Norwegian dialects for Icelanders and Faroese

[Sandberg]

I know several foreigners living in Oslo who have serious problems in understanding various Norwegian dialects. Some have even commented that my own dialect is more difficult to understand than Danish or Swedish. But what about natives of Icelandic, Faroese or even Elfdalian? How easy is it to understand traditional dialects such as inntrøndersk?

[ragnhild]

I have been living in Iceland for 5 years and I am a native Norwegian from the Hordaland area. Icelanders have great difficulty understanding trøndersk, but on the other hand finds the Northern Norwegian dialect (for example people from Bodø and Tromsø) easy to understand. Oslo dialect is also not so problematic for Icelanders because most of the have learn Danish at school.

[Hunef]

But what about natives of Icelandic, Faroese or even Elfdalian? How easy is it to understand traditional dialects such as inntrøndersk?

Since Nordtrøndsk, especially the varieties traditionally of Lierne, are so similar to Jamtish (and even spoken in the northwestern part of Jämtland), Trøndsk dialects are the ones easiest to understand for someone from Jämtland in Sweden. The two main differences betwen Jamtish and Trøndsk is that we don't have palatalized consonants and hv- has not become k(v)- but preserved as hw- (since 19th century Swedified to v-, though) or h-. Thus, "What is his name?", Old Norse "Hvat heitir hann?" would be something like "Ka heit hainn?" in Trøndsk but "Hått heit hænn?" in Jamtish.

[Lenguas]

but on the other hand finds the Northern Norwegian dialect (for example people from Bodø and Tromsø) easy to understand.

Do the ones that know no Danish also feel that way?

[Heimdal]

Sound strange that they would understand the northern dialects better then the dialects around Sogn og Fjordane area.

[Hunef]

Sound strange that they would understand the northern dialects better then the dialects around Sogn og Fjordane area.

They have "simpler" accents. Northern Norwegian dialects are definitely the easiest to understand for a swede. Paradoxially, Eastern Norwegian dialects are the hjardest ones to understand to someone from Sweden.

[hlysnan]

I've heard that Sognamål is generally very conservative (closer to Old Norse), and they also have the /ao/ pronunciation for å, like Icelandic á. I'm also a bit surprised that Icelanders would be more comfortable with Northern dialects.

[Heimdal]

And if I'm not mistaken they also have the "DL" sound insteadd of "LL", like in Icelandic.
Examples:
Trodl = Troll = Troll
Adle = Alle = Every
Fjedl = Fjell = Mountain