Old Gutnish

The approximate extent of Old Norse and related languages in the early 10th century:
Old West Norse dialect
Old East Norse dialect
Old Gutnish
Old English
Crimean Gothic
Other Germanic languages with which Old Norse still retained some mutual intelligibility

Old Gutnish was the dialect of Old Norse that was spoken on the Baltic island of Gotland. It
shows sufficient differences from the Old West Norse and Old East Norse dialects that it is
considered to be a separate branch. Gutnish is still spoken in some parts of Gotland and on
the adjoining island of Fr.
The root Gut is identical to Goth, and it is often remarked that the language has similarities with
the Gothic language. These similarities have led scholars such as Elias Wessn and Dietrich
Hofmann to suggest that it is most closely related to Gothic. The best known example of such a
similarity is that Gothic and Gutnish called both adult and young sheep lamb.
The Old Norse diphthong au (e.g. auga "eye") remained in Old Gutnish and Old West Norse,
while in Old East Norse except for peripheral dialects it evolved into the monophthong ,
i.e. a long version of . Likewise the diphthong ai in bain (bone) remained in Old Gutnish while
it in Old West Norse became ei as in beinand in Old East Norse it became (bn). Whereas
Old West Norse had the ey diphthong and Old East Norse evolved the monophthong ) Old
Gutnish had oy.
Proto-Germanic

Old Gutnish Old West Norse Old East Norse

*aug (eye)
auga
*bain (bone)
bain
*hauzijan (to hear) hoyra

auga
bein
heyra

auga > ga
bin > bn
hyra >hra

Most of the corpus of Old Gutnish is found in the Gutasaga from the 13th century.

Language sample
Citation:

issi ieluar hafi ann sun sum hit hafi. En hafa cuna hit huita stierna aun tu bygu fyrsti
agutlandi fyrstu nat sum aun saman suafu a droymdi hennj draumbr. So sum rir ormar
warin slungnir saman j barmj hennar Oc ytti hennj sum air scriin yr barmi hennar. inna
draum segi han firi hasa bonda sinum hann ria dravm inna so. Alt ir baugum bundit bo
land al itta wara oc faum ria syni aiga. aim gaf hann namn allum o fydum. guti al gutland
aigha graipr al annar haita Oc gunfiaun rii. air sciptu sian gutlandi i ria riiunga. So at
graipr ann elzti laut norasta riiung oc guti mial riiung En gunfiaun ann yngsti laut
sunnarsta. sian af issum rim aucais fulc j gutlandi so mikit um langan tima at land elptj
aim ai alla fya a lutau air bort af landi huert riia iau so at alt sculdu air aiga oc mi
sir bort hafa sum air vfan iorar attu.
Standardised Old Gutnish:
issi ieluar hafi ann sun sum hit Hafi. En Hafa kuna hit Huita Stierna. aun tu bygu fyrsti
a Gutlandi. Fyrstu nat sum aun saman suafu a droymdi henni draumbr. So sum rir ormar
varin slungnir saman i barmi hennar ok ytti henni sum air skriin yr barmi hennar. inna
draum segi han firi Hafa, bonda sinum. Hann ria draum inna so: Alt ir baugum bundit, bo
land al itta vara ok faum ria syni aiga. aim gaf hann namn allum ofydum. Guti al Gutland
aiga, Graipr al annar haita ok Gunfiaun rii. air skiptu sian Gutlandi i ria riiunga so at
Graipr ann eldsti laut norasta riiung ok Guti mial riiung en Gunfiaun ann yngsti laut
sunnarasta. Sian af issum rim aukais fulk i Gutlandi so mikit um langan tima at land elpti
aim ai alla fya. a lutau air bort af landi huert riia iau so at alt skuldu air aiga ok mi
sir bort hafa sum air ufan iorar attu.
Employing normalised Old Norse orthography:
issi jelvar hafi ann sun sum ht Hafi. En Hafa kuna ht Hvtastjerna. aun t byggu fyrsti
Gutlandi. Fyrstu ntt sum aun saman svfu droymdi henni draumr; s sum rr ormar
varin slungnir saman barmi hennar, ok tti henni sum air skriin r barmi hennar. inna
draum segi han firi Hafa bnda snum. Hann rai draum inna s: "Alt ir baugum bundit,
bland al itta vara uk fum ra syni aiga." aim gaf hann namn, allum fddum; Guti, al
Gutland aiga; Graipr, al annar haita; ok Gunnfjaun rii. air skiptu san Gutlandi ra
rijunga, s at Graipr ann eldsti laut norasta rijung, ok Guti mial rijung, en Gunnfjaun
ann yngsti laut sunnarsta. San, af issum rim aukais fulk Gutlandi sum mikit um langan
tma at land elpti aim ai alla fa. lutau air bort af landi hvert rija jau s at alt skuldu
air aiga ok mi sr bort hafa sum air ufan jorar ttu.
Translation: in Icelandic:
Son hann jlfi tti sem ht Hafi. Og kona Hafa ht Hvtastjarna. au tv byggu fyrst
manna Gotlandi. Fyrstu ntt sem au ar saman svfu dreymdi hana draum; s hn rj
orma vafir saman barmi hennar, og tti henni sem eir skria niur barm hennar. ennan
draum sagi hn Hafa bnda snum. Hann r draum ann svo: "Allt er baugum bundi og
verur allt land itt bi og munum vi rj syni eiga." eim gaf hann nfn fddum, Goti sem
Gotland a eiga; Greipur sem annar ht; og Gunnfjn s riji. eir skiptu san Gotlandi
rj rijunga, fkk Greipur s elsti norur rijunginn, og Goti miju rijunginn, en
Gunnfjn s yngsti fkk suur rijunginn. Seinna, af essum remur jkst eftir langan tma
svo flk Gotlandi a miki a landi gat ekki llum veitt fi. ltu eir fara burt af landi
rija hvern egn, og allt mttu au eiga og me sr burt hafa sem ofanjarar ttu.
Translation:
This Thielvar had a son called Hafthi. And Hafthi's wife was called Hvitstjarna. Those two were
the first to settle on Gotland. When they slept on the island for the first night, she dreamed that
three snakes lay in her lap, and she thought they were sliding off her lap. She told this to
Hafthi. He interpreted her dream and said: "Everything is bound with bangles, this island will be

inhabited, and you will bear three sons." Although, they were not yet born, he named them
Guti, who would own the island, Graip and Gunfiaun. The sons divided the island into three
regions, and Graip, who was the eldest, took the north, Guti the middle, and Gunfjaun, who
was the youngest, took the southern third. After a long time, their descendants became so
numerous that the island could not support all of them. They drew lots and every third islander
had to leave. They could keep everything they owned but the land.