The Beginning of Quantitative Sociolinguistics in the Nineteenth Century: The Dane Anker Jensen (1878–1937) and his pioneering study “The Linguistic Situation in the Parish of Aaby, Aarhus County”
(1898)
Kristoffer FriisBøegh,PeterBakker,Inger SchoonderbeekHansen and CarstenLevisen
Aarhus University | Roskilde University
Abstract
In 1898, a young Dane, Anker Jensen (1878–1937), published a pioneering study in which he investigated the linguistic
situation in Aaby, then a village and parish located just west of Aarhus (the second-largest city of Denmark, in Jutland), and today an
integrated part of the city. Anker Jensen’s article can safely be considered the first sociolinguistic study in a Danish context, and it may
in fact be the world’s first quantitative sociolinguistic study altogether. Jensen’s research was ahead of its time, and written in Danish,
and for these reasons it has gone largely unnoticed internationally. In this article, we present an introduction to Anker Jensen’s Aaby
study, providing background information and additional context for modern readers, as well as offering an overview of the author’s collected
works, both published and unpublished. We also briefly discuss our translation into English of the original 1898 article. The translation is
likewise published in this issue of Historiographia Linguistica.
Quantitative sociolinguistics may have first started in the late 19th century in Denmark – more specifically, in Aarhus (the
country’s second-largest city, in Jutland), and even more specifically, in the parish and former village of Aaby, today an integrated part of
the city. In 1898, at the age of 20, the Dane Anker Jensen (1878–1937) published a pioneering study in which he investigated the linguistic
situation in Aaby. Anker Jensen’s article, “Sproglige forhold i Åby sogn, Århus amt” [The Linguistic Situation in the Parish of Aaby, Aarhus
County], deserves recognition today because of its focus on correlated social stratification and linguistic variation and change, based on a
systematic, quantitative approach and meticulous analysis. The approach in Anker Jensen’s Aaby study might be called Labovian avant la
lettre (on Labov’s key role in sociolinguistics in the 20th century, see, e.g., Bell et al.
2016). As things stand, Anker Jensen’s research can best be characterized, above all else, as being very much ahead of its time.
Chambers et al. (2008) have called the Swiss linguist Louis Gauchat (1866–1942) a “patriarch of
variationist linguistics”. Anker Jensen’s study precedes Gauchat’s (1905) article by seven years, and whereas Gauchat’s article focuses on
age, Jensen’s focuses more on class differences. In addition to his Aaby study, Anker Jensen also produced a number of other linguistic works.
Some of his works are published, others exist only in manuscript form.
References
Andersen, Henning
1982 “On
the Causes of Linguistic Change. English translation with commentary and an essay on J.H.
Bredsdorff”. Historiographia
Linguistica 9.1–41.
Arboe, Torben & Inger
Schoonderbeek Hansen
2009 “Århusiansk – byens sprog før og nu” [Aarhusian – the City’s Language
Before and Now]. Århushistorier ed. by Simon Borchmann, Stefan Iversen, Mette Kunøe & Per Stounbjerg, 71–86. Aarhus: Aarhus
Universitetsforlag.
Bell, Allan, Devyani Sharma & David Britain
2016 “Labov
in Sociolinguistics: An introduction”. Journal of
Sociolinguistics 20:4.399–408.
In
press]. “Tegn-et-kort-data fra Aarhus og København – en perceptuel-dialektologisk
undersøgelse” [Draw-a-Map Data from Aarhus and Copenhagen – A Perceptual Dialectology
Study]. 19. Møde om Udforskningen af Dansk Sprog ed. by Inger
Schoonderbeek Hansenet al.AarhusNordisk
Borish, Steven
M.
1991The Land of the Living: The Danish folk high
schools and Denmark’s non-violent path to modernization. Nevada,
California: Blue Dolphin Publishing.
Brix, Hans & Anker Jensen
eds.1915Udvalgte danske Vers af Christian Friedrich Wadskiær [Selected Danish Poems by
Christian Friedrich
Wadskiær]. Copenhagen: Gyldendal.
2003 “Etnolekt i Århus:
Morfologiske, syntaktiske og pragmatiske træk” [Ethnolect in Aarhus: Morphological,
syntactic, and pragmatic traits]. 9. Møde om Udforskningen af Dansk Sprog ed.
by Peter Widell & Mette Kunøe, 141–151. Aarhus: Institut
for Nordisk Sprog og Litteratur, Aarhus Universitet.
Clausen, H. V.
1894 “Nordslesvig 1863–93. Den nationale Stilling paa Landet” [Northern
Schleswig 1863–93. The national position in the countryside]. Sønderjyske Aarbøger ed.
by H. P. Hanssen-Nørremølle, Gustav Johannsen & P. Skau, 33–146. Flensburg: Gyldendalske
Boghandel.
Fjalland, Åge
1929 “Vore folkemål i likvidation” [Our Dialects in
Liquidation]. Danske
Folkemaal 3.39–43.
Gregersen, Frans
2016 “Sproghistorie og sprogteori” [Language History and Linguistic
Theory]. Dansk Sproghistorie. Bind 1. Dansk tager form ed.
by Ebba Hjort, Henrik
Galberg Jacobsen, Bent Jørgensen, Birgitte Jacobsen & Laurids
Kristian Fahl, 35–77. Aarhus/Copenhagen: Aarhus
University Press/The Society for Danish Language and Literature.
Gregersen, Frans & Tore Kristiansen
2015 “Indledning: Sprogforandring i virkelig tid” [Introduction: Language change
in real time]. Hvad ved vi nu – om danske talesprog? ed. by Frans Gregersen & Tore Kristiansen, 9–45. Copenhagen: Sprogforandringscentret.
Gudiksen, Asgerd, Henrik Hovmark, Pia Quist, Jann Scheuer & Iben
Stampe Sletten
2009Dialektforskning i 100 år [Dialectology for 100
Years]. Copenhagen: Museum
Tusculanum.
Hansen, Aage
1956Udtalen i moderne dansk [The Pronunciation of Modern
Danish]. Copenhagen: Gyldendal.
Hansen, Inger
Schoonderbeek
2007 “Åbydialekt i
1890’erne: om Danmarks første sociolingvist, Anker Jensen” [Aaby Dialect in the 1890s:
On Denmark’s first sociolinguist, Anker Jensen]. Ord &
Sag 27.19–27.
Hansen, Inger
Schoonderbeek
2013 “Anker Jensens
sprog og sprogsyn: produkt af sin tid?” [Anker Jensen’s Language and Approach to
Language: A product of his time?]. Gode ord er bedre end guld. Festskrift til Henrik
Jørgensen ed. by Simon Borchmann, Inger
Schoonderbeek Hansen, Tina
Thode Hougaard, Ole Togeby & Peter Widell, 226–240. Aarhus: Aarhus
University.
Hovdhaugen, Even, Fred Karlsson, Carol Henriksen & Bengt Sigurd
2000The
History of Linguistics in the Nordic Countries. Helsinki: Societas
Scientiarum Fennica.
Jensen, Anker
ed.1907Lommeordbog i det danske og tyske Sprog med dansk Udtalebetegnelse efter Metode Toussaint-Langenscheidts fonetiske
System [Pocket Dictionary in the Danish and German Languages with Danish Pronunciation
According to the Method Toussaint-Langenscheidt’s Phonetic System]. [Publication
by F. A. Mohr.] Berlin-Schöneberg: Langenscheidt/Copenhagen: Georg
Chr. Ursins Efterfølger.
Jensen, Anker
ed.1908Taschenwörterbuch
der dänischen und deutschen Sprache mit Angabe der dänische Ausprache nach dem phonetischen System der Metode
Toussaint-Langenscheidt. [Publication by F. A. Mohr.] Berlin-Schöneberg: Langenscheidt/Copenhagen: Georg
Chr. Ursins Efterfølger.
1898 “Sproglige forhold i Åby sogn, Århus amt” [The Linguistic Situation in the
Parish of Aaby, Aarhus
County]. Dania 5.213–231.
Jensen, Anker
1900 “Folkemål og rigsmål i Sønderjylland” [Dialect and Standard Language in
Southern
Jutland]. Dania 7.65–95.
Jensen, Anker
1902aIndfødt og fremmed i modersmålet [Native and Foreign in the Mother
Tongue]. Copenhagen: Klein. [73 pp.]
Jensen, Anker
1902b “Utiltalende københavneri“ [Objectionable Attitudes by
Copenhageners]. Aarhus Amtstidende 25 August
1902, 1 p.
Jensen, Anker
1911a “Hvorledes vi taler” [How We Talk]. Aalborg
Amtstidende 2 March
1911, 1 p.
Jensen, Anker
1911b “Om Dansk i Mellemskolen” [On Danish in the Middle
School]. Riget 17 January
1911, 1 p.
Jensen, Anker
1912bVisen om Tyre Danebod [The Song of Tyre
Danebod]. [Brochure relating to Aalborg
Katedralskole.] Aalborg. [20 pp.]
Jensen, Anker
1915aDansk Sproglære for Mellemskole og Realklasse [Danish Primer for Middle School
and Secondary
School]. Copenhagen. [62 pp.]
Jensen, Anker
1915bDen gamle danske Rævebog [The Old Danish Fox
Book]. [Brochure relating to Aalborg
Katedralskole.] Aalborg. [20 pp.]
Jensen, Anker
1929a “Køn og tal i Åby-målet ved Århus” [Gender and Number in Aaby Dialect near
Aarhus]. Danske
Folkemaal 3.22–24.
Jensen, Anker
1929bStudier over H.C. Andersens sprog [Studies in the Language of H.C.
Andersen]. Haderslev: Carl
Nielsen.
Jensen, Anker
1932 “Bemærkninger om indirekte tale” [Remarks on Indirect
Speech]. Haderslev Katedralskoles
Indbydelsesskrift, 1–12.
Jensen, Anker
1933 “Sproglige og stilistiske træk hos Henrik Pontoppidan” [Linguistic and
Stylistic Traits of Henrik Pontoppidan]. Haderslev Katedralskoles
Indbydelsesskrift, 1–18.
Jensen, Anker
1935 “Bemærkninger om nægtelser i dansk og latin” [Remarks on Negation in Danish
and Latin]. Acta Philologica
Scandinavica 10.14–49.
Jensen, Ella
1967 “Om sproget i Århus 1900–1910” [On the Language in Aarhus
1900–1910]. Dialektstudier 2.197–270.
Jysk Ordbog [Dictionary of the Jutland
Dialects]
2000ff Ed. by Ove Rasmussen, Viggo Sørensen, Torben Arboe, Inger
Schoonderbeek Hansen, Nina Grøftehauge, Mette-Marie
Møller Svendsen & Kristoffer
Friis Bøegh. Founded
by Peter Skautrup in 1932 (Available
online via www.jyskordbog.dk, accessed 7 February
2023.)
Kiil, Lisbeth
1996 “Den lærde Anker Jensen 1878–1937” [The Learned Anker Jensen
1878–1937]. Langs fjord og dam
(Haderslev), 40–47.
Køster, Finn
2011Omkring Anker Jensen [About Anker
Jensen]. Jysk, ømål, rigsdansk mv. Studier i dansk sprog med sideblik til nordisk og
tysk ed. by Torben Arboe & Inger
Schoonderbeek Hansen, 141–151. Aarhus: Peter
Skautrup Centret for Jysk Dialektforskning.
Kristiansen, Tore
2018 “Sociodialectology”. The
Handbook of Dialectology ed. by C. Boberg, J. Nerbonne & D. Watt, 106–122. Hoboken,
NJ: Wiley-Blackwell.
Kristensen, Marius, Anker Jensen & Karl Hude
1904 “Gamle gadenavne” [Old Street Names]. Danske
Studier, 126–127. Copenhagen: Det
Schubotheske Forlag.
Labov, William
1963 “The
Social Motivation of a Sound
Change”. WORD 19:3.273–309.
Labov, William
1966The
Social Stratification of English in New York City. Washington,
D.C.: Center for Applied Linguistics.
Levisen, Carsten, Kristoffer Friis Bøegh, Peter Bakker and Inger Schoonderbeek Hansen
2023 “The Linguistic Situation in the Parish of Aaby, Aarhus County”, by Anke Jensen. Historiographia Linguistica 49(2/3).355-371.
2020Standardization
as Sociolinguistic Change. A Transversal Study of Three Traditional Dialect Areas. New
York: Routledge.
Maegaard, Marie
2005 “Language
Attitudes, Norm and Gender. A presentation of the method and results from a language attitude study”. Acta
Linguistica Hafniensia: International Journal of
Linguistics 37.55–80.
Milroy, James & Lesley Milroy
1978 “Belfast:
Change and variation in an urban vernacular”. Sociolinguistic patterns in British
English ed. by Peter Trudgill, 19–36. London: Edward
Arnold.
Mortensen, Karl
1938 [Eulogy
for Anker Jensen.] Haderslev-Samfundets
Aarsskrift, 63–64.
Nielsen, Bent
Jul
1998 “Talesprogsvariationen i
Århus – en sociolingvistisk redegørelse og en sammenligning med sproget i Odder” [The
Spoken Language Variation in Aarhus – a Sociolinguistic Account and a Comparison with the Language in
Odder]. Danske
Folkemål 40.51–78.
Nielsen, Niels
Løgager
2012a “Anker Jørgen
Jensen”. Aarhus Wiki. [Online publication maintained
by Aarhus
City Archives.] (Available online
via www.aarhuswiki.dk/wiki/Anker_Jørgen_Jensen, accessed 7 February 2023.)
Nielsen, Niels
Løgager
2012b “Åbyhøj”. Aarhus
Wiki. [Online publication maintained by Aarhus City
Archives.] (Available online via www.aarhuswiki.dk/wiki/Åbyhøj, accessed 7 February
2023.)
Nielsen, Niels
Åge
1953 “Dialekt, jargon og
vulgærsprog i Århus” [Dialect, Jargon, and the Common Language in
Aarhus]. Seksten Århusrids ed. by Vagn Dybdahl, 225–240. Aarhus: Universitetsforlaget.
2003 “Traditional Dialects of Danish and the
De-dialectization 1900–2000”. International Journal of the Sociology of
Language 159.9–28.
Petersen, Kathrine
Thisted
2013 “Lokalt regionalsprog
eller regionalt rigssprog? – en undersøgelse af Århusdansk” [Local Regional Language or
Regional Standard Language? – an Investigation of Aarhus Danish]. NyS – Nydanske
Sprogstudier 45.9–47.
Petersen, Kathrine
Thisted
2015 “Århusiansk sprogbrug
anskuet i lyset af den igangværende standardiseringsproces” [Aarhusian Usage Viewed in
the Light af the Ongoing Standardization Process]. Ord &
Sag 35.28–44.
Skautrup, Peter
1921 “Om Folke- og Sprogblanding i et vestjysk Sogn” [On Population and Language
Mixing in a Western Jutlandic Parish]. Danske
Studier, 97–111.
Skautrup, Peter
1931 “Jacob Madsens dansk” [Jacob Madsen’s
Danish]. Jacobi Matthie Arhusiensis. De literis libri duo II ed.
by Christen Møller & Peter Skautrup, 67–98. Aarhus: Aarhus
Stiftbogtrykkeriet.
Skautrup, Peter
1944–1968Det danske sprogs historie [The History of the Danish
Language]. 4 vols. Copenhagen: Gyldendals
Forlag.
Trudgill, Peter
1974The
Social Differentiation of English in Norwich. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Zachariassen, Ditte
2019 “Nye sprogvarianter: en aarhusiansk bydialekt” [New Variants of Language:
An urban dialect from Aarhus]. Dialekter i rigt mål ed. by G.
Stubkjær Adamsen & M.
Bach Ipsen, 311–328. Hedensted: Modersmål-selskabet.
Zachariassen, Ditte
In
press]. “Strong Finals – a Prosodic Feature Projecting ‘More to Come’ in a Danish Urban
Dialect”. Nordic Journal of Linguistics.
Zachariassen, Ditte & Tine
Lykkegaard Nielsen
2021 “ ‘Eow’, ‘lak’, ‘yani’ og ‘dig’: fire nyere interjektionaler som viser holdninger om
vidensforhold” [‘Eow’, ‘lak’, ‘yani’, and ‘dig’: Four newer interjectionals reflecting
attitudes relating to knowledge]. NyS: Nydanske
Sprogstudier 60.150–189.