About 800, older hr > r in Denmark.

Soon after 800, older diphthongs became simplified in Denmark, e.g.,

au > u cp. O. Ic. þau, O. Gutnic þaun = O. Dan. þusi pronounced þøsi.

ai, ei > i cp. O. Ic. stein, O. N. stæin, O. Gtnc. stain = O. Dan. stin.

io, iau > u cp. O. N., O. Ic. briote, O. Gtnc. briauti = O. Dan. biruti.

Before 1000, ē > æ cp. O. N., O. Ic. sér = O. Dan. sær (written sar).

About 1,000, appears in O. Sw.—O. Dan. an excrescent d between nn and r, e.g., mantr, pronounced mandr (see Noreen, p. 526).

[7. Old Norse and Old Danish.]

Not until the year 1,000, or the beginning of the 11th Century, do dialectal differentiations seem to be fully developed. O. N., which in general preserves best the characteristics of the old Northern speech, undergoes at this time a few changes that differentiate Dan. and Norse still more. O. Sw. remains throughout closer to O. Dan. The two together are therefore called East Scandinavian. Old Icelandic, that is, Norse on Icelandic soil, develops its own forms, remaining, however, in the main very similar to O. N. These two are then called West Scandinavian. The following are some of the chief differences between West and East Scandinavian at the time (from Noreen, P. G.2 I, 527):

1. I—(R) and U—Umlaut in W. S.
Absence ofit in E. S., e.g.,

W. S. hældr
3 sg. pres. of halda, "to hold."
W. S. i gær, "yesterday,"
W. S. lǫnd, pl. "land,"
E. S. halder.

E. S. i gar.
E. S. land.

2. Development of i, e, y into a consonantali in diphthongs in W. S.,
not so in E. S., e.g.,

W. S. siá, "to see,"
W. S. fiánde, "enemy,"
W. S. biár, "of a village,"
E. S. sēa.
E. S. fiande.
E. S. býar.

3. Assimilation of mp, nk, nt, respectively,to pp, kk, tt in W. S.,
retention of them in E. S., e.g.,

W. S. kroppen, "crippled,"
W. S. ækkia, "widow,"
W. S. batt, "bound,"
pret. of binda,
E. S. krumpin.
E. S. ankia.
E. S. binda.

4. The Medio-passive:

W. S. sk, e.g., kallask,
E. S. s, kallas.

5. Pronominal forms:

W. S. ek, vér (mér), ér (þer), sem,
E. S. iak, vīr, īr, sum.