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Russenorsk
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As is common in the development of Pidgins and Trade Languages , the interaction of seamen, fishermen, and traders with no common language necessitated the creation of some minimal form of communication. Like all pidgins, Russenorsk was not a complex system of communication. It had a rudimentary grammar and a restricted vocabulary mostly composed of words essential to Arctic fishing and trade ( Fish , Weather , etc.) and did not particularly deal with unrelated issues ( Music , Politics , etc.).


CLASSIFICATION

Some scholars do not classify Russenorsk as a Pidgin . For example, Frederik Kortlandt ( Professor of Linguistics at Leiden University ) argues that Russenorsk was essentially a variant of Norwegian with Russian Loan Word s {Link without Title} .


EXAMPLES

  • "Moja på tvoja" - You and I (literally: I and you)

  • "Kak sprek? Moje niet forsto" - What are you saying? I don't understand.

  • å råbbåte - to work

  • klæba - bread



HISTORY

The history of Russenorsk is mainly limited to 18th and 19th centuries. The Russian Revolution Of 1917 brought about an end to its use; it is reported that the last Norwegian-Russian trade occurred in 1923, marking the last use of Russenorsk.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

  • Broch, I. & Jahr, E. H. 1984. ''Russenorsk: Et pidginspråk i Norge'' (2. utgave), Oslo: Novus.

  • Lunden, S. S. 1978. Tracing the ancestry of Russenorsk. ''Slavia Orientalis'' 27/2, 213-217.

  • Peterson, R. E. 1980. Russenorsk: A little known aspect of Russian-Norwegian relations, ''Studies in language'' 4/2, 249-256.



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