Posts in April 2009

Valborgsmässoafton

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Apr
30
2009

It’s April 30th and we all know what that means in Sweden – it’s Valborgsmässoafton or Valborg. In English this celebration is better known as Walpurgis.

This year it also marks the start of a really long weekend. Tomorrow – Friday is Första Maj (May Day), then come Saturday and Sunday, and the world will return to work as we know it on Monday.

But let’s talk about Valborg for a second. This holiday is observed not only in Sweden, but also in other Nordic countries, as well as in some parts of Germany. Of course, as with most ancient celebrations in Europe, this one has pagan roots, as well. And while I’m not sure how Valborg is celebrated in other parts of Europe, I do know how Swedes celebrate it.

As with everything else in Sweden, there are many regional varieties of Valborg festivities. One tradition, however, that remains the same throughout the country is the lighting of huge bonfires. People gather around the fire, sing songs and consume copious amounts of alcohol. Technically, the songs are supposed to be about the coming of spring, but in reality, what I’m hearing from the outside, is just a general merry singing of people having a good time. My neighbors are grilling, and the smell of sausages is making me very hungry.

The largest bonfire in our town is constructed by the university students on a field in front of one of the buildings.

Here’s a short video of a very dignified Valborg celebration in 2007 with the local student choir providing the entertainment portion of the festivities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDIpdycJPig

Tomorrow we have a couple of May Day demonstrations in town, and somehow I suspect that with the current economic crisis, there will be more participants on the streets than in the previous years. So, I better look up the lyrics to “Internationalen” (The Internationale), because last year I was mouthing them in French. And what was I doing at a May Day demonstration? The weather was nice, the sun was shining and it was such a shame to stay cooped up at home.

Have a wonderful long weekend! See you on Monday!

PS. Today is also the king’s birthday. Grattis, Carl Gustaf!

 
Posted under Culture, Geography
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Reading Books in Swedish, continued…

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Apr
28
2009

Continuing with our topic of reading Swedish books, there are a couple of issues that need to be addressed.

  • 1. Where to get Swedish books abroad?

Hmmm… That is a very good question indeed. Bokus no longer ships orders to the US, due to problems with the US Customs.

This is very annoying, I know, and I will try to find out who is still willing and able to sell and ship to America. As you’ve probably noticed, the info you can find about it on the internet is painfully outdated. I have sent out a few emails and as soon as I get a reply, I’ll post it here, of course.

In the meantime, if anyone knows of any place that sells Swedish books in the US, and accepts phone or internet orders, please tell us!

If you live in the UK, or Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and so on, you’re in luck, because Bokus still ships to your countries.

UPDATE:

Ms. Peters from the Swedish Council of America kindly suggested this internet retailer: Skandimport. However, she also mentioned that she hadn’t used them personally but they did seem to have a nice selection of Swedish language media, including books. Other than that, the cost of importing books from Sweden is simply too high for most North American businesses specializing in Swedish imports.

  • 2. Thank you so much for mentioning ljudböcker (audiobooks)!

This is a fabulous idea, indeed. Personally, I’m not a fan of audiobooks – I like the smell and feel of pages of paper, but I agree that ljudböcker can be an excellent language learning help. Especially, if you manage to get a printed copy as well and can follow along while listening.

The nice thing about audiobooks is that you can purchase an MP3 download without bothering with the customs, shipping fees and so on. But if you want an actual CD, this company says they will ship to the US, too: Ljudboken.
They do ask for personnummer when you fill out the registration form, but that is not a required field for foreign customers.

Alternately, if you have friends or relatives in Sweden, you can ask them for help. It will end up costing more, but at least you will get the book you want.

  • 3. Reading newspapers and magazines is, of course, a great idea, too.

But do they give the same sense of accomplishment as opening an actual book and reading it from cover to cover in a foreign language? At least for me, they don’t. I have the same problem regarding the reading material on the internet. It’s a great resource, it provides tons of useful information, but can it compete with reading an actual book? I think not.

If someone already reads newspapers, magazines and websites in Swedish, he/she is that much more prepared for tackling an actual book. However, if you want to start with a more advanced book, say, about politics or horticulture, because that’s something you love and already know the appropriate terminology, then go for it. But even if the topic is something that really interests you, such first book can be a very discouraging experience. Therefore, picking an easier read would be a better idea. (Bryce, while I normally would totally agree with you, I also know some people need simplistic as their first book attempt in a foreign language. Otherwise, they may not try reading a book at all - just ask my husband! LOL!)

  • 4. Bottom line, only you know your individual preferences and Swedish proficiency level.

What I’m trying to say is that you can start reading books in Swedish at almost ANY language level from intermediate up. It all depends on what kind of book you want to read and ultimately choose.

PS. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll try to sort something out regarding a Swedish book club on the blog.

 
Posted under Swedish Language
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Reading Books in Swedish? - How to Begin

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Apr
26
2009

A while back somebody asked about which books would be a good choice for a first-time reader, in Swedish naturally.

I know that some people recommend the classics: Astrid Lindgren, or Selma Lagerlöf or more recent works by Henning Mankell or Liza Marklund or Stieg Larsson.

But I am going to be a little bit unorthodox here and suggest something different. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with the writers listed above, their works are not for everybody. And especially not for those, who are just learning the language and reluctant to pick up a book in Swedish in the first place. This first book selection in a foreign language can be what makes or breaks you as a reader. It will either encourage you to read more and more, or will turn you off books for a long time.

Let’s face it, reading in a foreign language can be quite intimidating. Especially reading anything other than what’s in a foreign language textbook. It forces you to focus, it makes you think twice as hard as you would when reading in your native tongue, and it frequently bares all your linguistic inadequacies and shortcomings when it comes to vocabulary or foreign language comprehension.

Add to that the specific “flavor” of Swedish fiction and after the first try you may decide that reading in Swedish is not for you.

So, I am going to suggest something that will make all native-Swedish Swedish teachers cringe. Pick a book that you’ve read in your native language, one that you know and like. Find it in Swedish (chances are it has been translated) and give it a try along with the original language version. Make it a popular book without any highly specialized vocabulary. Though what’s “specialized” to one person, might be everyday to someone else, so use your own judgment.

I know a lady who’s a huge Harry Potter fan, and needless to say, for her first book in Swedish she chose a Swedish translation of one of her favorite boy wizard stories. My friend did the same with Alexander Smith McCall’s novels. Yes, I still have your copy of “Damernas detektivbyrå” - The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, I’ll give it back, I promise!

Myself, I began with Swedish translations of the Discworld (Skivvärlden) series, which almost did me in. I kept comparing them to the original versions and was utterly disappointed. (Only much later did I learn that many Swedish fans felt the same way and preferred to read Terry Pratchett in English.)

Then I picked up one of Tove Jansson’s Moomin books, looked up the English version at the local library and got busy. Muminböckerna proved exactly what I needed (which maybe is a good indication of my mental level, ha!).

My first Swedish-Swedish book was by Selma Lagerlöf. I’m not counting Tove Jansson, because she was technically Finnish. From there, I graduated to other types of Swedish literature.

Of course, using a book in your native tongue as a crutch may not appeal to everyone, but it is a convenient and almost pain-free way to ease yourself into reading in a foreign language.

So, what was your first book in Swedish? Or, if you haven’t started reading in Swedish yet, what would you like to begin with?

If enough of you agree, we can start a mini-book club on the blog!

 
Posted under Swedish Language
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Hav or sjö?

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Apr
23
2009

When is a lake not a lake? When it’s a sea. Doesn’t make much sense, now does it? But unfortunately that’s how it can be in Swedish. Sometimes a lake is just a lake, but sometimes, even though it’s called a lake, it’s really a sea.

Of course, I am talking about the “hav” and “sjö” issue. And what inspired me to write about it was a heated discussion between a Swede and a foreigner I overheard on the bus the other day. The discussion was in English, the foreigner was asking lots of questions and the Swede was doing the explaining. Sadly, he wasn’t very good at it and I was seriously contemplating whether or not I should join in. But since one doesn’t just join random conversations taking place in public places in Sweden, I stayed silent. I was reading an interesting book anyway.

So, here’s my chance to add my 2 öre to the discussion, even though I seriously doubt that the foreign guy from the bus reads this blog.

But this was his question that started the whole discussion:
Why is the Baltic Sea called a “lake” in Swedish? And how come it’s not even called “Baltic lake” but “Östersjön” – Eastern Lake.
Hmmm… the easy answer is that: Since it’s to the east of Sweden, it’s called “eastern”, even though as far as I know the rest of the world calls it “Baltic”. That’s OK, I can live with that. Every language has its quirks and this is one in Swedish. And that was pretty much what the Swedish guy on the bus said.

But what’s up with this “sjö” (lake) business? That’s something the Swede had a much harder time explaining. And I can’t blame him. There’s Vänern, which is most definitely “sjö”, in fact Vänern är Sveriges största sjö and third largest in Europe.

So, if “sjö” means “lake”, then why do we have “Östersjön” (the Baltic Sea) and Nordsjön (the North Sea)? Well, the traditional reasoning is that those two seas were so well-known to the Vikings, they didn’t even consider them as seas, but as their own lakes. Fine, I can live with that, too. But then what about Sydkinesiska sjön (the South China Sea)? Was it also known to the Vikings? Mercifully, Sydkinesiska sjön also has an alternate name - Sydkinesiska havet. And that’s more like it. To make the distinction between lake-lake and sea-lake easier, the kind of lake that is a normal lake is called “insjö” in Swedish.

“Hav” means either a sea OR an ocean. So you can have for example Stilla havet (the Pacific Ocean) and Medelhavet (the Mediterranean Sea).

Ok, so if “hav” means “ocean” and there’s Stilla havet to prove it, then what about “Indiska oceanen”? Hmmm… a very good question. Luckily, you can say either “Indiska oceanen” or “Indiska havet” – both are fine.

And what about the Atlantic Ocean? To make things even more interesting, it’s simply called “Atlanten”.

  • sjö (def. sjön, pl. sjöar, def.pl.: sjöarna) – stort område med vatten som inter inner och med land runt omkring, insjö – lake (or a sea in some cases
  • hav (def. havet, pl. hav, def.pl.: haven) - saltvattnet som finns runt jordens landområden – ocean or sea.
 
Posted under Geography, Swedish Language
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Your Experiences - Linda från Kalifornien

Posted by Anna Ikeda
Apr
20
2009

Your responses to my question about how you learn Swedish and what works for you and what doesn’t were incredibly insightful and I would like to thank all of you for taking the time to share your Swedish learning experiences with the rest of us.

I also think that occasional readers may miss them if they don’t visit the comments section, and that would be a pity. There’s some great info in your stories I know will benefit a lot of people. So, I took the liberty to bring your comments to the main section, and start sharing them one by one.

We’ll begin with Linda from California. Her experience is unique in that she has tried probably every possible method to learn a foreign language: a structured course, self-study, computer assisted-learning, at home immersion (Swedish husband and his family) and learning via Skype. She also gave a very detailed account of what worked for her and what didn’t and why.

Linda, I hope you don’t mind I’m reposting your story here. I am certain that it can help many other readers who are on the sometimes very rocky path to Swedish proficiency.

Jag har studerat svenska på BHLI i Beverly Hills, Svenska Skolan i Los Angeles och nu med LearnSweden på skype.

I learned a great deal from BHLI but for me time and a 2hr commute once a week proved too difficult. We used Nya Mål textbooks also used by SFI. It was an 80min lesson weekly. My instructor a native of Sweden, is also the Headmistress of the Svenska Skolan i Los Angeles. So I transferred to that school, however again the commute was very tiring. My two youngest children also attended the courses.

I decided to try LearnSweden.com, it is based in Stockholm and they use Skype to have a live session with a native Swedish instructor. I am enjoying this method, since I don’t have time to drive to LA and I also have one-to-one instruction for 50mins twice a week. But also my instructor has become a friend. She shares with me things of Sweden and if there is a specific interest I have, we use it as the focus of the lesson.

My lessons are geared towards verbal fluency and pronunciation. I have a good grasp on reading and understanding Swedish, it’s more the listening and responding that I seek confidence with. As I am a visual learner, the reading and writing flow well, but listening and understanding is more difficult for me.

For convenience LearnSweden.com works for me, but I prefer an actual classroom setting. I also have Rosetta Stone level I, but I knew all that they had to teach and didn’t find it helpful at all. Even the pronunciation part with the mic is not so good. My husband is a native of Sweden and the voice analyzer did not think his Swedish pronunciation was correct. So for all the expense and fancy features, I personally did not find Rosetta Stone worth it.

I also have Pimsleurs Swedish, In-Flight Swedish,Teach Yourself Swedish and some other Swedish Podcast lessons. I find them ok for review and practice, but I don’t feel I learned much. But again this is only my thoughts on the matter.

If one can attend courses at least twice a week for an hour or two, I believe Swedish can be learned without too much difficulty. Being in Sweden and surrounded by the language in daily life is probably the best way to immerse oneself into thinking in Swedish. I had 2 weeks with my in-laws and it has improved my ear for understanding the spoken language.

I still have a long way to go but I shall trudge on…

I added relevant links to this story as they might be helpful to someone else.

 
Posted under Swedish Language
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