The
Danish language
Danish (; , ) is a North Germanic language spoken by about six million people, principally in and around Denmark. Communities of Danish speakers are also found in Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the northern German region of Southern Schle ...
is the
official language
An official language is a language given supreme status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically the term "official language" does not refer to the language used by a people or country, but by its government (e.g. judiciary, ...
in
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
.
In the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
, the
Faroese language and the
Danish language
Danish (; , ) is a North Germanic language spoken by about six million people, principally in and around Denmark. Communities of Danish speakers are also found in Greenland, the Faroe Islands, and the northern German region of Southern Schle ...
are the official languages, and both must be taught in schools. Danish should be used in court,
but Faroese can be used in all other official places. The
Greenlandic language is the official language in
Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...
, and
Greenland's Home Rule Act of 2009 does not require Danish to be taught or the use of Danish for official purposes.
In accordance with Denmark's official monolingualism, all official documents and communications are in Danish.
History
Throughout much of its history, Denmark has been home to a population of
Low German speakers in many of its towns, including the capital, Copenhagen. Rural settlers known as "
potato Germans" and "
beet Poles" also brought their own languages to Danish farms. During the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries,
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
was spoken among
descendants of Dutch/Flemish settlers on the island of
Amager (
Dragør,
Store Magleby and
Christianshavn). In its heyday, the
Royal Danish Navy
The Royal Danish Navy ( da, Søværnet) is the sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and Greenland). O ...
was composed largely of
Norwegian speakers. Additionally,
North Frisian was spoken on the
North Frisian Islands
The North Frisian Islands (''Öömrang'' and '' Fering'' frr, Nuurdfresk Eilunen, ''Söl'ring'' frr, Nuurđfriisk Ailönen, link=no, da, Nordfrisiske Øer, german: Nordfriesische Inseln) are the Frisian Islands off the coast of North Frisia.
T ...
. During the 19th century,
German Jews
The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (''circa'' 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish ...
brought the
Yiddish language
Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...
to Copenhagen and a few other towns, and in the early 20th century, an influx of
Russian Jews
The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...
gave this language a brief revival.
However, subsequent generations of all these groups have overwhelmingly
abandoned their ancestral languages and assimilated into the general population.
Protection
Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) is a multilateral treaty of the Council of Europe aimed at protecting the rights of minorities. It came into effect in 1998 and by 2009 it had been ratified by 39 member ...
entered into force in Denmark on 1 February 1998 while
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages
The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML) is a European treaty (CETS 148) adopted in 1992 under the auspices of the Council of Europe to protect and promote historical regional and minority languages in Europe. However, th ...
entered into force on 1 January 2001.
Languages
English
The
English language
English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...
is spoken by most Danes. Like most other Scandinavian countries, English is mandatory in Danish schools. In a 2012 survey, 86% of Danes spoke English.
German
North Schleswig Germans
Approximately 15,000 people in Denmark belong to an autochthonous ethnic German minority traditionally referred to as ''hjemmetyskere'' meaning "domestic Germans" in Danish, and as ''Nordschleswiger'' in German. This minority of Germans hold Da ...
‘ language rights are protected by the
Copenhagen-Bonn Declarations of 1955.
Outside the minority area German is used by members of St. Peter's parish in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
.
24 German kindergartens and 18 German schools are maintained by the German School and Language Association.
Although the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages stipulates the right of the German minority to use their own forms of geographical names, no steps have been taken in this direction.
Greenlandic and Faeroese languages
First-generation
Greenlanders in Denmark and
Faroese in Denmark tend to speak their own languages, rather than Danish.
Romani
In 2011 ''Committee of Ministers of
Council of Europe'' recommended that the Danish authorities clarify the issue of the traditional presence of the
Romani language
Romani (; also Romany, Romanes , Roma; rom, rromani ćhib, links=no) is an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities. According to '' Ethnologue'', seven varieties of Romani are divergent enough to be considered languages of their ...
in country.
The authorities responded that they have reviewed multiple sources and tried also to obtain information by contacting universities in
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...
, but did not find any documentation in support of the traditional presence of the Romani language in Denmark.
During the on-the-spot visit, the Committee of Experts met with a representative of the Romani People who argued that there are around 5,000 people still living in Denmark who might be considered descendants of ten
Sinti
The Sinti (also ''Sinta'' or ''Sinte''; masc. sing. ''Sinto''; fem. sing. ''Sintesa'') are a subgroup of Romani people mostly found in Germany and Central Europe that number around 200,000 people. They were traditionally itinerant, but today o ...
families that came from
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
in the 19th century.
References
{{Languages of Denmark
Languages of Denmark
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...