Övdalian or Elfdalian (Elfdalian: övdalsk or övdalską, pronounced [ˈœvdɐlskãː]; Swedish: älvdalska or älvdalsmål) is a North Germanic language spoken by around 3,000 people who live or have grown up in the locality of Älvdalen (Övdaln), in the southeast of Älvdalen Municipality in northern Dalarna, Sweden.
Like all other modern North Germanic languages, Övdalian developed from Old Norse, a North Germanic language spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlements during the Viking Age until about 1350. Övdalian developed in relative isolation since the Middle Ages and is considered to have remained closer to Old Norse than the other Dalecarlian dialects.
