Danish (1500-1900),-- With the 15th cen tury a new period in the history of the Danish language takes its beginning. With the intro duction of the art of ' printing (1482) many books were brought into circulation. The most important work of the Danish Reformation is Christian III's Bible, translated by Christian Pedersen and others. In this translation the authors made an effort to establish a consistent orthography and to avoid double forms. It has had great influence on the literary, particularly the church, language of later times. Of other works marked by their comparatively pure Dan ish may be noted A. S. Vedel's translation of Saxo (1575), Klaus Lyskander's (1558-1623), (Danske Kongers SIcegtebog,) a kind of gene alogy of Danish kings. The following period down to Holberg (1684-1754) produced few works written in good Danish. Best known are Thomas Kingo's hymns and the works of the Norwegian preacher and poet Petter Dass. Of the greatest linguistic importance is Christian V's Danish Law) (1683). During the human istic ascendency, the literature was strongly marked by Latin-German influence. Almost all the learned men of the period wrote in Latin. Many Latin and High German words were adopted. From German were now introduced the prefixes er- and ge-. During the latter half of the 16th century, German was the official language of Sleswick and also to a great extent in Denmark proper. Later French exerted great influence, especially in court circles. Even the great author and linguist Holberg, who taught the people to respect their mother tongue, shows foreign influence. About 1750 arises a move ment against foreign influence. The most prom inent representatives of this movement are Eil schow (1747) and Sneedorf and his periodical ((Den Patriotiske (1761-63). From
Sneedorf and his school the modern Danish prose may be said to have its origin. Before 1800 only Ewald and Baggesen are really great masters of prose style. But it is only from 1840, beginning with such masters as H. C. An dersen, Goldschmidt, Kierkegaard and continu ing with numerous writers and authors of fic tion, of critics, political writers, historians that Danish prose has developed to the degree of perfection it now has. Many writers of poetry have attained the same efficiency in the use of the Danish language. The vocabulary has been enriched by adopting many words from the early Scandinavian literature, from the dialects and from the speech of the people. The gram mar has been simplified. Uniform orthography was officially established in 1889.
Bibliography.— V. Dahlerup, 'Det danske Sprogs Historic) (1896) ; H. Bertelsen, 'Dansk Sproghistorie) (1908) • C. Molbech, 'Dansk Ordbog' (2d ed., 1859) ; Dahl and Hammer, (Dansk Ordbog for Facet) (1907-14) ; V. Dahlerup, 'Dansk Ordbog' (in preparation) ; O. ICalkar, (Ordbog til det zldre danske Sprog> 0381-1907) ; H. F. Feilberg, 'Ordbog over jyske Almuesmal) (1886-1911) ; Falk apd Torp, (Etymologisk Ordbog over det norske og danske Sprog> (1903-06; the same in German, revised, 1910) • Falk and Torp,