As England braces for Haaland, can we claim his name?
Linguists are exploring the shared Old Norse and Old English roots of the surname 'Haaland' ahead of a major football match between England and Norway. The analysis highlights the historical linguistic influence of Vikings on Northern English dialects.
Why it matters
This cultural piece provides historical context to modern sports rivalries and demonstrates the deep-seated linguistic connections between European nations.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, The ancestry of the name Haaland, which means high land in Norwegian, is shared between Old Norse and Old English
Right now, Haaland is a name that strikes fear into the heart of every England fan.
But the very Scandinavian sounding surname of Norway's formidable striker Erling may be more English than we realise.
The ancestry of the name, which means "high land" in Norwegian, is shared between Old Norse and Old English according to Prof Richard Dance at the University of Cambridge.
Speaking ahead of England's World Cup quarter-final against Norway, he said the two languages were "very similar", while much of the modern English spoken in the North owed its roots to Haaland's ancestors – the Vikings.
Dance said Haaland sounded so similar to "high land" in English because the Old Norse and Old English originated from the same ancestral language.
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