Confused Beginner

Moderator:Johanna

beryllium
Posts:7
Joined:2013-10-28, 2:46
Gender:female
Country:USUnited States (United States)
Confused Beginner

Postby beryllium » 2013-10-28, 3:09

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... :oops: )

User avatar
Raufoss
Posts:3779
Joined:2008-06-08, 21:45
Gender:male
Location:South of LA near the beach
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Confused Beginner

Postby Raufoss » 2013-10-28, 19:43

beryllium wrote:Hei! Jeg heter Beryl.
Velkommen til det norske språkforumet, Beryl! :welcome:

Here's the link to a thread for beginners that will probably be helpful to you:

BEGINNER

Lykke til!
(Good luck!)
Vær snill og rett feilene mine

Native: English
Intermediate: Norsk [Bokmål]
Basic Knowledge: Italiano & español

beryllium
Posts:7
Joined:2013-10-28, 2:46
Gender:female
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Confused Beginner

Postby beryllium » 2013-10-29, 2:12

Raufoss wrote:Velkommen til det norske språkforumet, Beryl! :welcome:

Here's the link to a thread for beginners that will probably be helpful to you:

BEGINNER

Lykke til!
(Good luck!)


Tusen takk!

I looked at the thread and bookmarked some of the resources listed in the resource thread. I'm sure some of the information will become far more useful to me in the future, but for now it's a little overwhelming.

My number one priority is to learn pronunciation correctly. Do you have any advice on that?

User avatar
Raufoss
Posts:3779
Joined:2008-06-08, 21:45
Gender:male
Location:South of LA near the beach
Country:USUnited States (United States)

SV: Confused Beginner

Postby Raufoss » 2013-10-29, 18:31

beryllium wrote:Tusen takk!
Vær så god! :)

It is really nice to have someone new posting in this forum. At times in the recent past this forum has been quite active, but lately it's been very quiet. :hmm:

Hopefully if some new members start posting here on a regular basis, some of the native Norwegians who used to post here more often will return. :y:

beryllium wrote:I looked at the thread and bookmarked some of the resources listed in the resource thread.
In the meantime until this forum gets more active again, there's a lot of very useful information already posted here that you can read.

beryllium wrote:I'm sure some of the information will become far more useful to me in the future, but for now it's a little overwhelming.
I felt the same way in the beginning too. One thing that has been helpful to me has been listening to Norwegian radio whenever possible even though in the beginning I couldn't understand much of anything that was being said.

Here's my favorite Norwegian radio link:

Norwegian radio stations streaming live

beryllium wrote:My number one priority is to learn pronunciation correctly. Do you have any advice on that?
Take a look at this thread and use it for posting any questions you have about pronunciation:

PRONUNCIATION // Uttale

I hope this helps. :)
Vær snill og rett feilene mine

Native: English
Intermediate: Norsk [Bokmål]
Basic Knowledge: Italiano & español

beryllium
Posts:7
Joined:2013-10-28, 2:46
Gender:female
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Confused Beginner

Postby beryllium » 2013-10-29, 23:15

Takk igjen!

User avatar
xNia
Posts:43
Joined:2013-03-27, 19:55
Gender:female
Country:NONorway (Norge)

Re: Confused Beginner

Postby xNia » 2013-11-04, 14:10

Hei, Beryl!

I thought I'd try to give your some advice with regards to Bokmål/Nynorsk. I'm a native speaker of Norwegian from Oslo and I obviously (since I'm from Oslo) prefer Bokmål more than Nynorsk (though it depends on where someone is from and whether the person might have other reasons to prefer one over the other).

A good place to start, is obviously around the time of when the Norwegian constitution was signed, in 1814. Norway had been a part of Denmark for quite some time, and the Norwegians had been using the Danish written language. Now, as the country finally was going to be independent, two linguists wanted to do their best to create a written language that was purely Norwegian.

Ivar Aasen, the father of Nynorsk, decided to travel across Norway to collect samples of the different dialects in order to create an "ideal"/"true" Norwegian based on that. Many people, especially from Western Norway, will find that their dialects relate somehow to Nynorsk, whereas others (especially from Eastern Norway and Bergen) will say that the Nynorsk isn't close to their dialect at all.

Knud Knudsen, on the other hand, decided to use the written Danish as a base for the language we today call Bokmål. He slowly began to suggest new rules to replace the complicated way of writing old Danish with simpler rules which suited the Norwegian way of pronouncing words a lot more.

When it comes to reading texts in Bokmål and Nynorsk, Norwegians tend to use the pronunciation rules from their own dialects and apply them to whatever they might be reading. I also have to mention that in some theatres (forgot which ones, sorry!) and on TV (if you decide to watch NRK), they'll sometimes speak Nynorsk. I guess it has something to do with the fact that they want to treat both of the languages equally. I've also heard that you can expect to get a reply in the same written language as you decided to use while writing your letter, if you write a letter to the government..

My suggestion when it comes to dialects/written languages would be to focus on learning how to write Bokmål (Hey, you'll see this language the most anyway, and most people prefer this variant over Nynorsk), and maybe focusing on the Oslo dialect (since everyone understands it, unless you're in love with another area of Norway, of course). However, I strongly recommend that you get used to some of the other dialects, especially if you're planing to travel across the country. Honestly, some dialects might sound quite weird and be difficult to understand if you're not used to them.

If you're interested, you can also try to learn about the linguistic debates that were going on after 1814. However, I do suggest that you make your own standpoint and try to figure out which written language you consider to be your favourite first. Just to avoid some future confusion, I mean.

beryllium
Posts:7
Joined:2013-10-28, 2:46
Gender:female
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Confused Beginner

Postby beryllium » 2013-11-05, 5:58

xNia wrote:Hei, Beryl!

I thought I'd try to give your some advice with regards to Bokmål/Nynorsk. I'm a native speaker of Norwegian from Oslo and I obviously (since I'm from Oslo) prefer Bokmål more than Nynorsk (though it depends on where someone is from and whether the person might have other reasons to prefer one over the other).

A good place to start, is obviously around the time of when the Norwegian constitution was signed, in 1814. Norway had been a part of Denmark for quite some time, and the Norwegians had been using the Danish written language. Now, as the country finally was going to be independent, two linguists wanted to do their best to create a written language that was purely Norwegian.

Ivar Aasen, the father of Nynorsk, decided to travel across Norway to collect samples of the different dialects in order to create an "ideal"/"true" Norwegian based on that. Many people, especially from Western Norway, will find that their dialects relate somehow to Nynorsk, whereas others (especially from Eastern Norway and Bergen) will say that the Nynorsk isn't close to their dialect at all.

Knud Knudsen, on the other hand, decided to use the written Danish as a base for the language we today call Bokmål. He slowly began to suggest new rules to replace the complicated way of writing old Danish with simpler rules which suited the Norwegian way of pronouncing words a lot more.

When it comes to reading texts in Bokmål and Nynorsk, Norwegians tend to use the pronunciation rules from their own dialects and apply them to whatever they might be reading. I also have to mention that in some theatres (forgot which ones, sorry!) and on TV (if you decide to watch NRK), they'll sometimes speak Nynorsk. I guess it has something to do with the fact that they want to treat both of the languages equally. I've also heard that you can expect to get a reply in the same written language as you decided to use while writing your letter, if you write a letter to the government..

My suggestion when it comes to dialects/written languages would be to focus on learning how to write Bokmål (Hey, you'll see this language the most anyway, and most people prefer this variant over Nynorsk), and maybe focusing on the Oslo dialect (since everyone understands it, unless you're in love with another area of Norway, of course). However, I strongly recommend that you get used to some of the other dialects, especially if you're planing to travel across the country. Honestly, some dialects might sound quite weird and be difficult to understand if you're not used to them.

If you're interested, you can also try to learn about the linguistic debates that were going on after 1814. However, I do suggest that you make your own standpoint and try to figure out which written language you consider to be your favourite first. Just to avoid some future confusion, I mean.


Wow, tusen takk for the extremely detailed answer!

User avatar
Aleco
Posts:8596
Joined:2006-04-10, 19:05
Real Name:Alecsander
Gender:male
Location:Onsøy
Country:NONorway (Norge)
Contact:

Re: Confused Beginner

Postby Aleco » 2013-11-08, 18:39

All that said, I am curious what year you're doing your exchange year! Is this a high school thing, a gap year thing, or a college thing? Will you be living with a host family? Where will you be living?

I know too many examples of foreigners coming here, only knowing the Oslo dialect, which is fine if you want to be understood, but doesn't help all that much for everyday situation in other parts of the country. Being a native English speaker, statistically it will be easier for you to learn Norwegian, and to adapt to differences in pronunciation and dialect than for a Chinese person of the same age. You see, we had an exchange student from China living with us for a year, and it was for him to understand other dialects, including the Oslo dialect.

But in my experience, native English, Dutch, and German speakers learn Norwegian so well, they will sound native as long as they have the right sounds down. :)

I sort of wrote all this as I went, but to summarize, what I want to say is that if you're living with a host family, you'll learn to write and speak the local dialect. If you are not living with a host family, I would assume you already know what school you are going to and where it is situated, making it simple to figure out what written languages and dialect you should adapt to. :wink:
Native (no) Fluent (en-us)
Conversational (sv) Understands (dk) Minored in and lived in (ja) Actively studying (hu)
Exposed to (fo) Study now and then (et) Curious about (cs)

beryllium
Posts:7
Joined:2013-10-28, 2:46
Gender:female
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Confused Beginner

Postby beryllium » 2013-11-11, 4:59

Aleco wrote:All that said, I am curious what year you're doing your exchange year! Is this a high school thing, a gap year thing, or a college thing? Will you be living with a host family? Where will you be living?

I know too many examples of foreigners coming here, only knowing the Oslo dialect, which is fine if you want to be understood, but doesn't help all that much for everyday situation in other parts of the country. Being a native English speaker, statistically it will be easier for you to learn Norwegian, and to adapt to differences in pronunciation and dialect than for a Chinese person of the same age. You see, we had an exchange student from China living with us for a year, and it was for him to understand other dialects, including the Oslo dialect.

But in my experience, native English, Dutch, and German speakers learn Norwegian so well, they will sound native as long as they have the right sounds down. :)

I sort of wrote all this as I went, but to summarize, what I want to say is that if you're living with a host family, you'll learn to write and speak the local dialect. If you are not living with a host family, I would assume you already know what school you are going to and where it is situated, making it simple to figure out what written languages and dialect you should adapt to. :wink:


It'll be next fall. I will be living with a host family, thank goodness. I don't think I could do it any other way.
I do not yet know where I will be staying or who I will be staying with (it's with an exchange program, so they arrange everything). I am however going to be attending a high school. Hopefully that goes well!
The reason I would like to learn the Oslo dialect while I'm in America is so that I can have a common base for learning a different dialect. Also, I'm guessing that's the one with the most resources here. :/

User avatar
Aleco
Posts:8596
Joined:2006-04-10, 19:05
Real Name:Alecsander
Gender:male
Location:Onsøy
Country:NONorway (Norge)
Contact:

Re: Confused Beginner

Postby Aleco » 2013-11-13, 0:11

May I ask what organization? If you feel that writing it here is too public, you could always send me a PM instead :)

Most high school exchange students do not know the language prior to coming. If there are 140 foreign students any given year, maybe one or two of those have learned to hold simple conversations. That said, it is still amazing that you're willing to learn some right now, though! While the pronunciation and stuff will differ a lot from place to place, words tend not to differ too much.

Watching Disney movies dubbed into Norwegian is a good way to pick up words in a passive and kind of nostalgic way. The Disney songs, at least, should all be on Youtube if you do a quick search. For more direct learning, there are different DIY books on learning Norwegian out there; Colloquial Norwegian and Teach Yourself Norwegian among the more popular ones. Doing a couple of lessons by yourself, and then writing things here is a good start. It will force you to think and produce sentences and we will do our best to correct you and give you explanations. While pronunciation does differ geographically, as I for some reason keep repeating, there are still many sounds that are more or less the same from one fjord or valley to the next. In other words, learning the basic pronunciation is not a bad idea ;) I can also help you in private via Skype (written or spoken, whatever you're comfortable with) or Facebook either now or at a later point in time if needed.
Native (no) Fluent (en-us)
Conversational (sv) Understands (dk) Minored in and lived in (ja) Actively studying (hu)
Exposed to (fo) Study now and then (et) Curious about (cs)

beryllium
Posts:7
Joined:2013-10-28, 2:46
Gender:female
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Confused Beginner

Postby beryllium » 2013-11-13, 22:15

Aleco wrote:May I ask what organization? If you feel that writing it here is too public, you could always send me a PM instead :)

Most high school exchange students do not know the language prior to coming. If there are 140 foreign students any given year, maybe one or two of those have learned to hold simple conversations. That said, it is still amazing that you're willing to learn some right now, though! While the pronunciation and stuff will differ a lot from place to place, words tend not to differ too much.

Watching Disney movies dubbed into Norwegian is a good way to pick up words in a passive and kind of nostalgic way. The Disney songs, at least, should all be on Youtube if you do a quick search. For more direct learning, there are different DIY books on learning Norwegian out there; Colloquial Norwegian and Teach Yourself Norwegian among the more popular ones. Doing a couple of lessons by yourself, and then writing things here is a good start. It will force you to think and produce sentences and we will do our best to correct you and give you explanations. While pronunciation does differ geographically, as I for some reason keep repeating, there are still many sounds that are more or less the same from one fjord or valley to the next. In other words, learning the basic pronunciation is not a bad idea ;) I can also help you in private via Skype (written or spoken, whatever you're comfortable with) or Facebook either now or at a later point in time if needed.


Thank you. :)
It'll be with AFS. I've been listening to the norsk Disney songs...A good deal are now on my iPod! They're very beautifully done.
I'm going to start really learning next semester, because right now I'm taking a Spanish class and learning two languages at once is a little confusing.

User avatar
Aleco
Posts:8596
Joined:2006-04-10, 19:05
Real Name:Alecsander
Gender:male
Location:Onsøy
Country:NONorway (Norge)
Contact:

Re: Confused Beginner

Postby Aleco » 2013-11-14, 12:33

Not to freak you out or anything, but I'll be standing at the airport greeting you when you get here. :lol: I've been volunteering at every AFS camp ever since I came back from my exchange year in the US three years ago.

Okay, sure! I'd say you have tons of time to prepare even if it's just one semester. Norwegian is similar to English in many ways, so you'll have an advantage :)
Native (no) Fluent (en-us)
Conversational (sv) Understands (dk) Minored in and lived in (ja) Actively studying (hu)
Exposed to (fo) Study now and then (et) Curious about (cs)

beryllium
Posts:7
Joined:2013-10-28, 2:46
Gender:female
Country:USUnited States (United States)

Re: Confused Beginner

Postby beryllium » 2013-11-15, 15:47

Aleco wrote:Not to freak you out or anything, but I'll be standing at the airport greeting you when you get here. :lol: I've been volunteering at every AFS camp ever since I came back from my exchange year in the US three years ago.

Okay, sure! I'd say you have tons of time to prepare even if it's just one semester. Norwegian is similar to English in many ways, so you'll have an advantage :)


Woah, really? Well, I'll see you then!


Return to “Norwegian (Norsk)”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests