Synthesized answer
The practical reason for Groth's "somewhat cumbersome title" of "A Danish and Dano-Norwegian Grammar" is to allow students to choose between studying either the "pure Danish language" or the "Dano-Norwegian language," depending on their specific needs [1]. For example, a tourist, commercial traveler, or merchant might need to study one branch or the other, while a literary student might opt for "genuine Danish" or the vernacular of authors like Bjørnson and Ibsen [1]. The book is structured to facilitate this choice, with different sections to be skipped depending on the language being studied [1, 5].
Historically, the title reflects the linguistic situation of the late 19th century, where Danish and Norwegian shared a close relationship, often referred to as "Dano-Norwegian" [2, 3]. The preface indicates Groth felt a lack of a reliable grammar for teaching Danish or Norwegian to English speakers [2]. The text itself points out that some grammatical rules are peculiar to Danish, while others are specific to Norwegian [5]. This suggests that at the time of the book's publication in 1894, there was a need for a grammar that could address both the commonalities and distinctions…
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
about two years, and meanwhile there have appeared a couple of Danish or Norwegian grammars that may deserve this name. The reason why I have given my book the somewhat cumbersome title of a "Danish and Dano-Norwegian Grammar" will be apparent from the "Introduction." As regards the use of the book I would advise the student first to make up his mind, whether he wants to study the pure Danish language or the Dano-Norwegian language. This must to a large extent depend upon personal and practical considerations. The tourist, the commercial traveller, the merchant may need to study one branch of…
← A Danish and Dano-Norwegian Grammar ( 1894 ) by Peter Olsen Groth Introduction → related portals : Scandinavian languages 1407724 A Danish and Dano-Norwegian Grammar 1894 Peter Olsen Groth Heath’s Modern Language Series A DANISH and Dano-Norwegian Grammar by P. GROTH, A.M. BOSTON, U.S.A. D. C. HEATH & CO., PUBLISHERS 1894 Copyright, 1894 By P. GROTH All rights reserved PRESS OF Rockwell and Churchill BOSTON, U.S.A. PREFACE A S a teacher of the Danish or Norwegian language to English speaking students I had very often felt the lack of a reliable grammar of the language, and finally I…
← Vowel Changes A Danish and Dano-Norwegian Grammar ( 1894 ) by Peter Olsen Groth Etymology Nouns → 4215289 A Danish and Dano-Norwegian Grammar — Etymology 1894 Peter Olsen Groth ETYMOLOGY. ARTICLES.—GENDERS. 150. The Dano-Norwegian language has a definite and an indefinite article. The definite article has two forms, one employed in connection with a noun alone, the other used with a noun qualified by an adjective or with an adjective alone. The former is called the post-positive article (also the definite article of the substantives). The latter is called the præ-positive article (also…
← Prepositions A Danish and Dano-Norwegian Grammar ( 1894 ) by Peter Olsen Groth The Conjunctions Interjections → 4215305 A Danish and Dano-Norwegian Grammar — The Conjunctions 1894 Peter Olsen Groth CONJUNCTIONS. 243. The conjunctions are divided into co-ordinating and sub-ordinating; both these classes are again divided according to their signification into several subdivisions. The grammarians mostly enumerate the conjunctions belonging to the several classes, but we shall here only mention those of special importance or about the use of which there is anything to remark. A.…
s to study Danish must pass by §§ 81 to 146, while those who want to study Norwegian must pass directly from §§ 8 to 81. Besides, in the “Etymology,” attention is often called to certain rules as being peculiar to Danish, others to Norwegian. The student must select those he needs, and pass by those that refer to the language that he is not studying. I have added some “Exercises” at the end of the book in order to help the student fix in his memory those rules and paradigms which he must know before he can, with any degree of success, commence reading the language. For those who wish more…
More questions about this book
- If you were an English-speaking student in 1894, how would Groth's advice guide your choice between studying "pure Danish" or "Dano-Norwegian," considering your personal and professional goals?
- Describe, as if teaching a classmate, how Groth's grammar is structured to accommodate students learning either Danish or Norwegian, specifically detailing the navigational instructions he provides. What does this structure imply about the differences he identifies between the two languages?
- Groth notes the "glottal catch" makes Danish pronunciation more difficult for English speakers. How might this specific phonetic challenge necessitate different learning strategies or pedagogical approaches for students of Danish compared to Norwegian?
- Considering Groth's motivation—filling a "lack" of a reliable grammar—what can we infer about the available resources and the perceived needs of English-speaking students learning Scandinavian languages in the late 19th century?