Mutual understanding of the vocabulary of North Germanic languages

POLÁŠEK, Pavel. Mutual understanding of the vocabulary of North Germanic languages. Bachelor thesis. Thesis supervisor Stahr, Radka. Charles University, Faculty of Arts, Institute of Germanic Studies, 2026. The aim of this thesis is to describe the level of mutual intelligibility between Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. The first part of the thesis provides an overview of communicative situations of this type, both among the three examined languages and through other comparative examples of genetically related languages. Attention is paid to factors that help facilitate mutual intelligibility as well as to factors that hinder it. The empirical part of this thesis aims to determine the extent to which speakers of different North Germanic languages are able to passively understand the lexicon of other Scandinavian languages.Based on the findings presented in the first part of the thesis, a questionnaire survey was designed and conducted, involving speakers of all five North Germanic languages. The results reveal the advantages and disadvantages of speakers of individual languages and various age groups in understanding other North Germanic languages. Key words: Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, North Germanic languages, lexicology