How Have Foreign Languages Impacted The Danish Language?

Throughout the centuries, Danish has been influenced by different foreign languages and according to studies after the 1950s, a great number of English words became part of the Danish language. Now, new research shows the latest change in the language is the use of Arabic and Turkish as slang words.

The second volume of the book Dansk Sprogshistorie was recently released, shedding some light on how the Danish language changed throughout time and to what extent it has been influenced by other languages.

According to CPH Post Online, in the volume Word for Word for Word, which examines how over the past few decades foreign words have become part of the Danish language, it’s stated that Arabic and Turkish words are quite popular, especially in the younger generation’s conversations. Danes, as well as people from other countries, have started using words such as yalla (hurry up), habibi (a term of affection) and lan (‘man’ at the end of the sentence) as slang words. The phenomenon is more frequent in Nørrebro, the city’s multicultural neighbourhood, where dozens of different ethnicities live and hang out.

Danish has been influenced by other foreign languages since the Middle Ages

A study conducted by Pia Jarvad from Dansk Sprognævn showed that between 1955–1975, 4,000 new words appeared in the Danish language, 81 percent of which were influenced by English. Some words were ‘direct loans’ as the author calls it, meaning that English words such as ‘lobby’, ‘hardware’ and ‘widescreen’ infiltrated the Danish language while others are ‘translation loans’, referring to English words that were directly translated to Danish, e.g. ‘non-violent’ became ‘ikke-voldelig’.

Danes of the younger generation use Arabic and Turkish words in their daily conversations

The increased internationalization, improvement of the general education level and the development of mass media have, according to dialekt.dk, paved the way for the Anglification of the Danish language after the 50s.

Even though there’s a running debate among linguists on whether the appearance of foreign words and the extended usage of English in universities’ programs and other ‘domains’, as they call it, can threaten the existence of Danish, Erik Hansen, former chairman of the Danish Language Board, claims there isn’t a reason to worry. After all, Danish has been under a strong influence for 1,000 years and it hasn’t shown any signs of going away any time soon.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.

Culture Trip Spring Sale

Save up to $1,100 on our unique small-group trips! Limited spots.

View Offers