Comments on: Vilhelm Moberg and Swedish Emigration to the US http://www.transparent.com/swedish/vilhelm-moberg-and-swedish-immigration-to-the-us/ Language and Culture of the Swedish-Speaking World Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:27:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: AA http://www.transparent.com/swedish/vilhelm-moberg-and-swedish-immigration-to-the-us/comment-page-1/#comment-584 AA Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:38:46 +0000 http://www.transparent.com/swedish/?p=189#comment-584 Believe it or not, the concentration of Swedes in Chicago was no surprise to me. My great grandfather traveled back and forth between Sweden and the US and settled in Chicago near other Swedish families. I must admit to being one of those Americans who is guilty of saying, "I'm Swedish!" I did make a small effort at learning Svensk, but only made it through a year and a half of schooling before events forced me to take a hiatus. Thank you for this blog. It is always very interesting and informative. One of my fellow students told our class about it and I have been following along ever since. Believe it or not, the concentration of Swedes in Chicago was no surprise to me. My great grandfather traveled back and forth between Sweden and the US and settled in Chicago near other Swedish families.

I must admit to being one of those Americans who is guilty of saying, “I’m Swedish!” I did make a small effort at learning Svensk, but only made it through a year and a half of schooling before events forced me to take a hiatus.

Thank you for this blog. It is always very interesting and informative. One of my fellow students told our class about it and I have been following along ever since.

]]> By: Jonathan Brostrom http://www.transparent.com/swedish/vilhelm-moberg-and-swedish-immigration-to-the-us/comment-page-1/#comment-583 Jonathan Brostrom Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:54:47 +0000 http://www.transparent.com/swedish/?p=189#comment-583 I have to write to say just how much I love this blog of yours. It's insightful, charming, informative, and helpful for Americans of Swedish Origin (like me!) who have really worked at learning Swedish, despite the fact that our parents and grandparents did not think it was important enough for us to learn the language that for them, was the language spoken at home. I started with Swedish on a trip to Sweden in 1979 when I didn't know anything except a rote prayer. (I am 55 years old btw) but I learned that the bit of swedish I do speak is really more smalanding and less stockholm swedish. ( My mother's mother died giving birth to my mom - but the wonderful woman (Bertha Linnea Lund - nee Hulten) who adopted my mom at eight days old was an emigrant from Långasjo, which might as well be Emmaboda, where I stayed for a few weeks. Mormor, who was twice widowed herself, retired in Sweden after marrying her childhood sweetheart, who had spent his life in Canada, and passed away in 1979 during my trip to Sweden, so I sang at her funeral.) Men nu, jag pratta svensk varje dag med min lilla mamma på telefon. (Min far också, men inte så mycket) Mor är 82 års gammal, men när hon var en lilla flicka en Minnesota (Duluth!) hennes familj prattade ändo svensk - hon lärade engelsk på skolen när hon var 7. Well that was my contribution, mistakes and all, to the dialogue. With the advent of Facebook - I am working on more swedish to share bits of daily life with my relatives in Sweden - många ungdomer som bo i Falkenberg, Goteberg, Kalmar i Stockholm. (Min farfar och farmor var född i Sunne, Varmland!) I have to write to say just how much I love this blog of yours. It’s insightful, charming, informative, and helpful for Americans of Swedish Origin (like me!) who have really worked at learning Swedish, despite the fact that our parents and grandparents did not think it was important enough for us to learn the language that for them, was the language spoken at home. I started with Swedish on a trip to Sweden in 1979 when I didn’t know anything except a rote prayer. (I am 55 years old btw) but I learned that the bit of swedish I do speak is really more smalanding and less stockholm swedish. ( My mother’s mother died giving birth to my mom – but the wonderful woman (Bertha Linnea Lund – nee Hulten) who adopted my mom at eight days old was an emigrant from Långasjo, which might as well be Emmaboda, where I stayed for a few weeks. Mormor, who was twice widowed herself, retired in Sweden after marrying her childhood sweetheart, who had spent his life in Canada, and passed away in 1979 during my trip to Sweden, so I sang at her funeral.)

Men nu, jag pratta svensk varje dag med min lilla mamma på telefon. (Min far också, men inte så mycket) Mor är 82 års gammal, men när hon var en lilla flicka en Minnesota (Duluth!) hennes familj prattade ändo svensk – hon lärade engelsk på skolen när hon var 7.

Well that was my contribution, mistakes and all, to the dialogue. With the advent of Facebook – I am working on more swedish to share bits of daily life with my relatives in Sweden – många ungdomer som bo i Falkenberg, Goteberg, Kalmar i Stockholm. (Min farfar och farmor var född i Sunne, Varmland!)

]]>