Learning Swedish?

[Defiance]

OMG...haha.

Somehow this reminds my of the moment I was at Roskilde festival in 2005 where a seriously drunken norwegian dude was trying to ask me how to say "you have beautiful eyes" in icelandic. I tried a few times and he didn't get it, then after that he got it, only to forget to pronounce it after 20 seconds and kept asking me about it again. It was getting weird and bordering on homoeroticism. Damn my patience.

About the show:
It was not a topic there that english was threatening finnish. Rather that swedish had too much of a cultural stronghold in the country. In a classroom of youngsters only 3 out of 10 students raised their hands in agreement to learning swedish at school. It surprised me.

Maybe they are in the same situation youngsters here are, engulfed by english culture and not scandinavian, still we have to learn the language of our once colonial masters, danish. I can't say I'm totally against it, but there should be less emphasis on it( maybe it has diminished since I was @ school). I think there should maybe a scandinavian language class showing all the related languages, maybe to complex? But, nevertheless, one really learns a language properly out of a burning interest or even better; by moving there. Not because someone tries to shove it into your head at school.

Bordering on homoeroticism? The way you wrote it I was totally imagining a yaoi version of the situation!

Hahaha back "on topic", you mention that Swedish has a strong cultural hold on the country, yet only 3/10 kids raised their hands when asked if they wanted to learn the language. What's up with that?

So you've to learn Danish? Might as well learn Finnish haha. I guess it'd be cool if kids had a language class in which they learn SWE, NOR, ICE, DNK and FIN. Would be awesome IMO, although unlikely to happen I guess.

But what you mentioned about youngsters "engulfed by English" culture really caught my attention, care to expand?

 

[lefay82]

I went through a phrasebook and to a small course in italian. Other than that I really haven't aspired to learn the language. Laziness and pointlessness being the reasons.+ I'm not a very disciplined person. If you don't constantly learn or speak a language it fades away in memory. It might come handy learning some basics though.

you're right, a language must be constatly practiced!
if you have only thought to learn italian and tried to that means there's a sort of interest behind this, it doesn't matter if your laziness won, at least you tried to
people of the south are always labeled as lazy, slack, undisciplined, while people from the north (at least here) they are compared with clocks, exact, well working, etc etc. but this is not always true, fortunatly

That is called xenocentric in sociological terms. My musical taste is mostly like that..

Well, you certainly go against the grain in your country and that is impressive. I'm wondering how you learn the language. By many things?



I hardly ever look at this thread. About time it changes..

do you wanna know how i've learned swedish?
by reading i suppose.
i bought a little dictionary, i've read some basic rules in english ('cause i could not find anything in italian) and then practice, i used vintersorg texts (yes i know they are not useful in life, but i'm not programming to move to swedish so usefulness is the last of my thoughts) and also manegarm, finntroll, falconer, fejd's texts...and then 8sidor, some poetries, some stuff about nordic folklore....and stop.
that's why i'm better at understanding than at speaking, cause my knowledge is very passive, and what i remember of grammar is mostly what comes from my readings

 

[Full Spectrum]

Hey, I was just realizing that I have STV1, a swedish channel that I always forget to watch. I should take an hour at least every week to watch it.

I had 'tevefyra', but it disappeared several years ago. Strange.

that's why i'm better at understanding than at speaking

I had a handbook for self-teaching learners, but I had no feedback. So, then it was a correspondence course, but one day I realized that I could only read and write. So I gave up again.



So all I know about pronunciation is "God morgon" sounds like "Go moro".


Uhm, and I've quite forgotten about http://sverige.nu .

 

[Djöfull]

Bordering on homoeroticism? The way you wrote it I was totally imagining a yaoi version of the situation!

I googled yaoi and yikes!!


Lefay, you are a prime example of autodidact( a finer word for nerd, hehe)!

8sidor

Whut be dat?

So you've to learn Danish?

But what you mentioned about youngsters "engulfed by English" culture really caught my attention, care to expand?

Ever since Iceland sneekily declared independence in 1944 when Denmark was occupied during the war, english and american influence on the culture has surged. The people worked with the armies and then there came a "yankie television station" from 1955-1974 (and radio station) along with the american airbase. And the youth got to know
american/english music and movies and slowly but steadily english became the second language by, you guessed it, exposure to it. There is no danish exposure in every day life. I had to do about 5-6 years of danish and it hasn't brought me fluency and not at all now since I hardly ever listen to it.

Music and movies are overwhelmingly in english and there has never been dubbing for tv programs or moves like in the larger countries of Spain, France, Italy etc... So one can learn a lot by the subtitles.

 

[lefay82]

I googled yaoi and yikes!!


Lefay, you are a prime example of autodidact( a finer word for nerd, hehe)!

Whut be dat?

so you googled yaoi and not 8sidor???'

http://8sidor.se/

 

[Djöfull]

so you googled yaoi and not 8sidor???'

http://8sidor.se/

Sorry. Why didn't I think of it. I don't know. But here is a heartbreaking ballad from a swedish heartthrob to compensate:






Anyway. What is 8sidor exactly? Simplified news for foreigners in swedish?

 

[Defiance]

you're right, a language must be constatly practiced!
if you have only thought to learn italian and tried to that means there's a sort of interest behind this, it doesn't matter if your laziness won, at least you tried to
people of the south are always labeled as lazy, slack, undisciplined, while people from the north (at least here) they are compared with clocks, exact, well working, etc etc. but this is not always true, fortunatly

do you wanna know how i've learned swedish?
by reading i suppose.
i bought a little dictionary, i've read some basic rules in english ('cause i could not find anything in italian) and then practice, i used vintersorg texts (yes i know they are not useful in life, but i'm not programming to move to swedish so usefulness is the last of my thoughts) and also manegarm, finntroll, falconer, fejd's texts...and then 8sidor, some poetries, some stuff about nordic folklore....and stop.
that's why i'm better at understanding than at speaking, cause my knowledge is very passive, and what i remember of grammar is mostly what comes from my readings

, people at the south are always indisciplined. I guess that's why La Cosa Nostra still has so much control? Not all of them are lazy, for sure, but it's certainly an accurate cultural stereotype haha.

I googled yaoi and yikes!!

Lefay, you are a prime example of autodidact( a finer word for nerd, hehe)!

Ever since Iceland sneekily declared independence in 1944 when Denmark was occupied during the war, english and american influence on the culture has surged. The people worked with the armies and then there came a "yankie television station" from 1955-1974 (and radio station) along with the american airbase. And the youth got to know
american/english music and movies and slowly but steadily english became the second language by, you guessed it, exposure to it. There is no danish exposure in every day life. I had to do about 5-6 years of danish and it hasn't brought me fluency and not at all now since I hardly ever listen to it.

Music and movies are overwhelmingly in english and there has never been dubbing for tv programs or moves like in the larger countries of Spain, France, Italy etc... So one can learn a lot by the subtitles.

Haha yeah, I don't really watch yaoi, but I do like my shoujo. And let's not get into yaoi hentai…. Yikes.

Cool, thanks for the historic bit. Interesting that Iceland, when becoming independent, took the English wor(l)d as the culture to follow, not the Danish one. I guess they didn't like the Danish "at that time".

so you googled yaoi and not 8sidor???'

http://8sidor.se/

My thoughts exactly .

Sorry. Why didn't I think of it. I don't know. But here is a heartbreaking ballad from a swedish heartthrob to compensate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylwWj8i9hJ0

Anyway. What is 8sidor exactly? Simplified news for foreigners in swedish?

Maybe you love yaoi?

Yeah, I guess that's an accurate way to define 8sidor.

So did Jan win the contest?

 

[lefay82]

Anyway. What is 8sidor exactly? Simplified news for foreigners in swedish?

oh my!
you're lazier than i imagined!!!!

from the site:

Omkring 100 000 personer läser 8 SIDOR.
Det är elever i grundskolan,
personer med utvecklingsstörning, invandrare och
många andra människor som har svårt att läsa en vanlig dagstidning
Alla dessa människor behöver
lättlästa nyheter och de tycker om
att läsa 8 SIDOR

 

[Djöfull]

Maybe you love yaoi?
So did Jan win the contest?

Yaoi seems at a first glance to be japanese softporn cartoons... I don't know.. wouldn't think so. *cough*

Jan finished third, he nearly melted the heart of Europe.

Well self rule was achieved in 1918(except for foreign matters) and first interior minister in 1904 so it was only a matter of time before independence would come. But the danes weren't happy with the circumstances under which Iceland broke off. Of course people had contacts with Denmark and went for instance to school there, like my parents did. And they still do. But people also go elsewhere because of increasing globalization.

 

[Djöfull]

oh my!
you're lazier than i imagined!!!!

from the site:

Omkring 100 000 personer läser 8 SIDOR.
Det är elever i grundskolan,
personer med utvecklingsstörning, invandrare och
många andra människor som har svårt att läsa en vanlig dagstidning
Alla dessa människor behöver
lättlästa nyheter och de tycker om
att läsa 8 SIDOR

Sorry, ehm didn't see it.. or I was in a hurry!

Cool site might use it inom jag erobrar Sverige!

 

[Defiance]

Yaoi seems at a first glance to be japanese softporn cartoons... I don't know.. wouldn't think so. *cough*

Jan finished third, he nearly melted the heart of Europe.

Well self rule was achieved in 1918(except for foreign matters) and first interior minister in 1904 so it was only a matter of time before independence would come. But the danes weren't happy with the circumstances under which Iceland broke off. Of course people had contacts with Denmark and went for instance to school there, like my parents did. And they still do. But people also go elsewhere because of increasing globalization.

You lazy bastard, that's not what yaoi is! At all! It's basically romantic male-homosexual stories hehe.

Ahhhhhh Jan didn't win? Bollocks to that! Who won?

Funny, Iceland and Denmark's case seems pretty similar to that of Canada and the UK.

 

[Djöfull]

Ok, so I didn't immerse myself into perverted comics.

Well, actually the song that won was pretty beautiful and not in the dance-pop vein of standard Eurovision songs. Nocturne from Norway!

that's not what yaoi is! At all! It's basically romantic male-homosexual stories hehe.

Romantic homo stories sounds like softporn to me!

Funny, Iceland and Denmark's case seems pretty similar to that of Canada and the UK.

Interesting that you mentioned that. I was reading about the war of 1812 when Canada/Britain went to war with the USA and... burned down the white house! A part of history that I had forgotten or never introduced myself to...

 

[Defiance]

Ok, so I didn't immerse myself into perverted comics.

Well, actually the song that won was pretty beautiful and not in the dance-pop vein of standard Eurovision songs. Nocturne from Norway!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqF9iqBZKv0


Romantic homo stories sounds like softporn to me!


Interesting that you mentioned that. I was reading about the war of 1812 when Canada/Britain went to war with the USA and... burned down the white house! A part of history that I had forgotten or never introduced myself to...

Really? For me softporn is "Climax Nights", don't know if that's the name in other countries, but here it was called Noches de Climax and aired on Cinemax. So you don't dig hentai, then? Not even ecchi?

Yeah we burnt down the White House! Brilliant, isn't it? I suggest reading this book, [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Canadian-History-Dummies-Will-Ferguson/dp/0470836563/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301447247&sr=8-1"]Canadian History for Dummies[/ame]. It provides a lot of in-depth and critical accounts of Canadian History; and this was the 1st For Dummies book that got a 2nd edition and actually entered most-sold lists. I've read it, and I really recommend it.

Hey very nice song, really like it! For a moment it sounded like the gals that sing in Celtic Women, but then that notion disappeared (Thank gott because Celtic Women is simply AWFUL).

 

[Djöfull]

Really? For me softporn is "Climax Nights", don't know if that's the name in other countries, but here it was called Noches de Climax and aired on Cinemax. So you don't dig hentai, then? Not even ecchi?

I've heard about hentai, but I don't seem interested in that stuff, seems like stuff for teenagers or very nerdy people. Not that I've read any of it.

Yeah we burnt down the White House!

Ahh.. you in a former life..

The for Dummies books are cool. Good introduction regarding issues. Can't see it at the library search engine though.

 

[Elvina]

can some native swedish speaker please correct this translation?

med jordbortnötningens utjämnande makt
danas landskapet efter vågor och vind
det omvandlas med en ihärdig takt
och öppnar beständighetens gallergrind

där bäckflödet skapar som en vittrande kompositör,
sprungen ur årstiders konvention
snårskogen höljer denna strömmande skulptör
tills dalgången fårats som en vindöppen kanjon

till dånet av forsar och fall
eroderar urberget stilla men metodiskt
där glaciärer slipat fram bergkristall
i den sjunkande landmassan, periodiskt
till dånet av forsar och fall;
bergras, jordskred och laviner
som plöjer sin omnejd till ljudvågors svall
längs vidsträckta älvraviner

strandbrinken urholkas med en brusande ton
och stenhavsbotten spolas och perforeras
under årtusenden av djuperosion
där alla klippor skavs och forceras

dit fascinationen seglar med blixtens hast
en tjuskraft förlagd att förundra
mårkan förbinder vattendragens konstrast
med mossens dräkt längs trädfri tundra

---------------------

with soil removing abrasion's leveling power
landscape is formed by waves and wind
it is transformed with a persistent pace
and opens iron gate of resistance

where stream flow creates like a withering composer,
originated from seasons' convention
bush veils this flowing sculptor
until the valley is furrowed like a breeze open canyon

the roar of rapids and waterfalls
eroding bedrock quietly but methodically
where glaciers milled out rock crystal
in the sinking land mass, periodically
the roar of rapids and waterfalls;
bergras [?], landslides and avalanches
that plow their surroundings into surge of sound waves
along the vast river gorges

river bank erosion with a roaring tone
and stone seabed flushed and perforated
over thousands of years of deep erosion
where all the rocks abraded and forced

where the fascination is flying at lightning speed
a fascination located to marvel
land connecting contrast of waterways
with bog's dress along treeless tundra

 

[Defiance]

I've heard about hentai, but I don't seem interested in that stuff, seems like stuff for teenagers or very nerdy people. Not that I've read any of it.

Ahh.. you in a former life..

The for Dummies books are cool. Good introduction regarding issues. Can't see it at the library search engine though.

Haha well I am half Canadian (British, German, whatever), so in a former life I was probably one of the Brits that helped burn it down .

Yeah For Dummies book are nice, it's interesting for me to analyse the style in which they're written. The Canadian History book is particularly good, it won the Will Eisner Award (). I recommend buying it, Amazon does deliver packages to Iceland, right? I guess it must be awfully expensive, though.

 

[Sigurðr]

turned onnn yay, its cartoon but damn..they are hot

 

[Elvina]

what's wrong with their arms? the girl on the right is so out of proportions it's downright scary.

also, this is the reason i never look in the nerds thread. Will you please save such pictures for that thread and move this conversation there? much appreciated.

 

[Defiance]

what's wrong with their arms? the girl on the right is so out of proportions it's downright scary.

also, this is the reason i never look in the nerds thread. Will you please save such pictures for that thread and move this conversation there? much appreciated.

I knew you were going to complain haha, no problem . But yeah, they're totally unreal: Imagine the back problems! Anatomically impossible, and also the guys: They have in average, I'd say a 30cm (11 inches) penises, which obviously reflects Japanese men's hidden fears/traumas for having smaller penises than the world average.

 

[Elvina]

I knew you were going to complain haha, no problem . But yeah, they're totally unreal: Imagine the back problems! Anatomically impossible, and also the guys: They have in average, I'd say a 30cm (11 inches) penises, which obviously reflects Japanese men's hidden fears/traumas for having smaller penises than the world average.

do i even want to know? unreal but pretty is one thing, ugly grotesque is something completely different...

back on topic (whew!): nobody who can check and correct errors in my translation of Till dånet av forsar och fall posted above? ^