Faroese introduction
From UniLang Wiki
What is Faroese?
Faroese is the smallest of the modern Nordic languages. Its closest sibling is Icelandic, but also Nynorsk is close to it.
Where is it spoken?
The Faroese language is spoken primarily in the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic. There are big minorities in Denmark, however, and a somewhat scattered diaspora in the surrounding Scandinavian countries and the United Kingdom.
How many people speak it?
The population of the Faroe Islands is 48,353 per 1.12.2004. In addition app. 17,000-25,000 Faroese live in Denmark and abroad, bringing the total number of speakers up to app. 70,000.
Since when is there a Faroese Language?
We can talk about Faroese as a separate language since about 1600. In 1854, V. U. Hammershaimb published his orthography which later became the basis of all Modern Faroese writing. Before this point, Faroese existed primarily as an oral language - there being only scattered, semi-phonetic records of the language in written form. Since 1938 Faroese has been the language of education and since 1939 it has been the language of the Faroese church which until then had used Danish as its liturgical language.
Are there earlier writings from the Faroes?
Yes. Runestones dating to the Viking age have been found. The Vikings, of course, spoke the dialect of Old Norse ancestral to Modern Faroese. The so-called Sheep letter from 1298 by bishop Erlendur is the oldest known document to have been written on the Faroe Islands. Linguists say that it contains the oldest traces of distinctively Faroese traits within the Old Norse language.
I have heard about the Faereyinga saga, the Faroe Islander's saga...
Well, the Færeyingasaga is the oldest source about the Faroese history during the Viking age which ended in 1035, but it was written about 200 years later by monks in Iceland (and so in Old Icelandic dialect) and only compiled in the 19th century out of a stack of Icelandic sagas. However, there are translations into Modern Faroese and the material therein is taught at school in the Faroes today.
How great is the influence of Danish in the Faroes?
As you know, the Faroes have since the reformation in 1536/38 been a part of Denmark. The Danish king abolished the Norwegian state and therefore the Norwegian colony of the Faroes became a Danish district. Due to the reformation, the speech in the churches changed from Latin to Danish. As mentioned above, Faroese could survive due to oral tradition. There was (and still is) a huge body of old ballads that have been sung by the Faroese through the centuries from generation to generation. However, Danish was the official language of the administration until 1948. Therefore you find many influences of loanwords, even if Faroese grammar and pronunciation is very different from Danish.
Will it be easier to learn Danish first, before I embark on learning Faroese?
No. You can learn Faroese as your first Scandinavian language. Those educated Faroese, who could give you private support, all speak English, and the summer courses at the Faroese university are held in English. Also the most comprehensive book about Faroese ever (Faroese - An Overview and Reference Grammar, 2004) is written in English and expects no knowledge of any other Nordic language. That said, knowledge of one or more Scandinavian languages will give you a head start on much of the lexicon as the words are often recognizable throughout the Scandinavian language spectrum.
I already speak Danish/Norwegian/Swedish - so why learn Faroese?
Well, all the Faroese speak perfect Danish to you, and you are always welcome to communicate in it. But if you want to live and work there - won't you like to read newspapers and be able to understand what's said on tv and in the radio? Won't you like to understand what the people are talking about in the shop? As a tourist you will also see that a basic interest in the Faroese language will be rewarded with invitations to learn more about real life in the Faroes.
Where can I listen to Faroese abroad?
If you don't know any Faroese people, you can still listen to Faroese almost all day - via internet at the Faroese Radio (Útvarp Føroya). The Faroese TV (Sjónvarp Føroya) daily has several new video clips for download. And there is very good music in Faroese, for example at www.tutl.com. Many of the CD's have booklets with the texts.
Where do I find books in Faroese?
Most Faroese books are only sold in the Faroes. You will find a list of bookshops and deliverable books on BMS.fo Bookshops will ship the books within 7-10 days to you (Europe).
Is there a Faroese library?
Yes, at FLB.fo you find the National library of the Faroes with a search engine of their database. But they do not loan abroad. However, everything ever written in Faroese, by Faroese writers in other languages, and in other languages about the Faroe Islands, you will find there. If you go to the Faroes, and it is a rainy day, you know where to go now :-)
Can I read a Faroese bible in the internet?
Of course, and it is a good idea to compare it with your edition at home: Faroese Bible - state church's edition and Faroese Bible - Plymoth Brethren's edition.
Is there also other stuff in the internet, I can compare with major Western languages?
The Faroese post Postverk Føroya offers good texts to each of their stamp editions in English, German, French, Danish and Faroese. They have a catalogue of former editions on-line, where you can find lots of good stories about the Faroes in each of those languages. Other projects by them are Tjatsi.fo - Mythology, legends and tales, Faroestamps.fo Geography and history and Faroeartstamps.fo - Art on stamps - stamps as art.
So I should go to the Faroes then!
Great idea! You are welcome to visit the tourist portal at faroeislands.com.
More answers to be found here soon...
Faroese is one of the Germanic languages.
