(locally ; literally "Old Swedish") is an
Estonian Swedish dialect spoken in
Gammalsvenskby
Gammalsvenskby ( sv, Gammölsvänskbi, label=Gammalsvenska, lit=Old Swedish Village; uk, Старошведське, translit=Staroshvedske; german: Alt-Schwedendorf) is a former village that is now a neighbourhood of Zmiivka ( uk, Зміїв ...
,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...
.
History
It derives from the
Estonian Swedish
Estonian Swedish ( sv, estlandssvenska; et, rannarootsi keel, lit=Coastal Swedish) are the eastern varieties of Swedish that were spoken in the formerly Swedish-populated areas of Estonia (locally known as '' Aiboland'') on the islands of Orm ...
dialect of the late 1700s as spoken on the island of
Dagö (Hiiumaa).
While rooted in Swedish, the dialect shows influence and borrowings from
Estonian
Estonian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe
* Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent
* Estonian language
* Estonian cuisine
* Estonian culture
See also
*
...
,
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
,
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
, and
Ukrainian
Ukrainian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Ukraine
* Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe
* Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine
* So ...
.
Prior to 1929, Gammalsvenska remained the first language for the Ukrainian Swedes; however, the last generation of Swedish-first speakers were born just after World War II Sovietization policies. Marriage into non-Swedish families and social pressures diminished the teaching of Gammalsvenska by parents to their children.
Since the 1950s a Russian-Ukrainian
surzhyk
Surzhyk (, ) refers to a range of mixed sociolects of Ukrainian and Russian languages used in certain regions of Ukraine and the neighboring regions of Russia and Moldova. There is no unifying set of characteristics; the term is, according to ...
has been the dominant language in the village, although some
Standard Swedish
Standard Swedish () denotes Swedish as a spoken and written standard language. While Swedish as a written language is uniform and standardized, the spoken standard may vary considerably from region to region. Several prestige dialects have devel ...
is taught in schools where it is seen as economically advantageous for jobs in local tourism and other employment opportunities.
Use of Gammalsvenska is restricted mostly to older ethnic Swedes born in the 1920s or 1930s.
only about 10 fluent Gammalsvenska speakers, all elderly women, were known in Ukraine.
In
Meadows, Manitoba, where most of the immigrants from Gammalsvenskby to Canada eventually settled, Gammalsvenska was retained into the early 1900s. However, , only a handful of elderly speakers remain.
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Gammalsvenska
(locally ; literally "Old Swedish") is an Estonian Swedish dialect spoken in Gammalsvenskby, Ukraine.
History
It derives from the Estonian Swedish dialect of the late 1700s as spoken on the island of Dagö (Hiiumaa). While rooted in Swedish ...
Languages of Ukraine