ABSTRACT
This chapter brings into focus how English has manifested historically and led up to the contemporary Nordic setting. While Chapter 1 laid out some purposes for exploring the theme of the English language in the Nordic countries, and Chapter 2 described the tensions and interplays of cultures and languages, Chapter 3 offers an account of how English came to hold such a prominent position in the region, laying a foundation for the social and linguistic outcomes that are in place because of these phenomena. The chapter looks at contact between the languages of the Nordic countries and English through two main perspectives: moving outward from the Nordic countries, which has been the main direction of contact prior to the contemporary era, compared with contact phenomena moving inward toward the Nordic countries.
