Learning Norwegian From English

[Astrea Busbin]

Well, to some extent yes, but not entirely. Almost everyone has had English at school, but not everyone feels comfortable with speaking it. You will soon notice that this is the case among people of all ages.

It is greatly appreciated if you are able to speak at least some Norwegian. It is a way of showing respect for the country and the culture. In a situation where different people meet, they may speak English to you, but Norwegian with each other. However, if you do understand the language, you will be able to engage in social life to a much larger extent.

If you live in Norway, learning the language will help you a lot in your everyday life. Many explanations are given only in Norwegian, and Google Translate cannot always help you properly. On the other hand, if you do speak the language, you will understand signs, messages and official letters without having to ask anyone for help. You will also find it easier to make friends and build up a social life if you live in Norway. In addition, it is a great advantage when applying for a job. So yes, learning how to speak Norwegian can be very helpful.

With the necessary will and effort, people from Norway, Sweden and Denmark can understand each other pretty well. If you travel much across Scandinavia, learning just one of the languages is probably the most practical option.

With the right approach to learning, Norwegian can serve as a Scandinavian bridge language. However, it will be important to discuss you needs with your teacher for further advice, and to develop the right approach to study.

For English-speaking people, Norwegian is easier than many other languages. There are a few similarities to English in vocabulary, and in other traits of the language as well, including some of the grammar and sentence structure. However, like with any language, you will need to spend time and energy in order to learn Norwegian well.

The various dialects of Norwegian do pose a challenge for a Norwegian learner. Many non-native speakers find this regional variation frustrating, but most of them learn how to deal with it. For daily communication, learning to speak Norwegian Bokml is sufficient, even in areas where a dialect is widely spoken.

LinkedIn and 3rd parties use essential and non-essential cookies to provide, secure, analyze and improve our Services, and to show you relevant ads (including professional and job ads) on and off LinkedIn. Learn more in our Cookie Policy.

Norway is one of the countries in the world with the highest level of English language proficiency in the world (among countries where English is not a native language). This can be very helpful and practical for foreigners who speak English when either visiting, or in the initial stages after moving here. But, this also has a flipside. In order to work in Norway, you in general need to master the Norwegian language. The only way to master a foreign language is to practice it, but foreigners often find that this is not as easy as they thought it would be, exactly because of the English skills of the locals. I often hear foreign friends complain that Norwegians will talk to them in Norwegian for a short while, but then inevitably switch to English at the slightest slowdown of the conversation, In fact, foreigners who arrive here with a low level of English (or none) actually have an advantage in this situation, since their level of Norwegian will quickly surpass that of their English. Norwegian will then see Norwegian as the most natural language to talk to them in, and they will get a lot more practice opportunites than their immigrant colleagues who speak English fluently.

So, what can we do about this? "We" here being both foreigners and locals. How can we make it easier for English-speaking foreigners to get the practice they need to master Norwegian? As someone who myself speak several languages and having learned a foreign language (Russian) to a high level of compentcy as an adult, and also having a lot of foreign friends, this is something that greatly interest me. To provide some answers, we will introduce the concept of "Relationship Language". This concept is something that comes from research in applied psychology on "inter-lingual" couples, i.e. couples who do not share a native language. What research has found, is that even though these couples may have several fluent or high-level languages in common, or that one of the members of the couple might later learn the native language of the other, couples will stick to using the language they used between themselves when they first met. This is because language is highly linked to both culture and personality. It's not just simply a tool for communication. One you get to a certain level in a language, you switch from translating your thoughts from your native language to actually thinking in the foreign language. And you thus develop a slightly seperate "personality" for that language that is both based on the culture of the language and your experiences while using it. If you ask someone in an inter-lingual couple how it would be to speak to their partner in a different language (that they actually both know well, or are even fluent in), you usually get the answer that it would feel "weird". Again, because language is so linked to culture and personality, this weirdness usually stems from that neither you nor your partner are exactly "the same people" when using a different language. Even though you would technically still be able to convey the same "objective information content" in it, it still would FEEL differently.

So, what practical implications does this have for language learning in general? Even though this research is originally from romantic relationships, it carries an important lesson for those who want to speak with locals in the local language: you can generally NOT expect friends whom you have gotten to know while speaking English to switch totally to speaking Norwegian with you, for the same reasons as mentioned. This is something that is very much overlooked in my opinion. Given that premise, here are my "pro tips" for both foreigners and locals to help foreigners practice Norwegian more effectively:

Grammar includes the building blocks for anyone aiming to learn a new language like Norwegian, while the pronunciation ensures, that what you have learned also will be understood when you communicate.

Norsklrer Karense is an excellent YouTube channel. But it's not easy to find and only for the initiated as the teacher uses the Norwegian letter in the name for the channel, making exact searches difficult.

Yet, she still has managed to gather 100.000 followers and not without reason. Karense has specialized in explaining even the most difficult and mindboggling exceptions of Norwegian grammar and presents them in a clear and plausible matter.

If you've ever wondered how prepositions are used, adjectives are conjugated and prefixes are applied in Norwegian, she surely will have a video answering your question. The channel is still going strong and is frequently updated.

Besides, the channel has a very charming section with street interviews where Norwegian passersby are asked questions about their perception on foreigners, food, taboos etc. The answers are given in Norwegian with English subtitles.

Karin seemingly started this channel in 2006 to teach the Norwegian language to an unsuspecting audience. But since it has developed into a treasure trove of both irreverent and relevant information about life in Norway.

Each video lasts between five and ten minutes. The focus is on fundamentals like the Norwegian alphabet, numbers, colours etc. And presents a good introduction to anyone who is not quite sure yet what learning Norwegian really might involve.

Also intermediate learners and to a certain extent advanced Norwegian language speakers will struggle, as the stories weren't initially written to teach the language, but to tell a story to people who are already proficient in Norwegian.

This channel combines drawings and slowly spoken Norwegian to give language learners a connection between the visual and the verbal. The videos are available in a slowly and a quickly spoken version.

As the videos in the beginner section are only between one and five minutes long, you can finish the beginner listening session within only a couple of hours. And you'll find the advanced learner category far too difficult to continue with.

Teaching is mostly in form of dialogue accompanied with pictures. The dialogue subsequently is repeated with English and Norwegian subtitles. There are altogether 5 playlists aimed solely at listening skills:

Their organisation of the various playlists can be somewhat confusing. But if you're looking for just a few entertaining titbits of Norwegian everyday life, you're bound to find something on this channel.

The mother of two uses her phone camera to explore her hometown from the seaside and the inner city to the nearby mountains and suburban party circuit. Her particular focus is on Norwegian art and museums.

At the moment, however, American twenty-something Quentin sticks to his social media presence where he talks about culture shocks and raising a young family on a shoestring budget somewhere in the Norwegian outback.

Viewers also are advised to look at the comments that prove how much the former sportsman and current rap music enthusiast captures the sentiments and often bewilderment of foreigners trying to navigate their way through Norwegian society and culture.

When it comes to Norway, where world peace negotiations and sustainability issues seemingly play a large part in the political and societal arena, only two major news outlets have deemed it necessary to publish some of their content regularly on YouTube

Instead, the broadcaster has set up a channel for immigrant groups where the regular Norwegian news presenters speak slowly about current affairs and news with a particular focus on foreigners in Norway.

c80f0f1006