Friday, August 24, 2018

The Christmas gospel



A review of "Julevangeliet på Älvdalsmål", a CD recording. 

This is an absolutely fascinating recording of the "Christmas gospel" (Luke, chapter 2) in älvdalsmål, the most archaic Swedish dialect. It still sounds a little bit like Old Norse and Old Icelandic, but is otherwise unique. Sometimes, it's considered a separate language. Älvdalsmål (known as Elfdalian in English) is still spoken in Älvdalen, an area in Dalarna (Dalecarlia). Weirdly, Elfdalian is not officially recognized as a minority language! This recording was made by a folk music band, Jul I Folktron, and is also available for free at Youtube. Enjoy!

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