Date of Award
Spring 5-4-2018
Document Type
Honors Project
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
English, Linguistics, and Communication
Department Chair or Program Director
Richards, Gary
First Advisor
Fallon, Paul
Major or Concentration
English
Abstract
This paper describes the role of music in the revitalization of the Faroese language in the Faroe Islands. It begins with an overview of the linguistic background and history of the Faroe Islands, including an account of how the Faroese people and their language were put at a disadvantage against the politically and economically dominant Norwegians and Danes. Next, the paper introduces non-musical revitalization measures, such as creating a writing system and fighting for the language to be incorporated into education and administration. After this, the paper delves into musical revitalization measures, focusing on how the deep oral and musical culture contributed to self-perceived linguistic prestige and the success of music and musical influence on revitalization. Then, the role of specific traditional song types and modern music is described. Finally, the current position of Faroese and the role of modern music, education, and globalization is explained, with a focus on trends of linguistic purism.
Recommended Citation
Manning, Rachel, "The Role of Music in the Revitalization of Faroese in the Faroe Islands" (2018). Student Research Submissions. 234.
https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/234