NORN KJOKL

After half a dozen years on the road, it’s time to give the Nynorn reconlang a kick in the arse – I think the absence of Nynorn texts is one of the biggest 'put offs' for anyone interested in learning. So, here is my contribution, a brand new story in (a partly fabricated) Nynorn

The syntax in this text is mainly based on modern Nordic languages, but I think the fragments of Old Norn show a similar syntax. I had to create a few neologisms, like they do in Icelandic, but they are based on Old Norn vocabulary, though a couple of words I had to borrow directly from Old Norse, very little compared to the number of Latin words I included. The personal names are from actual Church (baptism) records in Norn speaking Shetland in the 16’th century.

Nynorn text

Marjon Magnusdotter er tolv år og bur å gartenon å Brekk. Påbi hennar er bund, og er kend sen 'Magnus å Brekk'. Marjon og besta vinkona hennar, Ketrin, riða stundon i håganon å hjetlandsrosson. Der gånga båðar i setta flokki i nyja skula, og eru mestlins altið samen. Jift der ikke eru samen, tala der i telefon or ferdifon sinamilla. Marjon hever soind fyri at lesa buker, og hon er oft å bukasamninu. Hon er serli agbunden i mulbandi (fiksjon). Um kvøldið, ner hon er ledli, notar hon at sjå mismonar såpetåtter og ante frøtterne i televarpinu. I sinu sovirumi eger Marjon stedigan teldek, men i skulanon nota de ferditeldek i uppdragenon. Marjon hever etsa mukkla soind fyri at tjatta å alnetinu. Hon tjattar veð jamnaldra i fremdon landon, båð stolker og drenga. Marjon etlar at lesa lagfroð då hun fer å håskula.

English translation

Marjon Magnusdotter is twelve years old and lives on the farm 'å Brekk'. Her father is a farmer, and is known as 'Magnus å Brekk'. Marjon and her best (female) friend, Ketrin, go sometimes for a ride-out in the out-fields on Shetland ponies. They are both in sixth grade in the 'new school' and are almost always together. If they are apart, they talk together on the phone or mobile phone. Marjon likes to read books, and she is often in the library. She is especially interested in fiction. In the evening, when she feels lazy, she ususally watches different soap episodes and even the news on TV. In her sleeping room, Marjon has a stationary computer but in school they use laptops in the education. Marjon also likes very much to chat on the internet. She is chatting with people of her own age from foreign countries, both girls and boys. Marjon intends to study Law when she will attend the university.

Word list

Marjon [:Mar'ion:] (Merrion)
Ketrin (Catherine)
Magnusdotter - Magnus’ daughter (patronym)

tolv år - twelve years old
bur å - lives on
gart - farm
'å Brekk' - Farm-name: 'on (the) Slope'
påbi - father
bund - farmer
er kend sen - is known as
vinkona - friend (female)
at riða - to ride
stundon - sometims
hågi - out-field
hjetlandsross - Shetland Pony
gånga i - go to
båð - both
setti flokk - sixth grade
skul - school
mestlins - almost
altið samen - always together
jift - if
ikke samen - apart (not together)
tala der - they talk
telefon - telephone
ferdifon - mobile phone (cf ferdi-met "travel/mobile-food")
sinamilla - between themselves
hava soind fyri - to like
at lesa - to read
buk - book
bukasamn - library (book-collection)
agbunden i - interested in (agbånd = interest)
mulband - fiction (mulband = a story, partly faet, partly fiction.)
kvøld - evening
ledli - lazy
notar hon at - she uses to
at sjå - to watch
mismon - difference (ON mis-munr)
såpa - soap (soap opera)
tått - episode (Icel. þáttur)
ante - even
frøtter - news
televarp - television (tele + varp throw (broadcasting) )
sovirum - sleeping room
eger - owns
stedig - stationary
teldek - computer (telja to count + ek-ending)
at nota - to use
ferditeldek - laptop computer (ferdi + teldek; see ‘ferdifon’)
uppdrag - education
etsa - also
mukkel - much
at tjatta - to chat
alnet - internet
jamnaldrar - persons of the same age
fremd land - foreign countries
stolka - girl
drengi - boy
etlar at lesa - intends to study
lagfroð - science of law
då hun fer - when she goes
håskul - university

Thanks Ljun, yes, too little written in the language so far, even though it's been 5-6 years since the project started! Your attempt looks really nice, I will go through it again a little bit later.
I think I have to hire you to write educational texts for the Nynorn lessons.

- Hjetlandsross - I meant to inform what kind of breed they were riding on, but OK let's stick to 'ross'.
- i nyja skula - ("in new schools" - that grammar ), I think what I meant was, that the name of the school was 'Nyji skuli' .
serlig, ledlig etc. - yes unifying sounds good, it's been confusing so far.
- mismonande/ulika/ymiska - we have 'ýmiss' in an old record from Orkney, and as the second part of the word 'y-mis' is the same as the first part of the word 'mis-mona' - let's use 'ymis' - hence ymiska (ymsa?) tåtti.
- skul-skulenon, or skuli-skulanon - I like the word 'skul', but all the Nordic languages have a vowel -i or -e at the end (Greek σχολή - scholē), so would you prefer skuli - skulanon?

Erm.... This was brilliant. Made my day! Thanks!!!