ProtoNordic

ProtoNordic is a reconstructed ancestor of the North Germanic languages, which include modern Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Icelandic, and Faroese. Linguistic scholars infer its existence through comparative methods that trace systematic sound correspondences, shared morphological structures, and shared vocabulary across these languages. The proto-language is believed to have been spoken from around the first to the third century CE, preceding the development of Old Norse, which is the earliest attested North Germanic language.

Phonetically, ProtoNordic is thought to have possessed a pitch accent system, similar to its Indo‑European relatives, and a full inventory of short and long vowels. Consonant inventories likely included stops that later developed into the bilabial and dental series seen in later stages. Morphologically, it exhibited a complex system of inflectional endings for case, number, and gender, as well as a rich system of verbal inflection, including indicative and subjunctive moods. The language also showed a tendency toward the loss of final consonants and the assimilation of consonant clusters, phenomena that appear in the subsequent Old Norse forms.

The reconstruction of ProtoNordic relies heavily on the comparison of descendant languages and on the analysis of loanwords and runic inscriptions. It is closely related to Proto-Germanic, but is more specifically linked to the north branch of the Germanic family. While ProtoNordic itself was never recorded, its reconstructed features provide a critical baseline for studies of Germanic historical linguistics and for understanding the cultural and societal patterns of early Scandinavian societies. The ProtoNordic hypothesis remains a well-respected, though continually evolving, framework within the field of historical linguistics.