alphabets were mixed together (or not). This included examining differences and similarities in texts from different Nordic countries, as well as in various contexts such as churches, monasteries, urban centers, and rural areas.
4. To make a synthesis of these results to produce new knowledge about how literacy developed in medieval Scandinavian societies, and why different languages and alphabets were mixed together.
The project produced a new collection of inscriptions from medieval Scandinavia which made use of different languages and alphabets, by gathering previously unpublished inscriptions and improving documentation of existing ones. The inscriptions were then categorized based on several contextual factors, such as origin, date, object type, language and alphabet use, type of mixing of languages and alphabets, and their visual presentation.
Through analysis, the project discovered that various factors played a role in determining which languages and scripts were used in the texts, as well as the type of mixing that occurred. The proficiency of the inscribers in the chosen language and script was one factor, particularly their proficiency in Latin. Other important factors were sociolinguistic and sociocultural, such as the cultural value attached to Latin and other languages. In some cases, inscribers even chose Latin despite their low proficiency due to the social prestige associated with the language.
The project's findings challenged previous research that viewed the relationship between Latin and the vernacular as a dichotomy between high and low-status traditions, respectively. Instead, the project revealed that the use of different languages and scripts in medieval Scandinavia was not simply a matter of high versus low status, but rather a reflection of specific social, cultural, and communicative purposes. Latin and Roman letters were used to signal internationalism, religious authority, administration, and high literary culture, while the vernacular and runes were used to indicate local practices, family ties, traditional religious formularies, and practical communication with readers.
Being at the intersection of the study of different languages and alphabets, the project also paved the way for a closer collaboration between researchers from different fields studying texts in medieval Scandinavian languages and Latin, in runes and the Roman alphabet. It also opened for collaborations between researchers of modern and historical multilingual texts.
The studies carried out also served to highlight that the use of different languages and alphabet is in no way only a modern phenomenon, but that it is something that characterized medieval Scandinavia too. Through open presentations in museums and participation in a popular Swedish radio program, such insights on this part of the Scandinavian cultural heritage have also come to fruition to the general public.
Being at the intersection of the study of different languages and alphabets, the project also paved the way for a closer collaboration between researchers from different fields studying texts in medieval Scandinavian languages and Latin, in runes and the Roman alphabet. It also opened for collaborations between researchers of modern and historical multilingual texts.
The studies carried out also served to highlight that the use of different languages and alphabet is in no way only a modern phenomenon, but that it is something that characterized medieval Scandinavia too. Through open presentations in museums and participation in a popular Swedish radio program, such insights on this part of the Scandinavian cultural heritage have also come to fruition to the general public.