Hei! Jeg heter Beryl.
I plan on going to Norway next year as an exchange student, so I have a little less than a year to get a good grasp on the language. Learning a good amount before I go is very important, as it will ease some of the stress that comes with adapting to a new culture and allow me to make friends. Of course I do not expect to be fluent within this time period, but I would like to get a good basis of understanding so I can keep learning.
While I have some Norwegian heritage, I do not know anyone who speaks Norwegian in my area. There are no classes in my area either.
I'm just so intimidated by it right now. I don't know where I should begin...I'd like to have a good understanding of grammar and not just memorize phrases because I know that will not serve me as well in the long run. I also do not understand how bokmål/nynorsk relate to the spoken language. I've heard you do not speak bokmål/nyorsk, you just read them, but I don't understand how I will be able to tell how to say/pronounce them.
Also, do any of you have any good resources as far as pronunciation goes? I understand that it's one of the harder parts of the language. (The only other two languages I've learned a little bit of have fairly easy pronunciation: Japanese and Spanish)
One more thing: What is the easiest way to type the norsk letters that aren't on the standard keyboards? I would prefer not to switch my computer over to norsk yet until I have better proficiency. So far I've just been copying and pasting them in.
Could some one please help me out? Vær så snil? I would greatly appreciate it.
Edit: And I do not know where I will be staying yet as I am going through the application process. I assume I should just learn bokmål and the Oslo dialect at first? (Dialects confuse me as well... )