University of Copenhagen Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics (NorS) Linguistic and Cultural-Heritage Collections

History and Founding

The linguistic and cultural-heritage collections of the University of Copenhagen are held within the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics (NorS), which was formed in its current shape on 1 September 2017 following a merger of the Department of Nordic Research (NFI) and the Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics (INSS). The NFI was itself established in 2003 as a merger of the former Arnamagnean Institute, Institute of Dialectology, and Institute of Name Research. Sound recordings within the collections date back to 1910, when the first recordings of traditional Danish dialects were made, making this one of the oldest continuously maintained dialect archives in the world.

Collections and Holdings

The collections encompass several distinct archives and libraries:

• Sound Archive (Dialect Recordings): Approximately 6,000 recordings made since 1910 of traditional dialects, levelled dialects, regional languages, Copenhagen sociolects, youth languages, multiethnolects, job interviews, and recordings of Danish-Americans. The oldest recordings are on phonograph and gramophone records (now transferred to digital formats). The archive is located at the Section of Dialectology, Njalsgade 76, Copenhagen S.
• Slip Collections (Dialect Records): Three collections — the Jutland Collection (~2 million index slips), the Insular Dialect Collection (~3 million cards), and the Bornholm Collection — documenting vocabulary and usage in classical Danish dialects.
• Arnamagnean Collection: Around 3,000 manuscripts, mainly from the collection of the Icelandic philologist Árni Magnússon (1663–1730). The collection is UNESCO-listed and is of international significance for Old Norse and medieval Scandinavian scholarship.
• Name Research Archive: The only specialist archive for onomastics in Denmark, covering Danish settlement and area names from the oldest runic inscriptions to the present.
• Frøland Collection: A reference collection of approximately 1,000 books, photographs, and notes regarding the Danish book trade and the history of publishing.
• Library Collections: Specialist holdings in dialectology, cultural history of Scandinavia and northern Germany, folklore, sociolinguistics, and related fields.

Journalism and Media Relevance

The Frøland Collection, dedicated to Danish book trade history and publishing, is directly relevant to research on the history of print media and journalism in Denmark. The dialect recordings also document patterns of oral communication across different social and occupational groups.

Access

Many materials are accessible digitally through the CLARIN-DK platform. Physical access to the collections is available at the Department's premises in Copenhagen S. A common database for the sound archive is in development; currently, separate registers are maintained on-site.