Quote:
Originally Posted by Lutiferre
I think you should be careful with using the term "North Germanic". Sure, officially in most encyclopedias, that is what Scandinavian countries are called. But in reality, Denmark might as well be of Celtic extraction, with minor West Slavic influence from South Jutland. While I'm pretty certain the rest of Scandinavia is North Germanic [except for Finland of course], Denmark is an exception to the rule, and much censured uncertainty is associated with it.
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To the eyes of an outsider, Denmark is unmistakably North Germanic or Scandinavian (obviously not understood in a geographical context).
If I dig up more into it (always as seen by an outsider), it seems logical to me that there should be a difference between "Peninsular Scandinavians" and "Continental Scandinavians". After all, being peninsular is a condition not all that different from being insular when there is a consistent geological barrier (so no, Jutland does not count as peninsular under this scheme). I can relate to that myself.
But anyway, even if there is a genetically stronger (pretty strong as it appears) western element in the Danes, they are still a North Germanic and Scandinavian ethnicity. If the Danes are not, then what are the Norwegians and, subsequently, the Icelanders? Would then the Swedes be the only North Germanics?
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