Franskt i Svensk tappning. Studier över franska lånord i svenska dialekter

Sammanfattning: This dissertation consists of nine essays (numbered I-IX) which treat French loan-words in Swedish dialects from different aspects. I. To estimate the proportion of French loan-words in Swedish dialects, words beginning with b were counted in the collections of the Swedish dialect dictionary and found to be 2 % of the total b-material. The words are listed and distributions, forms and meanings are discussed. For example, initial b is found to alternate with p in many of the words. II, III and IV focus on certain French loan-words. In II the word estimera is shown to be widely spread in Swedish dialects and have a considerable variation of forms. Change of meaning from 'value' through 'care about' to 'condescend to' is noted. In III the word bagage is studied, especially its distribution and function in the Swedish dialects. Two main meanings emerge: 'luggage' and 'rabble, mob'. IV is a study of two loan-words, one Latin and one French. They form the expression "Räggler å paschaser" used by the poet Gustaf Fröding. The dialectal meanings of räggla and paschas(a) indicate that the slight ambiguity caused by partly different, partly synonymous meanings has been deliberately used by Fröding. V and VI focus on dialectal meanings of French loan-words. In V one dialectal meaning of the word parera 'revere, care about' is studied, for example, in comparison to estimera 'value, care about'. The two words seem to have competed, whereafter parera fell into disuse. VI is a study of four adjectives, briljant, gentil, charmant and elegant in the same semantic field (all express a positive evaluation), which seem to have competed for some time. Only one of them, gentil, has spread widely. VII focuses on the usage of French loan-words in the dialects. These words have been divided into four categories: words for health conditions (malack, kurant, etc.), for states of mind (altererad), for human qualities (suverän) and for communication (ackordera). VIII is an argument against a thesis that pärra 'strive, dispute' in the Swedish dialects in Finland derives from the dialectal form perment(er)a, i.e. parlament(er)a from French parlementer. The dialects show that this cannot be the case. In IX the French loan-words in Swedish are studied in relation to a so called borrowing scale of five levels. The seemingly intensive French-Swedish contacts during the 17th and 18th centuries barely correspond to the first three levels and can hardly be characterized as more than moderately intensive.