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Danish (/ ˈ d eɪ n ɪ ʃ / ⓘ, DAY-nish; endonym: dansk pronounced ⓘ, dansk sprog [ˈtænˀsk ˈspʁɔwˀ]) [1] is a North Germanic language from the Indo-European language family spoken by about six million people, principally in and around Denmark.
Faroese, a North Germanic language like Danish, is the primary language of the Faroe Islands, a self-governing territory of the Kingdom. It is also spoken by some Faroese immigrants in mainland Denmark. Faroese is similar to Icelandic and retains many features of Old Norse, the source of all North Germanic languages.
The Danish language is the official language in Denmark. [1] In the Faroe Islands, the Faroese language and the Danish language are the official languages, and both must be taught in schools. Danish should be used in court, [1] but Faroese can be used in all other official places. [2]
Danish is the official second language. [2] Faroese is similar in grammar to Icelandic and Old Norse, but closer in pronunciation to Norwegian. In the twentieth century Faroese became the official language and, because the Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, Danish is taught in Faroese schools.
The official language of Greenland is Greenlandic.The number of speakers of Greenlandic is estimated at 50,000 (85-90% of the total population), divided in three main dialects, Kalaallisut (West-Greenlandic, 44,000 speakers and the dialect that is used as official language), Tunumiit (East-Greenlandic, 3,000 speakers) and Inuktun (North-Greenlandic, 800 speakers).
During the time of Danish rule, Danish was a minority language in Iceland. [ 2 ] Studying English and Danish (or another Scandinavian language ) is mandatory for students in compulsory schools [ 3 ] and also part of many secondary-level study programmes, so knowledge of the two languages is widespread.
About 30,000 Danish Americans continue to speak the Danish language. According to the 2000 US Census Bureau, 33,400 people spoke Danish at home; that figure was down to 29,467 five years later (2005 American Community Survey), a decrease of about 11.8%.
Faroese people or Faroe Islanders (Faroese: føroyingar; Danish: færinger) are an ethnic group native to the Faroe Islands. [4] The Faroese are of mixed Norse and Gaelic origins. [ 5 ] About 21,000 Faroese live in neighbouring countries, particularly in Denmark , Iceland and Norway .