Language | ny2no

29
Jul
2019

Moving to Norway, Part 1

Unlike many expats moving to a foreign country, I have several advantages. First off: I can speak the language. Sure, my grammar isn’t perfect and my vocabulary isn’t that diverse, but I can participate in and have conversations with others, properly express my feelings, thoughts, and opinions, get help when necessary, and even try to help others. I can follow most conversations around me, so long as it isn’t too loud and too many things aren’t happening simultaneously, or there isn’t a heavy use of dialect or slang.

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22
Jan
2017

Norwegian Language Resources, Part 1

categories: Language

Introduction to Norwegian from FutureLearn’s website.

I’m planning on making a multi-post series about this, but today I’m going to talk about the program currently going on at University of Oslo for free introduction to Norwegian classes!

They are working through a program online called FutureLearn, which offers free online educational courses. I’ve just begun the University of Oslo course and completed week 1, and I can say it’s an exceptionally unique and interesting way to begin. At the end of the courses, you are allowed to purchase certificates of your qualifications and achievements through FutureLearn.

The course, so far, has been a lot of fun. It is divided up into 4 weeks, where you have 2 days of study per week (but really, you can do it all at once.) The main format of learning is videos, where you are introduced to foreign students in Oslo meeting each other for the first time. It progresses like a story from there, where you learn more about each “character” and begin to learn the language through their interactions. There are then videos where they introduce pronunciation, repetition, and other things that are a little bit more difficult to introduce through exciting videos, like the alphabet and counting. However, all of it is really well done. The videos have subtitles available both in English and Norwegian, so once you begin to understand, you can switch to Norwegian to get a good feel for how the words are pronounced. Additionally, they offer downloadable PDF transcripts of the videos in Norwegian, and word list downloads for the relevant words.

So far, it’s been a great class, and I’m looking forward to next week. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in learning Norwegian, and the FutureLearn platform seems pretty great as well!

25
Dec
2016

Embarrassing Language Mistakes, Part I

categories: Language

Today I have a little blurb update about embarrassing little mistakes in Norwegian. I’ve made two ones that have amused me enough to not traumatize me into suppressing the memory of them, so here’s part one…
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16
Dec
2016

Why I’m Learning Norwegian

categories: Language, Norway

Sharing the story of the most common question that I’m asked, because I find it really amusing.

Why are you learning Norwegian?

For over 10 years now, I’ve been friends online with someone who I played video games with. We met up about 7 years ago, when he visited NYC. We met up again last March, and when he showed me the photos from his hometown, it looked like a fairy tale. I was looking for a trip to take after I graduated, and I knew I needed to go there.

Jokingly, when we were hanging out in NYC and out one night, he said “You really should learn Norwegian so we can talk shit about people behind their backs.” He then taught me my first word in Norwegian: “Fæn.” (“Fæn” kinda means “fuck,” but really “devil,” as it is a derivative of “fanden,” which is “The Devil” or “Satan.”) After he left, I started learning a little bit, just to mess with him. A few words here and there. Eventually I left for Norway and had so many wonderful experiences there that changed my life.

While I was there, I fell in love with the language and all of its different sounds and the massive variety of dialects I came across. It was utterly amazing and beautiful to me. When I got home, I began trying to actually learn, because before I was just slacking off and learning a few words. Unlike the little bit of Spanish I took in school, I enjoyed studying it. It was fun and challenging. It made my brain work. I drew connections and learned new things about language that I didn’t realize were related before. Fascinated by the differences and the similarities of the intricacies between the languages, I continued my learning, vowing that I’d continue to do it so long as I found it interesting.

I found I progressed fairly quickly because of how much I was enjoying learning it, especially for someone who was teaching myself and not taking a class or anything. I found myself going from understanding one word in a group text conversation, to understanding the gist of the conversation, to understanding most of it. Spoken word is different entirely. I still struggle. I have a strong American accent when I speak. I’ve gotten better, so long as it’s spoken slowly and clearly and with simple words (and not in an impossible to understand dialect!) But I’m still learning because it’s fun, and because I hope, someday not too far off into the future, I can live in Norway.

Category: Language