--- In cybalist@..., markodegard@... wrote:
> Torsten writes:
> --
> This means that with the wide-spread use of English (and the
> consequent(?) reduced knowledge of their own language) people will
> resort to using English when communicating with other
Scandinavians.
> Knowing and understanding the other Scandinavian languages is
> considered nerdy.
> --
>
> Ah. The North-Germanic speakers don't really love their languages.
I strongly disagree with theese last two statements.
I'm always amazed when I talk to a dane or norweigan that they always
convert to speak swedish. And they succeed very well in it i think.
Also danish reseachers e. g. in interviwevs in news etc. do convert
to something swedish like when they're in swedish tv.
It has occured to me that I (at least earlier) never have in the same
way converted to danish when speakingto a dane, but instead adress
them in Swedish (with some danish words). This seems to work
perfectly, since the Danes understand me anyway. But of course I'm
embarrassed- I shouldn't speak Swedish in Denmark I should at least
TRY to speak Danish!
So why don't I ?
I think it has to do with the glottal stop "stöten". I sort of know
that I wouldn't pronounce it right, and therefore it would sound
strange, and also be embarrassing.
I think it is the same when children learn a new language. They
understand words much earlier than the day when they finally dare to
utter them.
I think it's the same with Norweigan since most norweigans speak
some or another West Scandinavian dialect, which sounds to be quite
far from Swedish, it feels a little embarrasing to use the at least
semi-eastern Scandinavian bokmål, which peraps anyway wouldnt be
pronunced right.
So, if you speak to a norweigan only once in a while, why bother
learning West Scandinavian, when they instead know East Scandinavian
perfectly well.
It's of course another matter if you would have lots of contacts with
Norweigans.
BTW I think this danish "stöten" glottal stop is a really fascinating
subject.
Why dit it enter the language? And how?
Any theories?
Cheers
Anders