Jakobsen's faroese

[Aszev]

Do you have any information on the faroese orthography made by Jakobsen? I didn't manage to find any.

[Hunef]

Do you have any information on the faroese orthography made by Jakobsen? I didn't manage to find any.

Jag känner inte till någon nätresurs i ämnet. För två år sedan så inhandlade jag dock den alldeles utmärkta boken Faroese. An Overview and Reference Grammar av Höskuldur Þráinsson (en islänning), Hjalmar P. Petersen, Jógvan í Lon Jacobsen, och Zakaris Svabo Hansen. Du kan beställa den på Bókasølan ("Bokasalan"; jmf. saluhall); den kostar 380 färöiska (=danska) kronor. (Här är sidan för boken.) I boken finns ett mycket bra kapitel som rör de olika varianterna av den färöiska ortografin. Speciellt intressant är kanske att det en tid fanns en kompromiss mellan Hammershaims och Jakobsens ortografier. Om jag inte minns fel så kallades den "broyting" (vilket rimligen borde betyda just "kompromiss"). Men som historien förtäljer så vann ju Hammershaimbs ortografi. Notera i sammanhanget att poängen med att skapa en ortografi till en början var att man ville kunna skriva ned de färöiska balladerna snarare än att ersätta danskan som officiellt skriftspråk. Men med tiden - i och med romantikens intåg under senare hälften av 1800-talet - så ville man även skapa och upprätthålla ett skriftspråk giltigt även i andra domäner i samhället än bara nedteckning av gamla ballader.

[Mulder-21]

Jakobsen's alphabet (if memory serves me correctly):

a, á, ä, b, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, ó, p, r, s, t, u, ú, v, y, æ, ö, ø, å

a: [a]
á: [Oa]
ä: [Ea]
e: [e:]
i: [i:]
o: [o:]
ó: [Ou]/[Eu]/[9u]
u: [u:]
ú: [}u]
y: [Ui]
æ: [E]
ö: [9]
ø: [2]
å: [O]

This was the 'official' Jakobsen. In earlier drafts, he considered using c and q as [dZ] and [tS] respectively, thus:

cægv (gjægv) = gjógv (Hammershaimb)
qæipa (tjæipa) = keypa

I'll have more info on this later, when I get to consult a paper I have on this orthography somewhere.

[Hunef]

This was the 'official' Jakobsen. In earlier drafts, he considered using c and q as [dZ] and [tS] respectively, thus:

cægv (gjægv) = gjógv (Hammershaimb)
qæipa (tjæipa) = keypa

I'll have more info on this later, when I get to consult a paper I have on this orthography somewhere.

Personally I would have chosen z(z) for [dZ(:)] and c(c) for [tS(:)]. (Long version suggested by paranthesis.) Thus, (in modified Jakobsen's orthography)

zægv (mod. Jak.) = gjógv (Hamm.),
cæipa (mod. Jak.) = keypa (Hamm.).

Actually, z(z) and c(c) would be an alternative for Älvalen Dalecarlian. Today they have d(d)j and t(t)j, respectively. Thus, one would get e.g.

byddja 'to build' > byzza,
tjyöpa 'to buy' > cyöpa.

[Mulder-21]

I've just consulted the book, and I've made an error or two.

Q was to be used for [dZ] and C for [tS]:

cæipur (keypir)
icce (ikki)
qørde (gjørdi)
syqqa (síggja)

But in 1889, he decided to use (g)gj and (k)kj instead. (and not tj as I used the other day)

I also have to mention, that it's worth noting, that Hammershaimbs orthography at this time also included x and ö. Jakobsen's orthography removed í, ý, ð and x and added ä and å.

Here's a list of the vowels in ON, Hammershaimb's Faroese, Jakobsen's Faroese, and X-SAMPA for the vowels in the various languages:

Old Norse / Hammershaimb / Jakobsen / X-SAMPA

a / a / ä, a / [Ea], [a]
á / á / á, å / [Oa], [O], [O:]
e / e / e, æ / [e:], [E]
é / æ / ä, a / [Ea], [a]
i / i / i, e / [i:], [i]/[I]
í / í / y / [Ui]
o / o / o, å / [o:], [O]
ó / ó / ó, ö, æ / [Ou], [9], [E]
u / u / u, o / [u:], [u]/[U]
y / y / i / [i:], [I]
ý / ý / y / [Ui]
o* / ö / ö, ø / [2:], [9]
æ / æ / ä, æ, a / [Ea], [E], [a]
œ / ø / ö, ø / [2:], [9]

* I can't read this properly, so there might be some diacritic on it, but I'm sure, Hunef, that you can answer this for me

[Hunef]

I've just consulted the book, and I've made an error or two.

Q was to be used for [dZ] and C for [tS]:

cæipur (keypir)
icce (ikki)
qørde (gjørdi)
syqqa (síggja)

But in 1889, he decided to use (g)gj and (k)kj instead. (and not tj as I used the other day)

I also have to mention, that it's worth noting, that Hammershaimbs orthography at this time also included x and ö. Jakobsen's orthography removed í, ý, ð and x and added ä and å.

Here's a list of the vowels in ON, Hammershaimb's Faroese, Jakobsen's Faroese, and X-SAMPA for the vowels in the various languages:

Old Norse / Hammershaimb / Jakobsen / X-SAMPA

a / a / ä, a / [Ea], [a]
á / á / á, å / [Oa], [O], [O:]
e / e / e, æ / [e:], [E]
é / æ / ä, a / [Ea], [a]
i / i / i, e / [i:], [i]/[I]
í / í / y / [Ui]
o / o / o, å / [o:], [O]
ó / ó / ó, ö, æ / [Ou], [9], [E]
u / u / u, o / [u:], [u]/[U]
y / y / i / [i:], [I]
ý / ý / y / [Ui]
o* / ö / ö, ø / [2:], [9]
æ / æ / ä, æ, a / [Ea], [E], [a]
œ / ø / ö, ø / [2:], [9]

* I can't read this properly, so there might be some diacritic on it, but I'm sure, Hunef, that you can answer this for me

It should be "o-ogonek", i.e. an 'o' with a small "hook". It is supposed to look like this: 'ǫ'. (I hope you can see the symbol in your browser!) But can't this be either 'ø' (e.g. ON 'dǫgum' dat. =days > 'døgum') OR 'o' (e.g. ON 'tǫnn' =tooth > Far. 'tonn')?
There was also a long version of 'ǫ' (written 'ǫ' with acute accent) in Old Norse, but it seems to have merged with 'á'. (Early ON long 'ǫ' must have been pronunced [ɒː] and 'á' [ɑː], which makes it clear that they easily merge into each other.)

[Mulder-21]

It should be "o-ogonek", i.e. an 'o' with a small "hook". It is supposed to look like this: 'ǫ'. (I hope you can see the symbol in your browser!) But can't this be either 'ø' (e.g. ON 'dǫgum' dat. =days > 'døgum') OR 'o' (e.g. ON 'tǫnn' =tooth > Far. 'tonn')?

Yes, since when a is U-umlauted it becomes ø, EXCEPT when followed by a nasal consonant m and n where it becomes o. That's why you have:

barn -> børn

but,

land -> lond
lamb -> lomb

JP