The Function of Dialects in the Religious Life of the Bornholm Inhabitants

Abstract

In the following I will try to apply sociolinguistic concepts to data from the sociology of religion. As a consequence of a critical view towards sociolinguistic theory developed without empiricism, a constant contact with the observation in the material is purposely sought. The material was collected on the Danish Baltic island: Bornholm, an island with 50.000 inhabitants situated a hundred miles east of the southern coast of Sweden. Bornholm has a tradition of political independence going back to a period of Swedish occupation in the 17th century, ending with a local insurrection, after which the islanders sent a delegation to the Danish king and asked to become Danes. Today Bornholm has the problem of a marginal part of a country. The younger generation goes to the educational centers, normally in Copenhagen, and only a few return as professional people to the island. Industry and business are stagnating because of the high cost of shipping and electric power. Pollution and increasing restrictions in the Atlantic for Danish fishermen are some of the problems of the fishing industry.