On the annexation of Jämtland by Sweden in 1645, Danish clergymen were allowed to remain on condition that they officiated in the Swedish language. This dissertation investigates the changes in the written language of one of these Danish clergymen and is based on the parish register kept by the Rev. Olof Bertilsson between 1636 and 1668. The premise for this study is that individual variations and alterations in written language do not occur arbitrarily, but display systematisation and express social consensus. The analytical basis for this approach is derived from Alexander Zheltukhin’s work on orthographic code theory and employs concepts used in sociolinguistics, but also borrows ideas from theories of mixed languages and second-language learning. Between 1636 and 1646 Olof Bertilsson displays a highly stable orthographic code with few variations. Following his attendance at the Riksdag (the Swedish Parlament) in Stockholm in 1647, a distinct change is evident in his orthography. Changes occur quite early in the spelling of some place-names, personal names and important and frequent ecclesiastical terms. A decisive factor in determining when and how change occurs is his access to examples of Swedish texts. In the last decade of his life, an influx of Swedish clergy, increased contacts with Swedish officials and help from young clergymen with a Swedish education, contribute to a predominance of Swedish forms in Olof Bertilsson’s individual orthographic code.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:umu-1869 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Hellström, Solbritt |
| Publisher | Umeå universitet, Institutionen för språkstudier, Umeå : Institutionen för språkstudier, Umeå universitet |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Doctoral thesis, monograph, info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | Nordsvenska / Institutionen för litteraturvetenskap och nordiska språk, 0282-7182 ; 14 |
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