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|created=April 3rd, 2026
|created=April 3rd, 2026
|setting=
|setting=
|dia1={{lang|snon|[[Inner Scots Norse|Staeghègh]]}}
|standard={{lang|snon|{{term|Hàsudhraèghsc}}}}
|dia2={{lang|snon|[[Outer Scots Norse|Siarègh]]}}
|dia1={{lang|snon|[[Eastern Scots Norse|Èstèghsc]]}}
|dia2={{lang|snon|[[Western Scots Norse|Veastèghsc]]}}
|familycolor=Indo-European
|familycolor=Indo-European
|nation=Scotland
|nation=Scotland
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}}
}}


'''Scots Norse''' (Also ''Sodor Norse''; [[w:endonym|endonym]]: ''{{lang|snon|{{term|Sudhraèsc}}}}''; /sˠɤðˠ.ˈreʃc/) is a West Nordic language, thus closer to [[w:Icelandic|Icelandic]] and [[w:Faroese|Faroese]] than [[w:Swedish|Swedish]] or [[w:Danish|Danish]]. It is natively spoken throughout [[w:Suðreyjar|Suðreyjar]], being the dominant language of the [[w:Hebrides|isles]]. It has recieved heavy influence from [[w:Scots Gaelic|Gàidhlig]] over the last several centuries, contributing heavily to the spelling conventions of the language, and likely being the primary pushing force behind the development of the broad/slender distinction in Scots Norse.
Scots Norse (Also Sodor Norse; [[w:Autonym|Autonym]]: Sudhraèghsc; /sˠɤðˠ.ˈreʃc/) is a West Nordic language spoken in the Hebrides most closely related to [[w:Norn|Norn]], less so to [[w:Icelandic|Icelandic]] and [[w:Faroese|Faroese]], and quite distantly to [[w:Swedish|Swedish]], [[w:Norwegian|Norwegian]], and [[w:Danish|Danish]]. It has extremely significant influence from mainly [[w:Scottish Gaelic|Scots]] and [[w:Irish|Irish]] [[w:Goidelic languages|Gaelic]], and less so from the [[w:Germanic languages|Germanic]] languages [[w:Scots language|Scots]] [[w:English language|English]]. The Gaelic influence is most noticeable in the [[w:Morphophonology|morphophonology]] of Scots Norse, both with the [[w:palatalization (linguistics)|slender]]/[[w:velarization|broad]] distinction in [[w:consonants|consonants]] and the presence of [[w:consonant mutation|initial consonant mutation]].


Scots Norse is typically split into two main [[w:dialect|dialect]] groups, Inner and Outer, corresponding to the Inner and Outer Hebrides, these are further divided into North, South, and Central for both, though Central Northern is more often called "Uist Norse". These dialects are almost entirely mutually intelligible within their groups, and mostly so even between the groups. Uniting all of these is the standardized form, ''{{lang|snon|Hàrsudhraèsc}}'', literally meaning "High Scots Norse". ("high" as in "exalted")
Scots Norse has roughly eleven [[w:dialect|dialects]] that form the language's two [[w:dialect continuum|dialect continuums]], these are called [[Western Scots Norse|Veastèghsc]] ("Western") and [[Eastern Scots Norse|Èstèghsc]] ("Eastern") Scots Norse respectively, these are further divided into specific dialects, which can be viewed within the articles themselves. Uniting all of these dialects is the [[w:standard language|standard variety]], called ''Hàsudhraèghsc'', literally "High [[w:Suðreyjar|Suðreyjar]]-ish". All [[w:variety (linguistics)|varieties]] of Scots Norse are written using the [[w:Latin script|Latin script]], employing [[w:Gaelic Type|Gaelic Type]] or [[w:Insular Script|Insular]] as the [[w:script|hand]], this acts as a notable exception to the general notion that Gaelic Type and Insular only survive for ornamental or historical usages, as they are still the primary hand used for Scots Norse.
 
==Classification==
Scots Norse has long been a difficulty for linguists to classify, as it shows clear signs of being a mixed language, though the extent of this has been and still is heavily debated and questioned. As well as the general lack of speakers of Scots Norse, it is hard to determine whether Scots Norse stands as a creole or not, thus the general consensus among modern linguists to class it under ''Gaelo-Nordic'' till enough research has been done to reclassify it under a more appropriate position, potentially as a Scottish-Norse creole.
 
The difficulty in classifying Scots Norse comes largely down to the morphology and phonology, where it is closer to the modern Gaelic languages than the other Nordic languages, having lost most inflection while simultaneously gaining a simple system of preposition inflections from heavily reduced pronouns.


Scots Norse is hard to classify type-wise, as it shows signs of [[w:creolization|creolization]], but not to the extent where it could typically be classed as a [[w:creole|creole]], this leads to the branching from Insular West Norse into so-called "Gaelo-Nordic", characterized by the partial creolization of [[w:Old West Norse|Old West Norse]] with [[w:Middle Irish|Middle Irish]] and Scots Gaelic. Regardless how it is classed, Scots Norse is with no doubt some kind of [[w:mixed language|mixed language]].
==History==
==History==
===Pre-Modern===
===Pre-Modern===
Scots Norse originates in the mid to late 13th century, around the time Suðreyjar was handed over to Scotland with the [[w:Treaty of Perth|Treaty of Perth]]. Though the language would continue to be largely unchanged from the Old Norse of the 12th century, 1266AD is often used as a dividing date between Old Norse and the earliest forms of Scots Norse. While 1266 is a relatively arbitrary date, it serves its purpose as a convenient divide between two stages, as following the Treaty of Perth, the Hebrides would gain a much larger population of [[w:Gaelic|Gaelic]] and [[w:English|English]] speakers (At this point still Middle Irish and [[w:Middle English|Middle English]]), and from roughly 1450AD onward, Scots Norse would be increasingly influenced by Scots Gaelic and, to a lesser extent, Scots.
Scots Norse originates in the mid to late 13th century, around the time Suðreyjar was handed over to [[w:Scotland|Scotland]] with the [[w:Treaty of Perth|Treaty of Perth]]. Though the language would continue to be largely unchanged from the Old Norse of the 12th century, 1266AD is often used as a dividing date between Old Norse and the earliest forms of Scots Norse. While 1266 is a relatively arbitrary date, it serves its purpose as a convenient divide between two stages, as following the Treaty of Perth, the Hebrides would gain a much larger population of Gaelic and English speakers (At this point still [[w:Middle Irish|Middle Irish]] and [[w:Middle English|Middle English]]), and from roughly 1450AD onward, Scots Norse would be increasingly influenced by Scots Gaelic and, to a lesser extent, Scots.


Having been spoken throughout Suðreyjar, Scots Norse had a dialect within the [[w:Isle of Man|Isle of Man]] (Scots Norse {{lang|snon|{{term|Monaègharr}}}}). Little is known about Manx Norse ({{lang|snon|{{term|Monaèsc}}}}), as it is very poorly recorded, the most extensive description being a short document from around 1500AD that contains a list of about 150 words (see ''[[the Noreine speche fra Man]]''), with a very poor description of the pronunciations. Though from this description we can gather that Manx Norse still had the [[w:dental fricative|dental fricatives]] that had been lost in other dialects (merging with t/d), we get this from the description "... these [th and dh] are like that of the Saxons' beloved þ."
Having been spoken throughout all of Suðreyjar, Scots Norse once had a dialect within the [[w:Isle of Man|Isle of Man]] (Scots Norse {{lang|snon|{{term|Monaègharr}}}}). Little is known about Manx Scots Norse ({{lang|snon|{{term|Monaèsc}}}}), as it is very poorly recorded, the most extensive description being a short document from around 1500AD that contains a list of about 150 words (see ''[[the Noreine speche fra Man]]''), with a very poor description of the pronunciations. Though from this description we can gather that it still had the original [[w:dental fricative|dental fricatives]] that had been lost in other dialects (merging with t/d), we get this from the description "... these [th and dh] are like that of the Saxons' beloved þ."


Following the treaty of Perth, the usage of Norse began declining significantly, with evidence it was nearly extinct by 1550. A small revitalization occured in the mid 18th century when several of the last native speakers (at the time, Scots Norse had no more than 150 remaining speakers) gathered together to document the language so it could be taught to children. This effort was mostly effective, leading to the first noticeable rise in speaker count since it began declining. By the 1880's, there would be upwards of 1,500 native speakers, a majority of them young.
Following the treaty of Perth, the usage of Norse began declining significantly, with evidence it was nearly extinct by 1550. A small revitalization occurred in the mid 18th century when several of the last native speakers (having had no more than 150 remaining speakers) gathered together to document the language so it could be taught to children. This effort was mostly effective, leading to the first noticeable rise in speaker count since it began declining. By the 1880's, there would be upwards of 1,500 native speakers, a majority of them young.


===Modern===
===Modern===
Modern Scots Norse is typically classed as critically endangered due to how few speakers it has, having no more than 2,500 native speakers as of 2020, and virtually all of them live in the Hebrides, making it extremely limited.
Modern Scots Norse is typically classed as critically endangered due to how few speakers it has, having no more than 2,500 native speakers as of 2020, and virtually all of them live in the Hebrides, making its usage extremely limited.


Since the early 1990's, Scots Norse has gained a small but dedicated community of linguists that are determined to further document it and make resources more readily available. As of 2018, an online course has been published that goes over Standard Scots Norse, and it has been continually updated since then, improving the quality and extent of the contents, having started out as a rather barebones description of the phonology, orthography, and rudimentary grammar.
Since the early 1990's, Scots Norse has gained a small but dedicated community of linguists that are determined to further document it and make resources more readily available. As of 2018, an online course has been published that goes over Standard Scots Norse, and it has been continually updated since then, improving the quality and extent of the contents, having started out as a rather barebones description of the phonology, orthography, and rudimentary grammar.
Line 193: Line 198:
Every vowel can appear nasalized, though nasalization only occurs in specific positions, and is always shown with a single N. (though not all single Ns are nasalization)
Every vowel can appear nasalized, though nasalization only occurs in specific positions, and is always shown with a single N. (though not all single Ns are nasalization)
*Word finally
*Word finally
*Before a fricative (Though "nh" is /n̥/)
*Before a fricative (Though "nh" is /z/)
*In some irregular positions when loaned from another language.
*In some irregular positions when loaned from another language.
===Dialects===
All spoken dialects lack a distinction between /h/ and /x/.
====Siarèghsc====
Siarèghsc, or Outer Scots Norse, is spoken throughout the {{lang|snon|{{term|Siarègh}}}}, or the Outer Hebrides.
All outer dialects share the following major features.
*front round vowels became a back vowel, rather than the reflex in the Inner dialects, thus words like {{lang|snon|{{term|saist}}}} become {{lang|snon|{{term|siuest}}}} in Outer.
*short i-e merger, always to /ɛ/.
*loss of dental fricatives through merging variably with ⟨t, d⟩ or ⟨(c)h, gh⟩. (Always with ⟨(c)h, gh⟩ when slender)
*denasalization of nasal vowels, giving varying values throughout the dialects.
*merger of /r/ and /ɾ/.
*Lack of the short a-e merger, keeping ⟨a⟩ as /ɑ/ (thus ⟨a⟩ is also broad, not slender)
=====Fadhaèghsc=====
Fadhaèghsc, or High Scots Norse (Locative "high"),is spoken on {{lang|snon|{{term|Fadhaègh}}}}, or [[w:Lewis and Harris|Lewis and Harris]].
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! colspan=2 rowspan=2 |
! colspan=2 | labial
! colspan=2 | alveolar
! colspan=2 | velar
|-
! broad
! slender
! broad
! slender
! broad
! slender
|-
! colspan=2 | Nasal
| m
| mʲ
| n
| ɲ
|
|
|-
! rowspan=2 | Stop
! Unvoiced
| p
| p͡f
| t
| t͡ʃ
| k
| c
|-
! Voiced
| b
| b͡v
| d
| d͡ʒ
| g
| ɟ
|-
! rowspan=2 | Fricative
! Unvoiced
| f
| f(j)~ç
| s
| ʃ
| x
| ç
|-
! Voiced
| v
| v(j)~ʝ
| z
| ʒ
| ɣ
| ʝ
|-
! colspan=2 | Approximant
|
|
| ɾ, ɫ
| ɾʲ
| colspan=2 | j
|-
|}
#The dental fricatives merge with /x, ɣ/
#/ʎ/ becomes /j/
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!
! Front
! Back
|-
! High
| i
| u
|-
! Near-High
|
| ɤ
|-
! Mid
| e
| o
|-
! Low
| ɛ
| ɔ~ɒ
|-
|}
#/ə/ is the unstressed realization of /ɛ, ɔ/. (differing by slender vs broad)
"Nasal" vowels are typically realized as centering diphthongs.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!
! Front
! Back
|-
! High
| iɪ̯̈
| uʊ̯̈
|-
! Near-High
|
| ɤʊ̯̈~ʊ̈ː
|-
! Mid
| eɪ̯̈
| oʊ̯̈
|-
! Low
| ɛɪ̯̈
| ɔʊ̯̈
|-
|}
#/əɪ̯̈/ is the unstressed realization of /ɜˑ, ɞˑ/. (differing by slender vs broad)
=====Ìvistèghsc=====
Ìvistèghsc, or Uist Norse, is spoken on the islands of {{lang|snon|{{term|Ìvist}}}}, or [[w:Uist|Uist]].
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! colspan=2 rowspan=2 |
! colspan=2 | labial
! colspan=2 | alveolar
! colspan=2 | velar
|-
! broad
! slender
! broad
! slender
! broad
! slender
|-
! colspan=2 | Nasal
| m
| mʲ
| n
| ɲ
|
|
|-
! rowspan=2 | Stop
! Unvoiced
| p
| p͡f
| t
| t͡ʃ
| k
| c
|-
! Voiced
| b
| b͡v
| d
| d͡ʒ
| g
| ɟ
|-
! rowspan=2 | Fricative
! Unvoiced
| f
| f(j)
| s
| ʃ
| x
| ç
|-
! Voiced
| v
| v(j)
| z
| ʒ
| ɣ
| ʝ
|-
! colspan=2 | Approximant
|
|
| r, ɫ
| rʲ, ʎ
| colspan=2 | j
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!
! Front
! Back
|-
! High
| i
| u
|-
! Near-High
|
| ɤ
|-
! Mid
| e
| o
|-
! Low
| ɛ
| ɔ~ɒ
|-
|}
#/ə/ is the unstressed realization of /ɛ, ɔ/. (differing by slender vs broad)
"Nasal" vowels in Uist Norse are typically realized slightly centralized and longer.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!
! Front
! Back
|-
! High
| ɪ̈ˑ
| ʊ̈ˑ
|-
! Mid
| ɘˑ
| ɵˑ
|-
! Low
| ɜˑ
| ɞˑ
|-
|}
#/əˑ/ is the unstressed realization of /ɜˑ, ɞˑ/. (differing by slender vs broad)


===Prosody===
===Prosody===

Latest revision as of 00:52, 4 May 2026


Scots Norse
Sudhraèsc
Pronunciation[sˠɤðˠ.ˈreʃc]
Created byMelinoë
DateApril 3rd, 2026
Native toSuðreyjar
EthnicityNorse Scots
Native speakers(L1) 2,000 (2019)
(L2) < 50,000
Early forms
Dialects
Official status
Official language in
Scotland
Scots Norse is classified as critically endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Scots Norse (Also Sodor Norse; Autonym: Sudhraèghsc; /sˠɤðˠ.ˈreʃc/) is a West Nordic language spoken in the Hebrides most closely related to Norn, less so to Icelandic and Faroese, and quite distantly to Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish. It has extremely significant influence from mainly Scots and Irish Gaelic, and less so from the Germanic languages Scots English. The Gaelic influence is most noticeable in the morphophonology of Scots Norse, both with the slender/broad distinction in consonants and the presence of initial consonant mutation.

Scots Norse has roughly eleven dialects that form the language's two dialect continuums, these are called Veastèghsc ("Western") and Èstèghsc ("Eastern") Scots Norse respectively, these are further divided into specific dialects, which can be viewed within the articles themselves. Uniting all of these dialects is the standard variety, called Hàsudhraèghsc, literally "High Suðreyjar-ish". All varieties of Scots Norse are written using the Latin script, employing Gaelic Type or Insular as the hand, this acts as a notable exception to the general notion that Gaelic Type and Insular only survive for ornamental or historical usages, as they are still the primary hand used for Scots Norse.

Classification

Scots Norse has long been a difficulty for linguists to classify, as it shows clear signs of being a mixed language, though the extent of this has been and still is heavily debated and questioned. As well as the general lack of speakers of Scots Norse, it is hard to determine whether Scots Norse stands as a creole or not, thus the general consensus among modern linguists to class it under Gaelo-Nordic till enough research has been done to reclassify it under a more appropriate position, potentially as a Scottish-Norse creole.

The difficulty in classifying Scots Norse comes largely down to the morphology and phonology, where it is closer to the modern Gaelic languages than the other Nordic languages, having lost most inflection while simultaneously gaining a simple system of preposition inflections from heavily reduced pronouns.

History

Pre-Modern

Scots Norse originates in the mid to late 13th century, around the time Suðreyjar was handed over to Scotland with the Treaty of Perth. Though the language would continue to be largely unchanged from the Old Norse of the 12th century, 1266AD is often used as a dividing date between Old Norse and the earliest forms of Scots Norse. While 1266 is a relatively arbitrary date, it serves its purpose as a convenient divide between two stages, as following the Treaty of Perth, the Hebrides would gain a much larger population of Gaelic and English speakers (At this point still Middle Irish and Middle English), and from roughly 1450AD onward, Scots Norse would be increasingly influenced by Scots Gaelic and, to a lesser extent, Scots.

Having been spoken throughout all of Suðreyjar, Scots Norse once had a dialect within the Isle of Man (Scots Norse Monaègharr). Little is known about Manx Scots Norse (Monaèsc), as it is very poorly recorded, the most extensive description being a short document from around 1500AD that contains a list of about 150 words (see the Noreine speche fra Man), with a very poor description of the pronunciations. Though from this description we can gather that it still had the original dental fricatives that had been lost in other dialects (merging with t/d), we get this from the description "... these [th and dh] are like that of the Saxons' beloved þ."

Following the treaty of Perth, the usage of Norse began declining significantly, with evidence it was nearly extinct by 1550. A small revitalization occurred in the mid 18th century when several of the last native speakers (having had no more than 150 remaining speakers) gathered together to document the language so it could be taught to children. This effort was mostly effective, leading to the first noticeable rise in speaker count since it began declining. By the 1880's, there would be upwards of 1,500 native speakers, a majority of them young.

Modern

Modern Scots Norse is typically classed as critically endangered due to how few speakers it has, having no more than 2,500 native speakers as of 2020, and virtually all of them live in the Hebrides, making its usage extremely limited.

Since the early 1990's, Scots Norse has gained a small but dedicated community of linguists that are determined to further document it and make resources more readily available. As of 2018, an online course has been published that goes over Standard Scots Norse, and it has been continually updated since then, improving the quality and extent of the contents, having started out as a rather barebones description of the phonology, orthography, and rudimentary grammar.

Phonology

labial dental alveolar velar
plain broad slender plain broad slender plain broad slender plain broad slender
Nasal m mˠ mʲ n nˠ ɲ
Stop Unvoiced p pˠ pʲ t tˠ tʲ k c
Voiced b bˠ bʲ d dˠ dʲ g ɟ
Fricative Unvoiced f fˠ fʲ θ θˠ θʲ s sˠ ʃ h¹ x ç
Voiced v vˠ vʲ ð ðˠ ðʲ z zˠ ʒ ɣ ʝ
Approximant r, l rˠ, lˠ rʲ, ʎ j
  1. /h/ merges with /x/ outside of Standard Scots Norse.
Front Back
Unround Round
High i u
Near-High ɪ ɤ~ʊ
Mid e (ə) o
Low æ~ɛ ɔ~ɒ
  1. /ə/ is the unstressed realization of /æ, ɔ/. (differing by slender vs broad)
  2. /æ/ is often /ɛ/ before nasals, but rarely so anywhere else.

Long vowels have long been lost, though their effects remain prominently, influencing the languages stress patterns heavily.

Every vowel can appear nasalized, though nasalization only occurs in specific positions, and is always shown with a single N. (though not all single Ns are nasalization)

  • Word finally
  • Before a fricative (Though "nh" is /z/)
  • In some irregular positions when loaned from another language.

Prosody

The rules for stress are very slightly more complex than they were in Old Norse, but not by much.

Stress always goes on the left-most syllable possible. When there are vowels with a grave, stress goes to the first one, skipping over all vowels without one. (so sudhraèir is stressed on "aèi")

Mutation

Since Old Norse, initial consonant mutation has developed. Scots Norse has three forms:

radical (basic)
lenition
eclipsis

these can be shown quite well through pronoun + verb, as a pronoun exists that causes both, the word order for these will be slightly odd.

The following gives an example using "mic" ("I, me"), "ha" ("he, him"), and "ic" ("we, us", emphatic):

mic tàlarr /ˈmʲɪc ˈto.ʎərʲ/ — "I speak"
ha dtàlarr /ˈçæ ˈdo.ʎərʲ/ — "he speaks"
ic thàlarr /ˈɪc ˈθo.ʎərʲ/ — "we (emphatic) speak"

Orthography

(updated up to "dh")

Morphology

Pronouns

Scots Norse personal pronouns
simple emphatic
singular plural singular plural
1st mic vit mèrr oecᶫ
2nd tic tit tèrr icᶫ
3rd masc haᶰ tèrr hanuᶰ tèᶰ
fem hoᶰ henᶫ, honuᶰ
reflexive sic, -sc sèrr, -sc

Nouns

Nouns have been reduced down to a basic singular/plural distinction, with the masc/fem distinction only maintained when paired with the article hin.

The plural is always formed with -arr, while the singular has roughly two methods that apply to both genders, those being "e-ᶫ" and "-" (note that the "e-" represents slenderization of the preceding consonant).

All nouns fit into one of these two patterns, regardless the forms in Old Norse. Below are several examples.

Declension of ald (masculine)
singular plural
indefinite aldᶫ aldarr
definite hin h'aldᶫ hin h'aldarr
Declension of hàet (masculine)
singular plural
indefinite hàetᶫ hàtarr
definite hin ghàetᶫ hin ghàtarr
Declension of hàmar (masculine)
singular plural
indefinite hàmarᶫ hàmrarr
definite hin ghàmarᶫ hin ghàmrarr
Declension of bèdh (masculine)
singular plural
indefinite bèdhᶫ bèdharr
definite hin bhèdhᶫ hin bhèdharr
Declension of bòegh (masculine)
singular plural
indefinite bòeghᶫ bògharr
definite hin bhòeghᶫ hin bhògharr
Declension of màel (masculine)
singular plural
indefinite màel màlarr
definite hin mhàel hin mhàlarr
Declension of poest (masculine)
singular plural
indefinite poest postarr
definite hin phoest hin phostarr
Declension of arrv (feminine)
singular plural
indefinite arrvᶫ arrvarr
definite hin arrvᶫ hin arrvarr
Declension of bèt (feminine)
singular plural
indefinite bèt bètarr
definite hin bèt hin bètarr

Adjectives

Both the comparative and superlative forms were lost by the time of Sudrey Norse, being replaced with the usage of mèr ("more") and mast ("most"), so rather than, say, Old Norse beztr (hypothetical Scots Norse **bast) for "better", it is instead mèr ghòedh (lit. "more good").

In modern Scots Norse, adjectives have at most three forms, 2 singulars and a plural. Only the singular changes for gender, where the distinction is through mutation, the masculine causing lenition while the feminine doesn't cause mutation.

Declension of ald
masculine feminine plural
h'aldᶫ ald aldarr

ᶫ: Triggers lenition

Numerals

1 èn
2 tfèrr
3 trìrr
4 fiòrarr
5 fi
6 sac
7 siò
8 àet
9 naì
10 taì
11 aliov
12 tòlv

Prepositions

Scots Norse has a very, very simple system of inflected prepositions, only inflecting for person and number.

A large amount of speakers simply don't use inflected prepositions.

Inflection of i
1st 2nd 3rd
singular ig idac inhᶰ
plural iogh igh idà

ᶰ: causes nasal


Inflection of til
1st 2nd 3rd
singular tilg tiltac tilhᶰ
plural tiolch tilch tiltà

ᶰ: causes nasal

Verbs

Many significant changes have happened to the verb system since Old Norse, notably both the mood and voice distinctions have been lost. The active indicative has descended into the present and past tense, while the active subjunctive was lost entirely. The oppositive happened in the mediopassive, with the subjunctive becoming the future and stative, while the indicative was lost.

The stative doesn't exist for every verb, but the forms are still displayed for convenience's sake.

The original mediopassive indicative only remains in a small set of verbs acting as a reciprocal, typically physical actions taken towards others, like [Term?] ("to fight"), slà ("to hit"), [Term?] ("to embrace"), as well as a few abstract verbs, such as elsc ("to love"). Otherwise it's been replaced by hinnar

Verbs have reduced to such a limited number of forms that analogy and sound changes have leveled them all down to essentially one pattern (excluding a few irregular verbs), which seemingly descends from Old Norse's weak class 2 pattern.

Conjugation of tàel (regular)
present past
infinitive tàel —
participle tàlann tàla
singular plural impersonal
1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd
pos. pres. tàlarr mic tàlarr tic tàlarr ha tàlarr vit tàlarr tit tàlarr tèrr tàlarrt
past tàladharr mic tàladharr tic tàladharr ha tàladharr vit tàladharr tit tàladharr tèrr tàladharrt
fut. tàlist mic tàlist tic tàlist ha tàlist vit tàlist tit tàlist tèrr tàlista
stat. tàladhist mic tàladhist tic tàladhist ha tàladhist vit tàladhist tit tàladhist tèrr tàladhista
neg. pres. è thàlarr mic è thàlarr tic è thàlarr ha è thàlarr vit è thàlarr tit è thàlarr tèrr è thàlarrt
past è thàladharr mic è thàladharr tic è thàladharr ha è thàladharr vit è thàladharr tit è thàladharr tèrr è thàladharrt
fut. è thàlist mic è thàlist tic è thàlist ha è thàlist vit è thàlist tit è thàlist tèrr è thàlista
stat. è thàladhist mic è thàladhist tic è thàladhist ha è thàladhist vit è thàladhist tit è thàladhist tèrr è thàladhista
continuative tàlann'arr u mic tàlann'arr u dic tàlann'arr u gha tàlann'arr u bit tàlann'arr u dit tàlann'arr u dèrr tàlann'arrt h'u
perf. pres. tàla'arr u mic tàla'arr u dic tàla'arr u gha tàla'arr u bit tàla'arr u dit tàla'arr u dèrr tàla'arrt h'u
past tàla'adharr u mic tàla'adharr u dic tàla'adharr u gha tàla'adharr u bit tàla'adharr u dit tàla'adharr u dèrr tàla'adharrt h'u
fut. tàla'ist u mic tàla'ist u dic tàla'ist u gha tàla'ist u bit tàla'ist u dit tàla'ist u dèrr tàla'ista h'u
stat. tàla'adhist u mic tàla'adhist u dic tàla'adhist u gha tàla'adhist u bit tàla'adhist u dit tàla'adhist u dèrr tàla'adhista h'u
neg. perf. pres. è thàla'arr u mic è thàla'arr u dic è thàla'arr u gha è thàla'arr u bit è thàla'arr u dit è thàla'arr u dèrr è thàla'arrt h'u
past è thàla'adharr u mic è thàla'adharr u dic è thàla'adharr u gha è thàla'adharr u bit è thàla'adharr u dit è thàla'adharr u dèrr è thàla'adharrt h'u
fut. è thàla'ist u mic è thàla'ist u dic è thàla'ist u gha è thàla'ist u bit è thàla'ist u dit è thàla'ist u dèrr è thàla'ista h'u
stat. è thàla'adhist u mic è thàla'adhist u dic è thàla'adhist u gha è thàla'adhist u bit è thàla'adhist u dit è thàla'adhist u dèrr è thàla'adhista h'u


Conjugation of mèl (regular)
present past
infinitive mèl —
participle mèlann mèla
singular plural impersonal
1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd
pos. pres. mèlarr mic mèlarr tic mèlarr ha mèlarr vit mèlarr tit mèlarr tèrr mèlarrt
past mèladharr mic mèladharr tic mèladharr ha mèladharr vit mèladharr tit mèladharr tèrr mèladharrt
fut. mèlist mic mèlist tic mèlist ha mèlist vit mèlist tit mèlist tèrr mèlista
stat. mèladhist mic mèladhist tic mèladhist ha mèladhist vit mèladhist tit mèladhist tèrr mèladhista
neg. pres. è mhèlarr mic è mhèlarr tic è mhèlarr ha è mhèlarr vit è mhèlarr tit è mhèlarr tèrr è mhèlarrt
past è mhèladharr mic è mhèladharr tic è mhèladharr ha è mhèladharr vit è mhèladharr tit è mhèladharr tèrr è mhèladharrt
fut. è mhèlist mic è mhèlist tic è mhèlist ha è mhèlist vit è mhèlist tit è mhèlist tèrr è mhèlista
stat. è mhèladhist mic è mhèladhist tic è mhèladhist ha è mhèladhist vit è mhèladhist tit è mhèladhist tèrr è mhèladhista
continuative mèlann'arr u mic mèlann'arr u dic mèlann'arr u gha mèlann'arr u bit mèlann'arr u dit mèlann'arr u dèrr mèlann'arrt h'u
perf. pres. mèla'arr u mic mèla'arr u dic mèla'arr u gha mèla'arr u bit mèla'arr u dit mèla'arr u dèrr mèla'arrt h'u
past mèla'adharr u mic mèla'adharr u dic mèla'adharr u gha mèla'adharr u bit mèla'adharr u dit mèla'adharr u dèrr mèla'adharrt h'u
fut. mèla'ist u mic mèla'ist u dic mèla'ist u gha mèla'ist u bit mèla'ist u dit mèla'ist u dèrr mèla'ista h'u
stat. mèla'adhist u mic mèla'adhist u dic mèla'adhist u gha mèla'adhist u bit mèla'adhist u dit mèla'adhist u dèrr mèla'adhista h'u
neg. perf. pres. è mhèla'arr u mic è mhèla'arr u dic è mhèla'arr u gha è mhèla'arr u bit è mhèla'arr u dit è mhèla'arr u dèrr è mhèla'arrt h'u
past è mhèla'adharr u mic è mhèla'adharr u dic è mhèla'adharr u gha è mhèla'adharr u bit è mhèla'adharr u dit è mhèla'adharr u dèrr è mhèla'adharrt h'u
fut. è mhèla'ist u mic è mhèla'ist u dic è mhèla'ist u gha è mhèla'ist u bit è mhèla'ist u dit è mhèla'ist u dèrr è mhèla'ista h'u
stat. è mhèla'adhist u mic è mhèla'adhist u dic è mhèla'adhist u gha è mhèla'adhist u bit è mhèla'adhist u dit è mhèla'adhist u dèrr è mhèla'adhista h'u


Conjugation of àegh (regular)
present past
infinitive àegh —
participle àghann àgha
singular plural impersonal
1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd
pos. pres. àgharr mic àgharr tic àgharr ha àgharr vit àgharr tit àgharr tèrr àgharrt
past àghadharr mic àghadharr tic àghadharr ha àghadharr vit àghadharr tit àghadharr tèrr àghadharrt
fut. àghist mic àghist tic àghist ha àghist vit àghist tit àghist tèrr àghista
stat. àghadhist mic àghadhist tic àghadhist ha àghadhist vit àghadhist tit àghadhist tèrr àghadhista
neg. pres. è h'àgharr mic è h'àgharr tic è h'àgharr ha è h'àgharr vit è h'àgharr tit è h'àgharr tèrr è h'àgharrt
past è h'àghadharr mic è h'àghadharr tic è h'àghadharr ha è h'àghadharr vit è h'àghadharr tit è h'àghadharr tèrr è h'àghadharrt
fut. è h'àghist mic è h'àghist tic è h'àghist ha è h'àghist vit è h'àghist tit è h'àghist tèrr è h'àghista
stat. è h'àghadhist mic è h'àghadhist tic è h'àghadhist ha è h'àghadhist vit è h'àghadhist tit è h'àghadhist tèrr è h'àghadhista
continuative àghann'arr u mic àghann'arr u dic àghann'arr u gha àghann'arr u bit àghann'arr u dit àghann'arr u dèrr àghann'arrt h'u
perf. pres. àgha'arr u mic àgha'arr u dic àgha'arr u gha àgha'arr u bit àgha'arr u dit àgha'arr u dèrr àgha'arrt h'u
past àgha'adharr u mic àgha'adharr u dic àgha'adharr u gha àgha'adharr u bit àgha'adharr u dit àgha'adharr u dèrr àgha'adharrt h'u
fut. àgha'ist u mic àgha'ist u dic àgha'ist u gha àgha'ist u bit àgha'ist u dit àgha'ist u dèrr àgha'ista h'u
stat. àgha'adhist u mic àgha'adhist u dic àgha'adhist u gha àgha'adhist u bit àgha'adhist u dit àgha'adhist u dèrr àgha'adhista h'u
neg. perf. pres. è h'àgha'arr u mic è h'àgha'arr u dic è h'àgha'arr u gha è h'àgha'arr u bit è h'àgha'arr u dit è h'àgha'arr u dèrr è h'àgha'arrt h'u
past è h'àgha'adharr u mic è h'àgha'adharr u dic è h'àgha'adharr u gha è h'àgha'adharr u bit è h'àgha'adharr u dit è h'àgha'adharr u dèrr è h'àgha'adharrt h'u
fut. è h'àgha'ist u mic è h'àgha'ist u dic è h'àgha'ist u gha è h'àgha'ist u bit è h'àgha'ist u dit è h'àgha'ist u dèrr è h'àgha'ista h'u
stat. è h'àgha'adhist u mic è h'àgha'adhist u dic è h'àgha'adhist u gha è h'àgha'adhist u bit è h'àgha'adhist u dit è h'àgha'adhist u dèrr è h'àgha'adhista h'u

Suppletive verbs

There are very few known suppletive verbs in Scots Norse, the main one being the copula vèr, and even it has been leveled by many speakers.

Conjugation of vèr (suppletive)
present past
infinitive vèr —
participle vèrann vèradh
singular plural impersonal
1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd
pos. pres. arr mic arr tic arr ha arr vit arr tit arr tèrr arrt
past varr mic varr tic varr ha varr vit varr tit varr tèrr varrt
fut. vèrist mic vèrist tic vèrist ha vèrist vit vèrist tit vèrist tèrr vèrista
stat. vèradhst mic vèradhst tic vèradhst ha vèradhst vit vèradhst tit vèradhst tèrr vèradhsta
neg. pres. è h'arr mic è h'arr tic è h'arr ha è h'arr vit è h'arr tit è h'arr tèrr è h'arrt
past è vharr mic è vharr tic è vharr ha è vharr vit è vharr tit è vharr tèrr è vharrt
fut. è vhèrist mic è vhèrist tic è vhèrist ha è vhèrist vit è vhèrist tit è vhèrist tèrr è vhèrista
stat. è vhèradhst mic è vhèradhst tic è vhèradhst ha è vhèradhst vit è vhèradhst tit è vhèradhst tèrr è vhèradhsta
continuative vèrann'arr u mic vèrann'arr u dic vèrann'arr u gha vèrann'arr u bit vèrann'arr u dit vèrann'arr u dèrr vèrann'arrt h'u
perf. pres. vèradh'arr u mic vèradh'arr u dic vèradh'arr u gha vèradh'arr u bit vèradh'arr u dit vèradh'arr u dèrr vèradh'arrt h'u
past vèradh'adharr u mic vèradh'adharr u dic vèradh'adharr u gha vèradh'adharr u bit vèradh'adharr u dit vèradh'adharr u dèrr vèradh'adharrt h'u
fut. vèradh'ist u mic vèradh'ist u dic vèradh'ist u gha vèradh'ist u bit vèradh'ist u dit vèradh'ist u dèrr vèradh'ista h'u
stat. vèradh'adhist u mic vèradh'adhist u dic vèradh'adhist u gha vèradh'adhist u bit vèradh'adhist u dit vèradh'adhist u dèrr vèradh'adhista h'u
neg. perf. pres. è vhèradh'arr u mic è vhèradh'arr u dic è vhèradh'arr u gha è vhèradh'arr u bit è vhèradh'arr u dit è vhèradh'arr u dèrr è vhèradh'arrt h'u
past è vhèradh'adharr u mic è vhèradh'adharr u dic è vhèradh'adharr u gha è vhèradh'adharr u bit è vhèradh'adharr u dit è vhèradh'adharr u dèrr è vhèradh'adharrt h'u
fut. è vhèradh'ist u mic è vhèradh'ist u dic è vhèradh'ist u gha è vhèradh'ist u bit è vhèradh'ist u dit è vhèradh'ist u dèrr è vhèradh'ista h'u
stat. è vhèradh'adhist u mic è vhèradh'adhist u dic è vhèradh'adhist u gha è vhèradh'adhist u bit è vhèradh'adhist u dit è vhèradh'adhist u dèrr è vhèradh'adhista h'u

"arr" and "varr" are the more prevalent forms, but the regularized forms "vèrarr" and "vèradharr" are also rather common.

Another suppletive verb is that of elsc, which has a suppletive reciprocal from the Old Norse verb "unna" (Scots Norse "uen")

Conjugation of elsc (regular)
present past
infinitive elsc —
participle elscann elsca
singular plural impersonal
1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd
pos. pres. elscarr mic elscarr tic elscarr ha elscarr vit elscarr tit elscarr tèrr elscarrt
past elscadharr mic elscadharr tic elscadharr ha elscadharr vit elscadharr tit elscadharr tèrr elscadharrt
fut. elscist mic elscist tic elscist ha elscist vit elscist tit elscist tèrr elscista
stat. elscadhist mic elscadhist tic elscadhist ha elscadhist vit elscadhist tit elscadhist tèrr elscadhista
neg. pres. è h'elscarr mic è h'elscarr tic è h'elscarr ha è h'elscarr vit è h'elscarr tit è h'elscarr tèrr è h'elscarrt
past è h'elscadharr mic è h'elscadharr tic è h'elscadharr ha è h'elscadharr vit è h'elscadharr tit è h'elscadharr tèrr è h'elscadharrt
fut. è h'elscist mic è h'elscist tic è h'elscist ha è h'elscist vit è h'elscist tit è h'elscist tèrr è h'elscista
stat. è h'elscadhist mic è h'elscadhist tic è h'elscadhist ha è h'elscadhist vit è h'elscadhist tit è h'elscadhist tèrr è h'elscadhista
continuative elscann'arr u mic elscann'arr u dic elscann'arr u gha elscann'arr u bit elscann'arr u dit elscann'arr u dèrr elscann'arrt h'u
perf. pres. elsca'arr u mic elsca'arr u dic elsca'arr u gha elsca'arr u bit elsca'arr u dit elsca'arr u dèrr elsca'arrt h'u
past elsca'adharr u mic elsca'adharr u dic elsca'adharr u gha elsca'adharr u bit elsca'adharr u dit elsca'adharr u dèrr elsca'adharrt h'u
fut. elsca'ist u mic elsca'ist u dic elsca'ist u gha elsca'ist u bit elsca'ist u dit elsca'ist u dèrr elsca'ista h'u
stat. elsca'adhist u mic elsca'adhist u dic elsca'adhist u gha elsca'adhist u bit elsca'adhist u dit elsca'adhist u dèrr elsca'adhista h'u
neg. perf. pres. è h'elsca'arr u mic è h'elsca'arr u dic è h'elsca'arr u gha è h'elsca'arr u bit è h'elsca'arr u dit è h'elsca'arr u dèrr è h'elsca'arrt h'u
past è h'elsca'adharr u mic è h'elsca'adharr u dic è h'elsca'adharr u gha è h'elsca'adharr u bit è h'elsca'adharr u dit è h'elsca'adharr u dèrr è h'elsca'adharrt h'u
fut. è h'elsca'ist u mic è h'elsca'ist u dic è h'elsca'ist u gha è h'elsca'ist u bit è h'elsca'ist u dit è h'elsca'ist u dèrr è h'elsca'ista h'u
stat. è h'elsca'adhist u mic è h'elsca'adhist u dic è h'elsca'adhist u gha è h'elsca'adhist u bit è h'elsca'adhist u dit è h'elsca'adhist u dèrr è h'elsca'adhista h'u

Syntax

Texts

UDHR Article 1

Original (English)

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Old Norse (modern translation)

Allir menn eru bornir frjálsir ok jafnir at virðingu ok réttum. Þeir eru allir viti gœddir ok samvizku, ok skulu gøra hvárr til annars bróðurliga.

Scots Norse

arr manarr al bhori mhriàl h-o hiavn, vèrann vhirrdhing o rhèt h-atharr. vèrann gaèdhadh h-o shanvisc h-atharr, o shcùl ghèor hanna thil bròdhligh.
arr manarr al bhori mhriàl h-o hiavn, vèrann vhirrdhing o rhèt h-atharr. vèrann gaèdhadh h-o shanvisc h-atharr, o shcùl ghèor hanna thil bròdhligh.

English translation
lit: "all men are born free and equal, being dignity and rights at them. being reason and conscience at them, and should act to brotherhood at each other"
"all men are born free and equal, having dignity and rights. they have reason and conscience, and should act to eachother as a brotherhood"

Deor

Old English

Welund him be wurman
wræces cunnade,
anhydig eorl
earfoþa dreag,
hæfde him to gesiþþe
sorge and longaþ,
wintercealde wræce,
wean oft onfond
siþþan hine Niðhad on
nede legde,
swoncre seonobende
on syllan monn.
Þæs ofereode,
þisses swa mæg.

Scots Norse

Vòluenn shi, thur ròvnirr
cvàlarr cenn,
ànar iall
arrvidh thoeld,
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
ta h-oevgangtirr,
tash thil mègh.

(lines with "-" are yet to be translated)

Lexical comparison

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