Hm.

[hearthstone]

You know, I know I've read that modern Icelandic is pretty similar to Old Norse, but now that I'm trying to research it a bit I can't find anyplace that tells me what exactly the differences are.

Comments

[chronarchy.livejournal.com]

Icelandic and ON are apparently so close that if a person can speak and read the former, s/he can speak and read the latter.

So speaketh my Old Norse teacher, and I assume she's correct.

[weofodthignen]

What I was originally taught is that Old Norse to Icelanders is like sixteenth- or seventeenth-century English is to us--and that seems fairly close to the situation. As we now always use -s at the end of 3rd person singular present-tense verbs, rather than usually -eth and sometimes -s, so modern Icelandic has changed the final -r on nouns to -ur. There are a bunch of vocabulary differences, not just coming from the different subject-matter between then and now, but words have changed meaning. But I don't think there are so many obsolete words as in Shakespeare.

By the way, I haven't seen you around on the Heathenthing list. What's up? Too many posts, or something putting you off? We actually have an Icelandic member, but he's always busy--once in a while I get to talk to him a bit on IRC. He's told me in the past that despite mandatory saga reading in school, he can't really read Old Norse very well. Which does sound like most people and Shakespeare.

Frith,
M

[hearthstone.livejournal.com]

Well, that's good to know--although I suppose the Icelanders would get quite a laugh out of someone coming to Iceland and speaking Old Norse! :)

I've been reading Heathen Thing but haven't felt I had much to contribute on most of the subjects lately, which means I'm most likely not to say anything. I will make a point of doing so when I think I can be useful, however.

[weofodthignen]

What I was originally taught is that Old Norse to Icelanders is like sixteenth- or seventeenth-century English is to us--and that seems fairly close to the situation. As we now always use -s at the end of 3rd person singular present-tense verbs, rather than usually -eth and sometimes -s, so modern Icelandic has changed the final -r on nouns to -ur. There are a bunch of vocabulary differences, not just coming from the different subject-matter between then and now, but words have changed meaning. But I don't think there are so many obsolete words as in Shakespeare.

By the way, I haven't seen you around on the Heathenthing list. What's up? Too many posts, or something putting you off? We actually have an Icelandic member, but he's always busy--once in a while I get to talk to him a bit on IRC. He's told me in the past that despite mandatory saga reading in school, he can't really read Old Norse very well. Which does sound like most people and Shakespeare.

Frith,
M