Image talk:Old norse, ca 900.PNG

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What are the sources for the information on this map? Two things mainly puzzle me; that the Viken area (present-day eastern Norway) is classified as West Norse, and that southwestern Finland is not colored at all. Not sure about this, though. Jørgen 18:16, 18 Jun 2005 (UTC)

I consulted a number of sources for this map, in order to make it as accurate as possible. Viken was at the time West Norse, but its dialect was later influenced by Swedish and Danish. AFAIK, the Finnish coastland was depopulated at the time due to Swedish raids.--Wiglaf 18:27, 18 Jun 2005 (UTC)

OK, sounds good. I am not convinced, however, I do not have time to check my sources right now... :-). And the map is nice, and I only doubt small parts of it, so I'm quite happy anyway. Jørgen 20:56, 20 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Great image. Thanks. For colour/color blind people, it would be nice if named arrows pointing to the areas were added or numbers that texts can refer to. In the case of Iceland the white interior means no people dwelling there, but in other areas (except for the Finnish coastland ?) that was probably not the case. Mokgand 18:37, 3 September 2005 (UTC)

I second that, and I think that the choice of colours is not optimal, too. I'm only slightly colourblind, but I cannot distinguish any "pink" and "orange" areas in this image at all. It might be better to use totally different colours, instead of various shades of red. -- Schnee (cheeks clone) 10:45, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

Am I the only one who finds it odd that this map shows Germanic languages being spoken on the Crimean peninsula? —Typhlosion 22:03, 1 July 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, Crimean Gothic surviving in the Crimea is popular, but not altogether non-spurious. Otherwise, this map is actually very good. Calgacus (ΚΑΛΓΑΚΟΣ) 21:29, 24 August 2006 (UTC)

As far I can see, the area of Haugaland (southern Hordaland and northern Rogaland), which includes Haugesund, Bømlo, Stord and maybe Austevoll inn western Norway, are colored pink on the map. Did they really speak gutnish there? I think not.. twutt 16:48, 5 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Crimean Gothic was Not North Germanic

Crimean Gothic was an East Germanic language not a North Germanic (Scandinavian) language.

The name "Goths" (as well as their oral history) seems to establish that they did originate in the Baltic -- but this origin was during the 1st Millenium B.C., prior to the split of Germanic into 3 branches.

See Wulfila's Bible, written in Visigothic.

So Crimean Gothic should appear on this map as "Other Germanic" -- probably with a note on its East Germanic status for clarity. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.7.18.181 (talk) 02:22, 20 December 2006 (UTC).

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Well now I'm seeing that the legend for the map is actually text. But it is some kind of template -- "Old Norse language map" -- that I can't find to edit.

The template text should be edited something like:

"Crimean Gothic" (an East Germanic language with which Old Norse retained some mutual comprehensibility)"

"The West Germanic language group (with which Old Norse retained some mutual comprehensibility)"

Or the colored rectangles could be divided into two groups -- "Old Norse Dialects", "Other Germanic Language Groups"... or something.

[edit] Eastern Border of West Germanic?

What is the source for the linguistic borders of West Germanic on the map?

Was southern Schleswig-Holstein really Slavic speaking (or whatever) at that time?

Had the Kingdom of Burgundy already adopted French?

I'm not sure -- just asking for fact checks. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 75.6.245.38 (talk) 02:44, 20 December 2006 (UTC).