Faroese language facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Faroese
føroyskt mál
Native to	Faroe Islands, Denmark, Greenland
Ethnicity	Faroe Islanders
Native speakers	66,000  (2007)e18
Language family	Indo-European Germanic North Germanic West Scandinavian Insular Scandinavian Faroese
Early forms:	Old Norse Old West Norse Old Norwegian Old Faroese Faroese
Writing system	Latin (Faroese orthography) Faroese Braille
Official status
Official language in	Faroe Islands
Recognised minority language in	Denmark
Regulated by	Faroese Language Board Føroyska málnevndin
Linguasphere	52-AAA-ab
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Faroese is the Germanic language of the Faroe Islands spoken by about 70,000 people. The language came from Old Norse which was spoken in the Middle Ages. Faroese is the most similar to Icelandic. The alphabet has 29 letters that come from the Latin alphabet.

Faroese numbers

Images for kids

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  The Sheep letter (Faroese: Seyðabrævið) is the oldest surviving document of the Faroe Islands. Written in 1298 in Old Norse, it contains some words and expressions believed to be especially Faroese.

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  The Fámjin stone, a Faroese runestone

See also

In Spanish: Idioma feroés para niños