Reformationens betydning for det danske sprog

摘要

A survey of late medieval literature in Danish forms the background for the main topic. Some important religious genres, in particular, are dealt with: sermons, texts for the sermons, translations of the Bible, and spiritual songs. The description of the new departure for the Danish language in the earliest Lutheran works (1524–1536) is focused on the standardization of written Danish, on the new polemic genre, the use of Danish in liturgical texts, and on the making of congregational hymns. The background for the linguistic shift was not only the Lutheran reformation, but also the renaissance humanism, and the art of printing. The relations between the three are discussed and summed up in the final synthesis.