Languages of Denmark
Encyclopedia
The Kingdom of Denmark has only one official language
, Danish
, the national language
of the Danish people, but there are several minority languages spoken through the territory. These include German
, Faroese
, and Greenlandic. A large majority of Danes also speak English
as a second language.
German is an official minority language in South Jutland County
(in Region of Southern Denmark), which was part of Imperial Germany prior the Treaty of Versailles
. Between 15,000 and 20,000 Ethnic Germans live in South Jutland, of whom roughly 8,000 use either the standard German
or the Schleswigsch
variety of Low Saxon in daily communications. Schleswigisch is highly divergent from Standard German and can be quite difficult to understand by Standard German speakers. Outside of South Jutland, the members of St. Peter's Church
in Copenhagen
use German in their Church, its website, and the school that it runs.http://www.sankt-petri.dk/
Faroese, a North Germanic language like Danish, is the primary language of the Faroe Islands
, a self-governing territory of the Kingdom. It is also spoken by some Faroese immigrants to mainland Denmark. Faroese
is similar to Icelandic
, and also the Old Norse
language spoken in the scandinavian area more than a millennium ago.
is the main language of the 54,000 Inuit
living in Greenland
, which is, like the Faroes, a self-governing territory of Denmark. Roughly 7,000 people speak Greenlandic on the Danish mainland.
Official language
An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration. However, official status can also be used to give a...
, Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
, the national language
National language
A national language is a language which has some connection—de facto or de jure—with a people and perhaps by extension the territory they occupy. The term is used variously. A national language may for instance represent the national identity of a nation or country...
of the Danish people, but there are several minority languages spoken through the territory. These include German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Faroese
Faroese language
Faroese , is an Insular Nordic language spoken by 48,000 people in the Faroe Islands and about 25,000 Faroese people in Denmark and elsewhere...
, and Greenlandic. A large majority of Danes also speak English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as a second language.
German
South Jutland County
South Jutland County is a former county on the south-central portion of the Jutland Peninsula in southern Denmark....
(in Region of Southern Denmark), which was part of Imperial Germany prior the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
. Between 15,000 and 20,000 Ethnic Germans live in South Jutland, of whom roughly 8,000 use either the standard German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
or the Schleswigsch
Schleswigsch
Schleswigsch, , is a Northern Low Saxon dialect spoken in Schleswig, in Germany and Denmark.Schleswigsch mainly is based on an South Jutlandic substrate. Therefore it has some notable differences in pronounciation an grammar to it's southern neighbour dialects. The dialects on the west coast of...
variety of Low Saxon in daily communications. Schleswigisch is highly divergent from Standard German and can be quite difficult to understand by Standard German speakers. Outside of South Jutland, the members of St. Peter's Church
St. Peter's Church, Copenhagen
St. Peter's Church is the parish church of the German-speaking community in Copenhagen, Denmark. Built as a single-nave church in the mid-15th century, it is the oldest building in central Copenhagen. It is also notable for its extensive complex of sepulchral chapels.-History:St...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
use German in their Church, its website, and the school that it runs.http://www.sankt-petri.dk/
Faroese
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
, a self-governing territory of the Kingdom. It is also spoken by some Faroese immigrants to mainland Denmark. Faroese
Faroese
Faroese may refer to:* the Faroese people* the Faroese language* anything else pertaining to the Faroe Islands...
is similar to Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
, and also the Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
language spoken in the scandinavian area more than a millennium ago.
Greenlandic
GreenlandicKalaallisut language
Greenlandic is an Eskimo–Aleut language spoken by about 57,000 people in Greenland. It is closely related to the Inuit languages in Canada, such as Inuktitut...
is the main language of the 54,000 Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
living in Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, which is, like the Faroes, a self-governing territory of Denmark. Roughly 7,000 people speak Greenlandic on the Danish mainland.