Western Norwegian dialects (Sognamål and Sunnfjordsk) transcribed with Western Norse orthography

Apologies for this not being a nynorsk lesson. I will make an effort to return with more nynorsk. This video features audio from two Western Norwegian dialects: Sunnfjordsk and Sognamål. The recordings have been transcribed using a Western Nordic orthography, which is similar to that of Icelandic and Faroese. I’ve endeavoured to maintain consistency and to avoid unnecessarily adding layers of inflection where none exist. Conversely, I’ve strived to align the inflectional patterns in these dialects with those found in Old Norse, in a sensible manner. It’s inevitable that you’ll encounter inconsistencies and errors, as well as certain stylistic choices that I’ve opted for. Please note that italicised letters are silent and the pronunciation of vowels can, at times, diverge significantly from their written representation. This variability is unavoidable given the inherent differences between the two dialects, and the ever-evolving nature of languages. Just as in Faroese, the Ð/ð is silent. There are three genders for nouns. Adjectives inflect for all three genders. The ’eh’ sound, which is suffixed to adjectives when describing masculine nouns and to masculine nouns themselves, is represented by the Old Norse ’-r’ ending, from which it derives.
Back to Top