gammalsvenskan

Gammelsvenska, or Old Swedish, is the medieval stage of the Swedish language. It was spoken in Sweden and parts of Finland from roughly the 13th to the early 16th century. The period marks the transition from Old Norse dialects toward the Swedish used in medieval administration, law, and literature, and it represents the direct ancestor of modern Swedish.

The language developed under strong influence from Low German due to Hanseatic trade, while also retaining elements from earlier East Norse varieties. The surviving evidence for Gammelsvenska comes mainly from legal codes, church records, chronicles, and religious texts written in the Latin script; some runic inscriptions from earlier times also provide context. Spelling and grammar varied by region, and there was no standardized orthography.

Linguistically, Old Swedish shows a gradual simplification of the medieval inflection system, a shift toward a more fixed word order, and increased use of prepositions. The period also features widespread borrowing from German and Latin, especially in administration, trade, and theology, alongside continued native vocabulary and forms.

The transition to Early Modern Swedish began in the 16th century, with the Gustav Vasa Bible and the rise of printing and centralized administration contributing to standardization. Gammelsvenska thus laid the groundwork for contemporary Swedish, with many forms and words evolving into modern usage.