As a guest post.
You have been looking towards the Scandinavian languages for a long time, and now you have decided. But is Swedish really the best choice? In this article you will find answers to your pressing questions:
- Which Scandinavian language is cooler, easier/more interesting/more practical?
- What benefits does knowing English/Russian give when learning Swedish?
- What's interesting about the Swedish language?
Which Scandinavian language should you choose?
Swedish, Norwegian and Danish are very close to each other - perhaps about the same as Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian.
They also have a lot in common with Icelandic, but Icelandic is much closer to Old Norse. (Let me remind you that Finnish language stands apart because belongs to another language group).
1. By the amount of resources Swedish is the best choice. There is noticeably less material on Norwegian and Danish, and things are even worse with Icelandic.
2. By number of carriers Swedish is ahead again! There are twice as many native speakers of Swedish as there are Norwegian and Danish speakers (10 million versus 5.6 and 5 million). Icelandic stands modestly on the sidelines - it is spoken by only 300 thousand native speakers.
3. By pronunciation Swedish and Norwegian are about on par - both are tonal languages, but don't be afraid of that. Mastery of tonic stress will make your pronunciation more beautiful and natural, but I would say that in context it does not play a decisive role. This is not Chinese with its super-important tone system.
But Danish pronunciation is a real stumbling block for beginners. Firstly, the Danes do not pronounce words clearly (“as if they speak with a potato in their mouth,” as the Swedes and Norwegians like to joke – their pronunciation is clear!).
Secondly, in Danish the spelling and pronunciation of words are very different (just like in English!). But in Swedish and Norwegian, the reading rules are much simpler.
4. Grammar Norwegian and Danish are easier than Swedish. The Swedish language has retained archaic forms of endings. Icelandic is the most complex of them (what do you want? It’s practically Old Norse!)
5. C vocabulary everything is very interesting. Danish and Norwegian have the most English loanwords. Swedish is more original in this regard, although it has some things in common with English words still a lot. Icelandic, of course, is far from everyone else.
But if you study Norwegian, then you get the key to Swedish through spoken Norwegian, and to Danish through written Norwegian. Yes, spoken and written Norwegian are very different, they are practically two dialects.
6. Dialects exists in Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish. However, in Norwegian you are required to learn at least two - the spoken and written languages. In Swedish, you learn “standard Swedish” and don’t worry about it until you have to go somewhere out in the countryside. Or in Skåne:) the Skåne dialect sounds similar to Danish (not very beautiful and difficult to understand), and the Swedes do not like it.
Of course, when you learn a language for love, you don’t think about all these practical issues :) but it’s still nice to know that Swedish is a good choice: a lot of materials, melodic pronunciation, the language itself is not very complicated...
Is it easy to learn Swedish?
Spoiler: Swedish is not very difficult. But for a beginner in foreign languages, any chosen language will seem difficult. First, the brain rewires itself, asking stupid questions like “why do they have such stupid grammar/pronunciation?”
But all these are just illusions. Swedish is not at all complex compared to Romance languages, in which verbs have 5-6 different endings in EACH tense.
If you know English, you can easily take fast start in Swedish. (And a German base means you already know a bunch of words in Swedish).
From the experience of my students, I can say that by studying at least 5 hours a week, after 4-6 months you will feel tangible results. If you have an English base and good memory, then noticeable progress will be in 3-4 months.
How is English useful for beginners in Swedish?
1. Access to a lot of resources and materials;
2. Many words are easy to remember because they are similar to English ( l å ng – long , r ö d – red , fotball – football , etc.);
3. understanding the logic of articles (though there are more articles in Swedish);
4. understanding of the tense system (general logic, but Swedish tenses are only 5).
Let me add that in Swedish questions are easier to construct– unlike English, no auxiliary verbs are needed!
And here endings are more difficult than in English. Adjectives have three forms, i.e. three types of endings (for example, beautiful - beautiful - beautiful: vacker – vackert – vackra ).
U plural nouns 4 types of endings + no ending (yes, this is also a plural option). There are also some exception forms.
Some people will find this difficult, while others will find it difficult. interesting feature Swedish For me, these endings add charm to the Swedish language. It's nice to know that these pieces of antiquity that Norwegian and Danish lost still live in modern Swedish.
What bonuses does knowing Russian give when learning Swedish?
Don't be upset if you don't know English. Even your native Russian will help you learn Swedish!
1. Swedish pronunciation is easier for Russian speakers than for American-English speakers. Look at the following sounds:
- Very similar to Russian [sch]:tj ej, ky ssa, ki nesiska, k ö k
- Not as soft as Russian [l], but quite close: vill, kall, leva, följa
- Much closer to Russian [R] than to English [r]: bra, var, rod
2. The stress in borrowed words often coincides with Russian:
Apoték, biblioték, universitét, Amérika, teáter
Mámma, páppa, seriös, regissör, choklád
3. There are many words in Swedish that sound and are written almost like Russian ones! Of course, there are many fewer parallels between them than between Swedish and English, but it’s still very nice that our languages have similar words. Here are some common ones with approximate pronunciation:
telefon[phone]
kontor[contour] – office, “office”
problem[problem]
university[univeshitet]
culture[culture]
literatur[literatures]
kurs[kush]
doctor[doctor]
läkare[lekare] – doctor
chef[chef]
stol[chair]
kofta
tallrik- plate
tårta[cake]
smak- taste, “relish”
package– pack, parcel (cf. “package”)
tablett– tablet
chances[chance]
hotell[hutel]
style[style]
maskin[machines] – machine (washing, dishwasher, etc.)
choklad[shuklad] - chocolate
fest– holiday, party (cf. “festival”)
gäst[yest] – guest
flaska[flask] – bottle (cf. “flask”)
4. Some set expressions translated in the same way in Russian and Swedish (and with English translation do not match!):
- björntjänst(“bear + favor”) = disservice
- hungrig som en varg= hungry as wolf (cf. English)hungry as a hunter )
- å ena sidan / å andra sidan= on one side / on the other side (cf. English more distant version:on one hand / on the other hand "on one hand / on the other hand")
- Att vänstra- “go left” ( vänster – left)
5. Russian and Swedish have amazing similarities in word formation!
- Reflexive suffix -sya/-s(not available in English):
Feel – feel Xia= känna – känna s
Hug – hug Xia= krama – krama s
Kiss - kiss Xia= kyssa - kyssa s
Meet – meet Xia= träffa – träffa s (Alsomö ta – mö ta s )
Decide - decide Xia= lösa – lösa s, and etc.
- Some words with prefixes are a mirror image of Russian ones:
Prev put = before+ put
Fore ställa = fore+ ställa
Explain ～ make clear, elucidate
Fö r klara = för + klara
Accustom / get used to = with + learn
Vänja (någon) vid(vid = y, at)
Wean / unlearn = from + teach
Vanja av(av = from, from)
Swedish interesting things
You and I smoothly moved from discussing bonuses from a Russian background to interesting features in the Swedish language. Do you want more? :)
1. In Swedish there are a lot of long compound words that are funnily taken apart:
Telefonsamtal(phone+talk) = telephone conversation
iskall(ice + cold) = icy
Morgonskaffe(morning+coffee) = morning coffee
DRomkvinna(dream+woman) = ideal woman
Tjuvlyssna(thief+listen) = eavesdrop
Stensä ker(stone+confident) = reinforced concrete confidence
Solklar(sun + clear) = clear as day
2. Swedish has a wonderful suffix -is. It makes words sound nice, dismissive, or simply informal:
Baby (from English) – baby/ bä bis(Baby)
Gratulerar (congratulations) – grattis(congratulations; lit. “congratulations”)
Tjock (thick) – tjockis(fat man, fat woman)
Känd (famous) – kä ndis(celebrity), etc.
3. Swedish has more flexible word order than English. It is not as free as in Russian, but it gives room for experimentation:
Jag har köpt den ringen för dig.– I bought this ring for you.
Den ringen har jag köpt för dig.- I bought this ring for you.
För dig har jag köpt den ringen.- I bought this ring for you.
Swedish society is considered one of the most prosperous in the world. High quality of life and significant level of development human potential achieved thanks to complex political system, which has been created over the past two centuries. Having gained invaluable experience of defeats in major international conflicts, the kingdom was forced to focus on developing its own economy and building an open, fair society.
Sweden: capital, head of state, official language
The largest is Stockholm. Since its founding at the beginning of the 12th century, Stockholm immediately established itself as a major economic center in Northern Europe. Today, the Swedish capital continues to position itself as the capital of all Scandinavia, attracting a large number of tourists from all over the world.
Stockholm is home to the residence of the monarch, the country's parliament and the Academy of Sciences, whose members select candidates for the award. Nobel Prize. The Nobel Committee also meets in the capital.
Sweden, official language which is Swedish, nevertheless recognizes the right to use its own languages in everyday activities. Languages officially recognized by the Swedish government include Sami, Meänkieli, Finnish, Romani and Yiddish.
The northernmost region of Sweden, Norrbotten, is home to Sami and Finnish people who speak Meänkieli and Finnish. It is in this region that the use of indigenous languages is allowed in official institutions such as kindergartens, nursing homes and schools.
The official language of Sweden is related to Danish and Norwegian. However, despite the very similar grammatical systems and great resemblance V vocabulary, understanding is often difficult due to phonetic differences, especially with the Danish language.
English-speaking Sweden
The capital of Sweden, whose official language is Swedish, is almost entirely English-speaking. This is due to high level teaching foreign languages in public schools, and also with the fact that many Swedish TV channels broadcast on English language with Swedish subtitles. The same applies to foreign films shown in cinemas. Most distributors simply do not dub films, but provide them with subtitles.
This scheme allows you not only to save money on voice acting, but also provides an opportunity for constant practice in a foreign language.
Sweden: state language as a source of pride
The Swedes are very pragmatic about their language and do not consider it necessary to specifically control its natural development. Unlike France or Iceland, where special state institutions monitor how the language is used, in Sweden the Language Council does not engage in formal control, although it is funded by the government.
This may be due to the fact that Swedish is the most spoken language in northern Europe after all, it is spoken by more than nine million people. However, already in neighboring Finland the Swedish language is being looked after by the official Research institute languages of Finland, where Swedish is the second official language and is recognized by the vast majority of Finnish citizens as an integral part of national culture. It is worth noting that in the Kingdom of Sweden the state language is not named in the Constitution and has no official status, but de facto all citizens speak it.
The monarch is a symbol of the state
The head of state and national symbol is the monarch. The current Charles XVl Gustav of the Bernadotte dynasty ascended the throne in 1973. Meanwhile, the dynasty to which the ruling monarch belongs established itself in the country in 1818, and its founder was Napoleonic Marshal Bernadotte, who was Napoleon Bonaparte’s faithful companion for many years in the most difficult military campaigns.
The Swedish monarchical tradition is considered one of the oldest in Europe. The first monarchs whose existence is reliably known ruled in the Swedish lands back in the 5th century.
The Kingdom of Sweden, whose official language is one of official languages The European Union makes a great contribution not only to the European economy, but significantly enriches the culture of Europe. For example, the famous Finnish writer Tove Jansson wrote her popular books in Swedish.
Good afternoon friends!
Have you ever wondered what the language is in Sweden? If you are now thinking to yourself “of course, Swedish, it’s obvious,” then I will disappoint you. “Swedish” is just one of many. So, let's take a short linguistic walk through Scandinavia.
From this article you will learn:
Sweden and Swedish
Yes, indeed, Swedish is the official language of the Kingdom of Sweden, but not the only one. Modern Swedish is a mixture of many dialects spread across the country. It is also called “standard Swedish”. The radio broadcasts on it, newscasters read the news on it, and it is studied in schools.
Modern, or standard, is influenced by many dialects. divided into many small regions. Each of them can boast of something of their own in this regard. Somewhere there is a special pronunciation, completely different words, greetings, names of dishes, etc.
The language is constantly being improved. It has a rather complex linguistic basis and phonetics. It just seems that Swedish sounds like German. This is a completely different pronunciation, and Germans have difficulty understanding Swedes. And vice versa.
So, if you know German, don’t rush to rejoice. Stockholm is unlikely to understand you.
Only since 2006 has the letter W been added to the official alphabet. Previously, it was only used for foreign words. Instead there was a V. As time went on, the rules changed. People increasingly used W to write old words instead of V. The decision was made to add a new letter to the alphabet.
By the way, only 90% of the population recognizes the state Swedish as their native language. Others still use adverbs to this day.
4 main dialects
There are 4 main groups:
Elfdalian
Elfdalian is the largest group. It includes a lot of small adverbs and dialects. Previously, the language was widespread throughout the territory of Dalarne, the commune of Älvdalen.
Elfdalian contains many archaisms and has complex grammar and pronunciation. Today very few people know him well. The Swedish scientific community has written a petition to protect the language. Perhaps in a few decades he will be completely forgotten.
Gutnian
Gutnic is widespread throughout Gotland and Fårö. Derived from an ancient dialect, it was used by the first Scandinavians. It is complex, but is now used more simple form. Ancient Gutnian is known by 5-10 thousand people.
Jämtland
Jämtlandic is widely used throughout Jämtland. But they know him in small towns and villages. Linguists are still arguing - is the origin of this dialect Swedish or Norwegian? A long time ago there were no modern borders.
The kings captured territories, then wars broke out again, cities and entire regions changed their owners. Now it is difficult to understand what the roots of this dialect are.
Skansky
Skane is centered in Skåne. The language has strong Danish roots. The old form has long been forgotten. But it gave the basis to a mass of small dialects. I'm not sure that the people of Stockholm will be able to fully understand someone who speaks the Scan dialect well.
Of course, which official language does not have dialects? Let me explain why so much has been preserved here. different options. Here in the North, people lived very separated. Very often settlements appeared in hard to reach places. There, the local dialect persisted for a particularly long time.
An important component here is the tribal system, which has existed since ancient times throughout the territory of modern Sweden. There were many small and large kingdoms here. Each of them was proud of its own alphabet, a variant of the dialect. Nobody wants to give up their own past. On the other hand, this is even good.
Other languages of Sweden
In addition, there are minority languages: Finnish, Meänkieli. They are spoken mainly by emigrants. After 1995-1996, Sweden received many refugees and migrants from Bosnia, Serbia and Croatia. Even today it is a popular migration destination. The concentration of Serbo-Croatian speakers is quite high.
Thinking about moving to Sweden? Then you just need to learn Swedish. There is a ton of material to learn on the Speakasap website. They also organize convenient classes via Skype. This way it won't be difficult to learn.
Subscribe to site updates and you will receive, completely free of charge, an excellent basic phrasebook in three languages, English, German and French. Its main advantage is that there is Russian transcription, so even without knowing the language, you can easily master colloquial phrases.
I was with you, Natalya Glukhova, I wish you a good day!
They live in the kingdom, autonomous areas and all over the world. Swedish is the only official language in the country, and the vast majority of the kingdom’s inhabitants recognize it as their native language.
Some statistics and facts
- Swedish is the most widely spoken language among all countries.
- Swedes feel a sense of preservation of their own language due to the country's homogeneity in ethnic and religious aspects. It has dominated over the last several centuries of the state's history.
- The national language of Sweden is the second official language and is spoken by about 6% of the total Finnish population.
- The most famous Finnish writer Tove Jansson created her fairy tales in Swedish.
- The Swedish language serves as one of the official languages of the European Union.
- There is a village called Staroshvedskoe, founded by the Swedes. Coming from the Baltic territories at the beginning of the 18th century, they still speak their native language.
History and modernity
The only official language of Sweden came from Old Norse, which was also used by the majority of the inhabitants of the current and. The Vikings spread it throughout the north, and only at the beginning of the 11th century did Old Norse begin to branch into Swedish, Norwegian and Danish.
There are many dialects of the Swedish language in use throughout the kingdom, and some of them, used in the rural hinterland, may not be understandable to most other Swedes. Total number dialects can number several hundred, if we take into account the peculiarities of speech of each rural community.
Note to tourists
Swedish schools actively teach foreign languages and most young people, especially in major cities, have sufficient command of English, German or Italian. In this sense, foreign tourists in Sweden should not fear the possibility of being misunderstood. English-speaking staff are required in every restaurant or hotel, and on excursions to attractions, guests are always given the opportunity to use the services of a guide, at least in English.
Maps with directions to important sites in English are available at tourist information centers in and other cities. English-language traffic patterns public transport They are also offered at hotel reception desks.
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