tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post2790320147204114566..comments2024-03-20T03:33:22.357-07:00Comments on Skeptophilia: Runes in MaineGordon Bonnethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06003472005971594466noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4307187040250193857.post-50981847746071102102018-01-07T16:18:33.279-08:002018-01-07T16:18:33.279-08:00Einar Haugen was indeed a noted scholar and did so...Einar Haugen was indeed a noted scholar and did solid work, but he also had a side of him that was not fully pleasant. When I was an undergrad at Luther College many years ago going for an illustrious degree in Scandinavian Studies, I had some questions. My professor had been his student and since my thesis was on American Norwegian dialects (not fully her area of study) she said give Einar a call at Harvard. I read up on the subject more (I had already read through his books at least once already) but still had some lingering questions as I did my field work with immigrants and 2nd-3rd generation Norwegian-Americans. He was cordial when he answered. We spoke in Norwegian. At one point he felt perhaps I had not done my research to his standards (and he may have been right) and simply said these answers are in my books. Then he turned the tables and asked where I had learned Norwegian. I did say I had studied there, but had grown up speaking Norwegian in North Central Iowa. His reply "Impossible! I was in that area doing research in the 1950s and it was all but dead." I replied "I'm sorry, but that is not the case but perhaps they did not know where to look." That did not go over well as he thought his credentials should get all to open themselves to his research. He went down a notch in my book at that point. (especially among the more pious Norwegians a "scientist" trying to judge them at any level was met with silence...let them think what they want)... So although he may indeed be right about the Kensington and Spirit Pond stones, he was not infallible. motstraumenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08675535580756928908noreply@blogger.com