Posts under "Language"

The Norwegian Word ´På´

Posted by kari 4 Comments
Sep 2 2011

Several days ago, I wrote a post about the many different ways to use the word ´til´in Norwegian.  At first glance, one might think it´s confusing and a bit ridiculous that a language would use one word in so many different ways.  However, the word ´to´in English has many different meanings or is used in many different ways as well.

Just when you thought you could rest easy and let ´til´sink in…I have seen several requests to see a post about the word ´på´in Norwegian and so I listen to my readers and meet the request:)  By the way, I really appreciate it when you let me know what you would like to learn about.  I do not anticipate ever completely run out of topics to write about, but it is certainly helpful to receive ideas now and then on those days that I am totally braindead and think that I cannot possibly think of something to write about that I haven´t addressed in previous posts.

Back to ´på´….First, I´d like you to copy and paste the following link into a new browser and click on the PLAY triangle to hear the word ´på´pronounced..

http://www.forvo.com/word/på/

With just one syllable, it is a very simple word to pronounce.  While it sounds very similar to Poe, as in the last name of Edgar Allen, if you listen a tad more closely and better yet, if you watch a native Norwegian speaker´s mouth when they pronounce this word, you will notice a sound absent in the English language.  If one says på quickly, it is almost impossible for the speaker to enunciate the extra sound that you will hear if the speaker pronounces it slowly.  If one says it slowly, it is almost as if one adds a lightning fast ´ø´on the end.  I´m sitting hear pronouncing the word out loud to myself while I attempt to determine how to explain the positions my mouth has to be in.

The American pronunciation of the last name Poe stresses the P.  The Norwegian pronunciation of the word på stresses the å.  You almost have to drop your chin a bit and get a bit manly if you are a girl to get the dynamics of the pronunciation down.

Listen to the link again and then start listening for the word på when you are streaming the news, watching a Norwegian movie, or if you are in the presence of a Norwegian conversation.

To conclude, let´s look at the various definitions of and ways to use the word på.  

På can translate to the following meanings in English: to, upon, at, onto, after, towards, for, in, of, by, by means of, and with.

See på used in a variety of different ways:

Jeg skal på skole i dag.  I´m going to school today.

Hva holder du på med?  What are you doing?

gang på gang-time after time

langt på natt-late at night

De er på besøk til universitetet.  They are on a visit to the university.

Min kjæreste er kapteninen på skipet.  My boyfriend is the captain on the ship.

Har du tyggis på deg?  Do you have gum on you?

Det er fem på åtte på morgenen.  It is five to eight in the morning.

Hun syklet 20 kilometer på en time.  She bicycled 20 km in one hour.

Silje kjenner det på lukten.  Silje recognizes it by its smell.

There are also many words that begin with på as a prefix and many words that contain på as a suffix.  Let´s look at these in a different post.  I think you have enough to absorb with just plain på.

 

 

 

The Norwegian word “til”

Posted by kari 2 Comments
Aug 28 2011

The word “til” in Norwegian has mange betydninger (many meanings), including to, until, for, by, with, at, of, through, as, and on.  It is one of the most commonly used words in the language.  Even the simplest of sentences for beginning Norwegian students inlcude the word “til” often.  The following is a list of sentences that include the word “til:”

Jeg skal til lege.  I’m going to the doctor.

Han har et brev til deg.  He has a letter for you.

Vi jobber mandag til fredag.  We work Monday through Friday.

Til frokost spiste de brød med pålegg.  For breakfast they ate bread with toppings.

Erik skal ikke spise dessert til jul.  Erik is not going to eat dessert until Christmas.

Døtrene til Hans reiser til USA.  Hans´ daughters (the daughters of Hans) are traveling to the USA.

Alle skal drikke et glass vin til maten.  Everyone will drink a glass of wine with the food.

Guttene gikk hele veien til fots.  The boys went the whole way on/by foot.

Han kommer til å være sur på deg.  He is going to be made at you.

Kan jeg få en til?  Can I have one more?

Vi må vente like til han kommer.  We must wait clear until he comes.

As you can see, the word ´til´in Norwegian is used in many different ways.  Once you understand all of the different meanings of the word, you will be able to look at Norwegian text and understand which meaning the word carries in that sentence.

Good luck with ´til´!

Oslo International Summer School

Posted by kari 3 Comments
Jul 26 2011

With a motto of “Six Weeks of Academic Achievement and International Good Will,” the students attending the ISS this year should be very proud of what they are doing.  After the horrific events of July 22 in Oslo and on Utøya, I have been feeling quite sad and troubled.  I therefore want to focus my next couple of posts on positive things coming out of Norway.  The International Summer School is one of them.

ISS is a part of the University of Oslo (UiO), which is the oldest university in Norway, founded in 1811.  There are about 30,000 students who enroll in UiO each year.  In 1947 the first English speaking program was established at ISS.  The Americans had been welcoming to Norwegian students who came to the U.S. shortly after WWII, so the Norwegians decided to invite English speaking students to the International Summer School, which was actually called “The Summer School for American Students” until 1958 when students from other countries began to attend and thus the name became “The International Summer School.”

Since 1947, 25,000 students from 150 countries have attended the 6 week long program for graduates and undergraduates.  During recent years, the number of attendees has been around 600 and they come from up to 90 nations.  For a small country relatively isolated in northwestern Europe, those numbers are impressive.

Some of the courses offered include Norwegian language, literature and culture, Scandinavian politics and international development.  Graduate students take only one course, as do students of Norwegian.  Students of all ages can apply and there are plenty of scholarships offered to offset the $3,700 it costs to attend the 6 week program.  The cost is cheaper to live off-campus, but most students choose to stay in the dormitories at the Blindern campus.

map of Blindern campus

Every year there is an International Cultural night where students have the opportunity to share their home culture with the rest of the students.  Students prepare food that is unique to their cultures, create dances, songs, skits, games, whatever they want.  I have never been a student at ISS, but when I was living in Oslo one summer after completing a semester at the University of Oslo, I attended the International Cultural Night.  It was a lot of fun.  I got to try really tasty food from all over the world and get a glimpse into all these different cultures.  There were a few people from my hometown and from my college that were students that summer, so it was fun to see them too:)

photo of International Cultural Night

The International Cultural Night is always held at Chateau Neuf, a really big building owned by the University that hosts all kinds of parties and other events.  This year, the International Cultural Night is this coming Friday.  I wish I could transport myself!  I’m sure it will be extra special after what happened in Norway on Friday.

The below picture and quote is on the front page of the ISS website.  Check it out here to view more.

“If one man can show so much hate, think of how much love we can show together.” – Labor Party camp survivor in an interview with CNN.

Viking Influence on the English Language

Posted by kari 4 Comments
Jun 19 2011

Sure, there are more and more English words being incorporated into the Norwegian language all the time.  Courtesy of American films, television, music, and of course the internet, modern Norwegians use words like cool, jeans, baby, drink, chips, and many more.   Let´s not forget, however, the massive influence the Vikings had on the English language.  You may be surprised to know how many English words are derived from old Norse or Norwegian.

map showing Scandinavian settlement from the 8th-11th centuries as indicated by color

dirt-comes from ´drit´which means feces

berserk-comes from ´berserkr´ which means bare shirt (signifying the courage of the Vikings)

reindeer-comes from ´hreindyri´ (reinsdyr på norsk)

town-comes from ´tun´which means an open space between buildings

hell-comes from ´Hel´the ruler of the underworld in Norse mythology

ugly-comes from ´uggligir´which means dreadful

husband-comes from ´husbondi´which means master of the house

gun-comes from ´gunn´which means war or battle

anger-comes from ´angr´which means trouble or affliction

knife-comes from ´kniv´

sister-søster

smile-smil

seat-sete

kniv-knife

There are over 1,000 old Norse words that are part of the English language today.  Additionally, there are many place names in England that are directly related to Viking settlements.  Place names that end in ´by´(village or town)´thorpe´(farm), ´thwaite´ (clearing) and ´toft´(homestead) are but a few.  There are also many family names that end in ´son.´

So next time you hear or see English words in Norway, remember that there are many more Norwegian or old Norse words that have influenced the English language.  The Vikings sure got around and made their mark!

 

Norwegian-American Dating Reality Show

Posted by kari No Comments
May 29 2011

 

This is a picture of 9 norske deltakere (participants) in an upcoming reality tv-show series that Nordisk Film TV will present about Norwegian Americans looking for kjærlighet (love).

Single Norwegian Americans from the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area, San Fransisco, and Seattle areas were encouraged to send in a søknad (application) to be a deltaker in the show.  Criteria for the selection was very little.  Whether one´s parents or great great grandparents were from Norway or whether one speaks Norwegian or not makes little difference.  As long as the kandidater had Norwegian blood and convinced the judges that he or she has a strong personal connection to Norway and was genuinely looking for kjærlighet, they were good kandidater.

I really like this statement from MPR, Minnesota Public Radio, the organization that helped promote the show and channel the søknader:

´Norwegian Americans, this is your chance to reverse the mistakes of your ancestors who left behind the country that now enjoys the highest living standard in the world.´

4 Norwegian Americans were chosen.  One of them, Bjorn Carlson, graduated a couple years later than me from Northfield High School and attended St. Olaf College at the same time as me.  Actually, my mother babysat his dad and siblings 40 years ago.

Bjorn is the one in the Swedish swimsuit (I´m confused too…).

So the way the show works is just like other reality TV shows you´ve seen, such as the Bachelor.  Last Thursday Norwegian TV aired an episode which introduced the 4 Norwegian Americans.  Single Norwegians were then encouraged to go online and send date requests with an explanation of why they want to date him or her (and upload a video of themselves as well).  Each of the 4 Norwegian Americans will select 8 Norwegians who they want to get to know better.  The 32 Norwegians will be flown to the U.S. all at the same time to go on dates with the Norwegian Americans in or near their hjemsteder (hometowns).  Some will be group dates and some single-Bjorn Carlson will take his date(s) to the tennis court and to Lake Calhoun for some time on the water.  The Norwegians will be here in the U.S. for several weeks.

As the show proceeds, the Norwegians will be voted off of the show by the viewers, one by one. Finally, the 4 Norwegian Americans will select which Norwegian they want to continue to see.  The Norwegian Americans will then be flown to Norway-all expenses paid-to get to know their selected Norwegian better-on his or her own turf.

Here is a link to the article from my hometown newspaper, the Northfield News.  The writer interviews Carlson and his family.

And here is a link to a local Northfield website that has a video of a newscaster in the Twin Cities area explaining the show.

And finally, a link to an Aftenposten article discussing the details of the show.

It should be fun following the developments of this show!  Especially with a familiar face on it!

Back to the Top