Russenorsk

Russenorsk was commonly referred to as pidgin language, the elements of Russian and Norwegian united.

In this mixture of a Slavic language with a Germanic language came about 39 % of the total vocabulary from Russian, 47% of Norwegian and 14 % from other languages.

The language was used in the 18th and 19th centuries in the Arctic frontier region between Russian and Norwegian merchants, fishermen and sailors: in Svalbard, the Russian Kola Peninsula, the Norwegian Finnmark (Northern Norway) and Northern Finland, which with Finland until 1917, an autonomous part of the tsarist empire was. The vocabulary was essentially limited to needed to trade things.

After the Russian October Revolution of 1917, the language fell into disuse because the private trade between Norwegian and Russian citizens was banned.

Examples

• " Moja på tvoja " - I speak your language. ( something like: " My Stuff " )
• " Kak sprek? Moje rivet forsto " - What do you say? I do not understand you.
• å råbbåte - work
• Klæba - Bread