Languages are so interesting and I agree with Kristijan - English being a simple language. Especially American English is very straight forward. However, the spelling makes no sence sometimes. I know the latest Swedish spelling reform was introduced 1906. As far as I know English spelling has never been formally reformed
Scandinavian languages are very similar to English, even if they belong to the Germanic group. Especially Scottish dialects have many words in common with Swedish. Bern (child) for example is “barn” in Swedish.
I found a Christmas song with English subtitles on Youtube. If you are bored and want distraction you can learn some Swedish watching it. Since you already know some German it should be a piece of cake
I am glad you moved this here JO. I enjoy discussing things like this. When I went to Middle and high school in the early 1960’s everyone was still required to take a second language. Choices, spanish, french, german or latin. I don’t know why or when this was abandoned. Kind of makes Americans dumbed down compared to the majority of people in the world. I didn’t realize that English was considered a easier language to learn since so few native english speakers do it well. As I said, I took 4 years of German in school and could write it and carry on a conversation. My Grandfather still spoke Norwegian and my Grandmother Danish and my German seldom allowed me to make total sense when they were speaking it but they seemed to have learned each others native tongue fairly easily. The ones that really baffle me is the folks that use a cyrillic alphabet and yet have adapted to use the same one in use in our parts of the world. Or Japanese, Chinese or all the Asian languages using forms of pictographs. You would have to retrain your brain to jump from one alphabet to another. Who remembers Esperanto. The Wonderful Horrible History of Esperanto, the Universal Language - Owlcation. I put a little effort into it when I was young but it didn’t seem to be a good use of my time. I doubt many people are interested in these musings but I am still pleasantly surprised by how so many can use my language so well. I believe I do you a disservice by not being able to reciprocate.
In dutch you can find some/ a lot of Scandinavian words. Probably something to do with the Vikings and so.
And I wanted to reply on Kristijan. Slavic language is very hard indeed. I dont even try. I can order my beer and that is it. Tone posted two videos, I think in Servo-Croatic? Only a little was understandable for me.
And a friend of mine did his stage ( the right word?) in Germany. After a few months one wouldnt see the difference between a local and him. Next practice was French. The same story. Then on a holliday to Spain with a mutual friend. The other guy took a Spanish course. And guess what? He did better. The next step was the Czech Republic. Stayed there for one year and didnt manage…
And dont talk about Cyrillic. We got lost on Kreta once and my wife should understand the signs. The good part is that Kreta is an island, otherwise we would end up in China or so.
Yes, Norwegian, Danish and Swedish are close to dialects of the same language. I sometimes have more trouble understanding eldery people in villages only 10-15 miles from here, compared to news standard Norwegian or Danish.
Agree. Beyond my comprehension.
And the other way around of course. Lot’s of immigrants from mainand Europe for hundereds of years brought part of their languages here as well.
Managing English and a some German in addition to my own language, I can pick up maybe 25-50% of your mother tounge, if written.
As far as know Cyrillic is completly different to the Greek alphabet. No surprice you got lost
This thread has been a great way to spend the morning, I’m your typical uncultured American that can’t speak any other languages but it is fascinating to me, especially the Slavic/Nordic speak where my ancestors were from. I know I have swedish danish and Norwegian and Blackfoot Indian lineage but that’s all I know
I believe Cyrillic is adapted from Greek but modified for the extra syllables that Slavonic languages had. Started as a written church language I think.
I can kinda understand all Slavic languages, but spelling and writing correctly is a nother thing. To tell the truth most native people cant either
Joep, belive it or not, you still have it easy with Bosnian. Compared to Slovene, its much simpler. Specialy the spelling.
In adition, most languages have single and plural form. Only us and l belive one African language also have a dual form.
When l sayd that English is super easy, this is what l ment. Let me show you guys an example and a reason never to learn Slovene
Lets take the word Mother. In English, no matter how the sentence is formed, the word is always Mother or plural, mothers. With mother, about mother, from mother… In Slovene, it has this many forms, depending on context.
Me and JO found something interesting while we were in the US. Althugh both of us know English rather well, the pronouciation is what caused us both extreme effort. But the real interesting thing is we have no problem speaking English in a Scotish accent go figure…
To our ears Scottish speak with a “lilt”, a smoothed cadence. Like cursive writing.
German is choppy sounding, even harsh, even if spoken by a beautiful woman.
And I’ve been told my American English accent sounds like someone speaking with a hot potato in their mouth. Heavy American accents surely butcher French.
So maybe the cadence of Scots more matches your original languages delivery??
My only two years of school German ruined me when I wanted to speak Dutch.
I learned to just smile a lot. Write out what was critical.
Learning school Spanish would have been a lot more useful here. Then the speakers to learn it better and keep it useable.
S.U.
I saw a youtube of some young, Preteen, girl that spoke something like 15 languages including Icelandic and Hindi and mandarin. Languages which have no relationship to one another.
I think if you were in the South you wouldn’t have a hard time being understood. At least in the mountain areas like me and Wayne and the North family. We still have a little bit of the Scots and Irish speech patterns around here.
I don’t have a hard time understanding your English in your videos, and JO sounds like someone from a bit further west of me with the heavy drawl.
Very well possible. Dutch (and half of Belgium) and German language are not to different, but we miss the deutsche gründlichkeit. We are just doing something.
Cody, mostly because I need time to think but also time to adjust muscles in the mouth to be able to produce strange sounds In reality I’m extreemly lively
Steve, thats true. Both Kristijan and I normally use rolling tung-tip R and more of a staccato language. I think even Spanish would fit us better. Producing Am English is like trying to write with your left hand
Maybe that’s another reason why I don’t have a problem understanding y’all. I learned to roll my Rs pretty young.
One thing odd about Southern English is we will just forget an R exist and it almost sounds like an Ah. Then we remember that letter exists and the R is even more pronounced.
Then again when I was little I didnt communicate in words, I made animal sounds to tell my parents what I wanted. Mooed like a cow when I wanted milk, I used to call milk “mook” for a long time after I started actually speaking. I’ve always had a talent for emulating accents.
TomH,
We’ve never met, but I feel I know you some. As I understand it other cultures interest you, you enjoy looking at maps, compare languages and you like to kill time during winter.
A vlogger I like to follow from time to time is “Bald and bankrupt”. He’s English and fascinated by anything old Soviet. He travels through former Soviet states and video everything he may encounter. Very interesting. This is his latest vlog.
Thanks JO. I will enjoy watching these. What I find most interesting about the old Soviet states is how creative the people are and how quickly they were able to adapt and overcome the hardships when the supply lines went down. The vast majority of people in the US will not be able to do the same. Easy living has pretty much neutered them. Even the average natural disaster has them crying and waiting for the government to rescue them. I raised five children, all in their forties and fifties now and not one of them knows how to plant or repair their cars. I taught them all and now they claim to not remember any of it. If it’s not something techno they have no interest. Maybe when there is absolutely no other choice, memory will kick it and these things will come back to them.
Last night before sleep Youtube caught me.
Maybe I already put this video up once before. Don’t remember.
Anyway, it’s about the complexity of the English language and the kind of effort we forigners have put down to wrap our heads around all the twinks.
This Finn is really funny.
It’s interesting what he talks about, the use of Ass for hyphenating an adverb or adjective I think was people over pronouncing “as” and not finishing
“Dumb as a sack of hammers” for example.
“Slow as a turtle”
Badass used to mean someone who was wreckless and rebellious, a Bad Ass(stubborn/bad donkey). It eventually just meant someone tough, dad likes to call people derisively “Billy Badass”.
go figure…
