View source for Dalecarlian language

{{Short description|Group of Scandinavian languages of Sweden}}
{{Expand language|topic=|langcode=sv|otherarticle=Dalmål|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Dalecarlian
| nativename       = {{lang|mis|dalmål}}
| pronunciation    = 
| states           = [[Sweden]]
| region           = [[Dalarna County]]
| ethnicity        = Dalecarlians ([[Swedes]])
| speakers         = 
| date             = 
| ref              = 
| familycolor      = Indo-European
| fam2             = [[Germanic languages|Germanic]]
| fam3             = [[North Germanic languages|North Germanic]]
| fam4             = [[North Germanic languages|East]] or [[West Scandinavian languages|West Scandinavian]]<ref name="Kroonen">{{cite web|last1=Kroonen|first1=Guus|title=On the origins of the Elfdalian nasal vowels from the perspective of diachronic dialectology and Germanic etymology|url=http://inss.ku.dk/ansatte/?pure=files/35220983/elfdalian.pdf|website=Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics|publisher=University of Copenhagen|accessdate=27 January 2016|quote=In many aspects, Elfdalian, takes up a middle position between East and West Nordic. However, it shares some innovations with West Nordic, but none with East Nordic. This invalidates the claim that Elfdalian split off from Old Swedish.}}</ref>
| dia1             = [[Elfdalian]]
| dia2             = Moramål<ref>{{Cite web |title=Glottolog 4.8 - Moramål |url=https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/mora1274 |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=glottolog.org}}</ref>
| dia3             = Orsamål<ref>{{Cite web |title=Glottolog 4.8 - Orsamål |url=https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/orsa1234 |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=glottolog.org}}</ref>
| ancestor         = [[Old Norse]]
| script           = [[Latin script|Latin]] ([[Dalecarlian alphabet]])<br/>[[Dalecarlian runes]]
| nation           = 
| agency           = 
| iso3             = none
| lc1              = ovd
| ld1              = Elfdalian
| glotto           = dale1238
| glottorefname    = Dalecarlian
| map              = Lang Status 60-DE.svg
| mapcaption       = {{center|{{small|Dalecarlian is classified as Definitely Endangered by the [[UNESCO]] ''[[Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger]]'' (2010)}}}}
| dia4             = {{ill|Våmhusmål|sv}}
}}
'''Dalecarlian''' ({{Langx|sv|dalmål}}) is a group of [[North Germanic languages|North Germanic varieties]] spoken in [[Dalarna County]], [[Sweden]]. Some Dalecarlian varieties can be regarded as part of the Swedish dialect group in [[Gästrikland]], [[Uppland]], and northern and eastern [[Västmanland]]. Others represent a variety characteristic of a midpoint between West and East Scandinavian languages, significantly divergent from [[Standard Swedish]].<ref name="Kroonen" /> In the northernmost part of the county (''i.e.'', the originally Norwegian parishes of [[Särna]] and [[Idre]]), a characteristic dialect reminiscent of eastern [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] is spoken.{{Sfn|Nordisk familjebok|1906|p=1152}} One usually distinguishes between the Dalecarlian [[Bergslagen]] dialects, which are spoken in south-eastern Dalarna, and Dalecarlian proper.<ref>Bengt Pamp, Svenska dialekter, Lund 1978, sid. 111</ref> The dialects are traditionally regarded as part of the [[Svealand dialects|Svealand dialect group.]]<ref name="Wessén">{{cite book|last=Wessén|first=Elias|title=Våra folkmål|edition=9th|year=1969|publisher=Fritze|location=Stockholm|language=sv}}</ref>

Officially, they are considered Swedish dialects due to being spoken in a region where Swedish is an official language today. The Swedish government nevertheless acknowledges that the dialects have developed independently from Old Norse, and not from Swedish itself.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vad är skillnaden mellan språk och dialekt? |url=https://www.isof.se/stod-och-sprakrad/vanliga-fragor-och-svar/fragor-och-svar/vad-ar-skillnaden-mellan-sprak-och-dialekt |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=www.isof.se |language=sv}}</ref>

In everyday speech, many also refer to Dalarna regional variants of Standard Swedish as part of the Dalecarlian dialect. Linguistically speaking, however, they are more accurately described as a lexically and morphologically "national" Swedish with characteristic Dalarna [[intonation (linguistics)|intonation]] and [[prosody (linguistics)|prosody]]. In [[linguistics]], one distinguishes between regionally different [[national language]]s and genuine dialects, and ''Dalecarlian'' as a term is used exclusively for dialects in the latter sense.

== Geographical distribution ==
Varieties of Dalecarlian are generally classified geographically as follows:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Glottolog 4.8 - Dalecarlian |url=https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/dale1238 |access-date=2023-12-31 |website=glottolog.org}}</ref>
*'''Österdalarna''' dialects
**[[Nedansiljan]], south of the [[Siljan (lake)|Siljan lake]]: [[socken]]s [[Boda, Sweden|Boda]], [[Rättvik]], [[Bjursås]], [[Ål (Sweden)|Ål]], [[Siljansnäs]], [[Leksand]], [[Gagnef]] and [[Mockfjärd]].
**[[Ovansiljan]], north of the [[Siljan (lake)|Siljan lake]]: sockens [[Ore Municipality|Ore]], [[Orsa Municipality|Orsa]], [[Våmhus]], [[Älvdalen Municipality|Älvdalen]] ([[Elfdalian]]), [[Mora Municipality, Sweden|Mora]], [[Venjan]] and [[Sollerön]].
*'''Västerdalarna''' dialects:
**Lower [[Västerdalarna]]: sockens [[Malung]], [[Äppelbo]], [[Järna, Vansbro Municipality|Järna]], [[Nås]] and [[Floda Municipality|Floda]].
**Upper Västerdalarna: sockens [[Lima, Sweden|Lima]] and [[Transtrand]]. 
Floda and Mockfjärd dialects are sometimes considered a separate group, but are typically listed as subdialects.

Dalecarlian proper (especially in Älvdalen, Mora and Orsa, to some extent also in Ore, Rättvik and Leksand), as well as western Dalecarlian varieties are markedly different from Swedish,{{Sfn|Nordisk familjebok|1906|p=1152}} and are considered to be distinct language varieties by linguists.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dahl |first=Östen |title=Grammaticalization in the North: Noun phrase morphosyntax in Scandinavian vernaculars |publisher=Language Science Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-3-944675-57-2 |series=Studies in Diversity Linguistics |location=Berlin |pages=22}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2013 |title=Endangered languages and linguistic diversity in the European Union |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/note/join/2013/495851/IPOL-CULT_NT(2013)495851_EN.pdf |website=European Parliament |page=46}}</ref> [[Elfdalian]] is the Dalecarlian language that best preserved their older features.{{Sfn|Nordisk familjebok|1906|p=1152}} It attracted interest from researchers early on because of its major divergences from others Swedish dialects. In many ways, it is very archaic and reminiscent of Old Norse, though it has in other ways distinguished itself from the Norse branch and developed special features that are seldom seen in other dialects.{{Sfn|Nordisk familjebok|1906|p=1152–1153}}

Characteristic of the dialect group are its plentiful linguistic differences even between bordering varieties, often changing from village to village, or even within a single village. For other Swedish speakers, Dalecarlian varieties are virtually incomprehensible without dedicated language lessons. However, this does not apply to the Rättvik and Leksand dialects as much. They are more easily understood and can be considered to form a transitional stage between the Dalecarlian languages and a dialect of Swedish with Dalecarlian remnants. Such transitional varieties also include the Ål, Bjursås and Gagnef dialects. The Gagnef dialect is closer to western Dalecarlian varieties, which to some extent can also be regarded as transitional dialects, but which in many respects take on a more independent position, especially in the upper parishes. They may show similarities with neighbouring [[Norwegian dialects]].{{Sfn|Nordisk familjebok|1906|p=1153–1154}}

There is a quite large difference between Gagnef and the [[Stora Tuna socken|Stora Tuna]] dialect, which belongs to the [[Dalecarlian Bergslagen dialects]], a relatively uniform and fairly normal Swedish dialect complex that covers the entire southern Dalarna ([[Stora Kopparbergs socken|Stora Kopparberg]], [[Hedemora socken|Hedemora]] and [[Västerbergslagen]]). The most unique within this complex are the dialects of [[Svärdsjö socken|Svärdsjö]] and western Bergslagen, which are approaching [[Hälsingemål]] and Western Dalecarlian proper, respectively (via [[Grangärde socken|Grangärde]] and [[Floda socken, Dalarna|Floda]]). Dalecarlian Bergslagen dialects are also spoken in the northern part of [[Västmanland]]. The Dalecarlian Bergslagen dialects are quite closely connected with the neighbouring [[Svealand Swedish]], perhaps most with the dialects of eastern Västmanland.{{Sfn|Nordisk familjebok|1906|p=1153–1154}}

==Phonology==
As with most dialects in northern and central Sweden, the Dalecarlian dialects have [[retroflex consonant]]s, which are most commonly [[allophone]]s of consonants with a preceding supradental {{IPA|/r/}} or {{IPA|/l/}}.<ref>{{Citation |last=Petzell |first=Erik M. |title=Swedish |date=2023-04-19 |url=https://oxfordre.com/linguistics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199384655.001.0001/acrefore-9780199384655-e-945 |encyclopedia=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Linguistics |access-date=2023-12-31 |language=en |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199384655.001.0001/acrefore-9780199384655-e-945 |doi-broken-date=14 May 2025 |isbn=978-0-19-938465-5}}</ref> For example, ''rs'' often becomes ''ss'' (compare Dalecarlian ''koss'', "cross" and Swedish {{Wikt-lang|sv|kors}}), while the cluster ''rn'' becomes ''r'' in southern Dalarna, up to and including Rättvik, Leksand and Västerdalarna (compare Dalecarlian ''bar'' to Swedish {{Wikt-lang|sv|barn}}, English ''{{Wikt-lang|en|bairn}}'', or Dalecarlian ''björ'', "bear" to Swedish {{Wikt-lang|sv|björn}}). In Dalecarlian proper, north of Gagnef, the consonant clusters ''nn'', ''rt'' and ''rd'' are often preserved without assimilation. The {{IPA|/l/}} sound is not usually supradental after {{IPA|/i/}} and {{IPA|/e/}} except in Dalecarlian proper, where {{IPA|/l/}} has developed in its own direction and where it can even appear as partially supradental at the beginning of words, as in, e.g. ''låta''.{{Sfn|Nordisk familjebok|1906|p=1153–1154}}

Dalecarlian has lost the -n and -t in unstressed suffixes. For example, the Dalecarlian definitive form ''sola'' or ''sole'' ("the sun") corresponds to Swedish ''{{Wikt-lang|sv|solen}}'', and Dalecarlian ''gata'' ("the street") to Swedish {{Wikt-lang|sv|gatan}}. Similarly, Dalecarlian [[supine]] form ''biti'' ("bitten") has lost the -t suffix that is still present in Swedish ''{{Wikt-lang|sv|bitit}}''. As with other Upper Swedish dialects, the Dalecarlian dialects often pronounce the sound {{IPA|/i/}} in suffixes where Standard Swedish has {{IPA|/e/}}. An example of this would be Dalecarlian ''funnin'' ("found") and Swedish {{Wikt-lang|sv|funnen}}, as well as Dalecarlian ''muli'' ("cloudy") and Swedish ''{{Wikt-lang|sv|mulet}}'', Dalecarlian ''härvil'' ("yarn winder") and Swedish ''härvel''. They also retain {{IPA|/ɡ/}} within the consonant clusters ''rg'' and ''lg'', whereas Swedish has shifted to {{IPA|/j/}} (Dalecarlian {{IPA|/varɡ/}}, Swedish {{IPA|/varj/}}, "wolf"). Dalecarlian also keeps long vowels in front of ''m'' in many words where Swedish does not, such as ''tîma'' ({{IPA|/tiːma/}}, Swedish ''timme'' {{IPA|/timːe/}}, "hour"), ''tôm'' ({{IPA|/tuːm/}}, Swedish ''tom'' {{IPA|/tum/}}, "empty"), and {{IPA|/j/}} after {{IPA|/k/}} and {{IPA|/ɡ/}} in words such as ''äntja'' (Swedish ''{{Wikt-lang|sv|änka}}'', "widow") and ''bryddja'' (Swedish ''{{Wikt-lang|sv|brygga}}'', "bridge"). As in the northern [[Svealand dialects|Svealand]] and some [[Norrland dialects]], {{IPA|/ɡ/}} and {{IPA|/k/}} have been softened to {{IPA|/ɕ/}} or {{IPA|/j/}} even in medial positions of certain words, such as ''sättjin'' or ''sättjen'' (Swedish ''{{Wikt-lang|sv|säcken}}'', "sack, bag"), ''botja'' or ''botje'' (Swedish ''{{Wikt-lang|sv|boken}}'', "the book") and ''nyttjil'' (Swedish ''{{Wikt-lang|sv|nyckel}}'', "key"). These traits characterise all Dalecarlian dialects.{{Sfn|Nordisk familjebok|1906|p=1153–1154}}

Characteristic for the phonology of Lower and Upper Dalarna dialects especially, with the exception of Dalecarlian proper, is the use of open and final ''a'', which is used in a completely different way than in Standard Swedish. The open can occur as far and the closed as short, for example hara hare with open a in first, end in second syllable, katt, bakka, vagn with end, skabb, kalv with open a; open å sound (o) is often replaced by a sound between å and ö; The u sound has a sound similar to the Norwegian u; ä and e are well separated; the low-pitched vocals often have a sound of ä. Among the most interesting features of the dialects in Älvdalen, Mora and Orsa is that they still largely retain the nasal vocal sounds that were previously found in all Nordic dialects. Furthermore, it is noticed that the long i, y, u diphthongs, usually to ai, åy, au, for example Dalecarlian ais, Swedish is English ice, Dalecarlian knåyta, Swedish knyta, English tie, Dalecarlian aute, Swedish ute, English out. v has the Old Norse pronunciation w (like w in English),<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wessén |first=Elias |title=Svensk språkhistoria |year=1969 |edition=8th |volume=1 |location=Lund |pages=37–38 |language=sv |trans-title=History of the Swedish language}}</ref> l is usually omitted in front of g, k, p, v, for example, Dalecarlian kåv, Swedish kalf, English calf, Dalecarlian fok and such Swedish folk, English people. h is omitted, for example, Dalecarlian and, Swedish and English hand (in the Älvdals-, Orsa- and Mora dialects, as well as in Rättvik and parts of Leksand).{{Sfn|Nordisk familjebok|1906|p=1153–1154}} {{citation needed span|date=June 2024|In the same way, many words have gained an initial {{IPA|/h/}}, such as ''häven'', ''hälsklig'' or ''hägde''. These features are shared with the older Uppland dialects.}}

A pair of Nordic diphthongs is still present in the western dialects of [[Lima, Sweden|Lima]] and [[Transtrand]]. The diphthong {{IPA|[au]}}, which shifted to {{IPA|[œ]}} in Swedish, is retained in these dialects as ''ôu'', for example ''dôu'' (Swedish ''{{Wikt-lang|sv|död}}'', "death"). The old Swedish diphthongs ''ei'' and ''öy'' (which in Swedish became ''e'' and ''ö'' respectively) are pronounced as ''äi'' (for example ''skäi'', Swedish ''{{Wikt-lang|sv|sked}}'', "spoon" and ''häi'', Swedish ''{{Wikt-lang|sv|hö}}'', "hay").<ref>{{Cite book |title=Nationalencyklopedin |volume=4 |pages=352 |language=sv}}</ref>

== References ==
=== Notes ===
{{reflist}}

=== Sources ===
* {{Cite book |url=https://runeberg.org/nfbe/ |title=Nordisk familjebok |publisher=Nordisk familjeboks förlags aktiebolag |year=1906 |series=Uggleupplagan |volume=5 (Cestius – Degaas) |location=Stockholm |pages=1140–1155 |language=sv |trans-title=Nordic Family Encyclopedia |chapter=Dalarna |ref={{harvid|Nordisk familjebok|1906}} |chapter-url=https://runeberg.org/nfbe/0610.html}}
* Adolf Noreen "Dalmålet. I. Inledning till dalmålet. II. Ordlista öfver dalmålet i Ofvansiljans fögderi" ur Svenska landsmålen IV, Stockholm 1881 + 1882
* Säve, Carl (1903). ''Dalmålet''.
* Levander, Lars. ''Dalmålet: beskrivning och historia I-II''. Uppsala, pp.&nbsp;1925–28.
* Pamp, Bengt (1978). ''Svenska dialekter''. Lund.

== Further reading ==
*{{cite book|last=Noreen|first=Adolf|author-link=Adolf Noreen|chapter=Dalmålet|pages=96–108|title=Spridda studier. Samling 2|trans-title=Scattered studies. Collection 2|language=Swedish|year=1911|location=Stockholm|id=482241|url=https://runeberg.org/naspristud/2/0100.html}}

== External links ==
*[http://swedia.ling.gu.se/Svealand/Dalarna/index.html Listen to Dalecarlian]
*[http://swedia.ling.gu.se/Svealand/Dalarna/Leksand/index.html Leksandsmål – Sanfrid Blomquist] (choose "äldre man", older man)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110927001608/http://www.nordiska.uu.se/arkiv/konferenser/alvdalska/konferensbidrag/Dahl.pdf Map of different variants of Dalecarlian] ([[PDF]], from an article about [[Elfdalian]])
*''[https://runeberg.org/nfbe/0616.html Dalarna: Dalarnas folkspråk]'', runeberg.org

{{Languages of Sweden}}
{{Germanic languages}}

[[Category:North Germanic languages]]
[[Category:Dalarna]]
[[Category:Swedish dialects]]