It should be realized that the amount of work involved in establishing mutual intelligibility among a set of. Germanic language mutual intelligibility people, england. Its maybe not as objective as you want, but im danish, and judging from a couple youtube videos like this one, its about as intelligible as swedish there are words i dont catchunderstand, and i have to pay more attention than if it it were in danish or english, but i definitely get the gist of it in this analogue, i guess norwegian would be like english spoken with a heavy scottish. Generally, speakers of the three largest scandinavian languages danish, norwegian and swedish can read each others languages without great difficulty. Danish, norwegian and swedish are similar enough that speakers can understand each other. Spanish italian mutual intelligibility is a prime example of the failure of mutual intelligibility as a determiner of samedifferent language. By being able to read some icelandic, i can make out old norse and modern scandinavian languages to a certain extent. Linguistic and extralinguistic predictors of inter. Danish and swedish normally have low mutual intelligibility, but swedes in the oresund region including malmo and helsingborg, across a strait from the danish capital copenhagen, understand danish somewhat better see mutual intelligibility in north germanic languages. Alternative for a lingua franca or active command of l2.
Written norwegian and danish are usually more easily understood by swedish speakers than the spoken languages, due to the differences in tone, accent and intonation. With scandinavian languages in hand, well think about the terms mutual intelligibility and asymmetric intelligibility. Are norwegian, finnish, danish, icelandic and swedish. In the present investigation, results from intelligibility. However, certain wellknown mutual intelligibility asymmetries by native speakers, such as swedish and danish 61, are not reflected in the confusion asymmetry in our data, which is based on. Question about intelligibility between norwegian, swedish and. May 31, 2009 finnish is a member of the finnougric language.
Mutual intelligibility of scandinavian languages archive. Delsing and lundina u kesson, 2005 who determined mutual intelligibility among scandinavian languages danish, norwegian and swedish using a comprehension test with just. Danish swedish mutual intelligibility black lake series 1 episode 2. The contribution of linguistic factors to the intelligibility. Introduction this paper reports on an investigation of the mutual intelligibility of the three mainland scandinavian languages danish, swedish and norwegian. Comparison of danish, norwegian bokmal, norwegian nynorsk. In the present investigation, results from intelligibility tests measuring the mutual intelligibility of danish, norwegian and swedish were compared with results of.
If a language is an official language in more than one country, we only included the variety from the country with the largest number of speakers. Learning one of the three languages makes learning the next quite easy id say, but this generally goes for germanic languages and languages as. Norwegian bokmal and standard danish have some asymmetric intelligibility, as speakers of norwegian can understand danish better than vice versa. Finnish, being completely different, belongs to the finnougric language family. It belongs to the finnougric family along with estonian and hungarian. Generally, speakers of the three largest scandinavian languages danish, norwegian and swedish can read. Dutch, german, english, swedish and danish are all germanic languages but the degree of mutual intelligibility between these languages differs. The primary obstacles to mutual comprehension are differences in.
How mutually intelligible are the finnish language and the. Norwegian danish and swedish are a dialect contiuum, which means that i understand most swedes better than some of the more different norwegian dialect, it also means that close to the border on both sides the language that is spoken is more or less the same, but the one side will write in norwegian, and the other in swedish. The languages spoken in scandinavia are called north germanic languages and include danish, swedish, norwegian, icelandic, and faroese. Danish is a language you need to be exposed to to understand, because of the pronunciation. One sign of that that i know of is that norwegian, icelandic and faroese have the classical indoeuropean gender system of malefemaleneuter, while swedish. These mutually intelligible languages will make you do a double take its important to note that mutual intelligibility is highly subjective. Can native german and swedish speakers understand each other without learning. If compared with other languages, are german and swedish closer to each other than french and spanish are to each other. In linguistics, mutual intelligibility is a relationship between languages or dialects in which. Pdf some scientific intelligibility studies robert lindsay. But we did not test the mutual intelligibility between, for example, spanish and czech or between portuguese and polish. Pdf some scientific intelligibility studies robert. Finnish, icelandic, and one of the three languages danish, norwegian and swedish. Between sources, you might find some claiming that two languages are mutually intelligible, while other sources claim those same languages arent.
The asymmetry in intelligibility between swedish and danish has often been explained as the result of a difference in attitudes. The results show that there are large differences in the. In the present investigation, results from intelligibility tests measuring the mutual intelligibility of danish, norwegian and swedish were compared with results of similar tests of mutual intelligibility between speakers of dutch, frisian and afrikaans. The north germanic languages are national languages in denmark, iceland, norway and sweden, whereas the nongermanic finnish is spoken by the majority in finland. The similarity and mutual intelligibility between amharic and. Mutual intelligibility between closely related languages 2712009 2 introduction. I have read some discussions about the mutual intelligibility between the two languages, but people seem to have different opinions. Conditional entropy measures intelligibility among related. The similarity and mutual intelligibility between amharic. Proficient speakers of any of the three languages can often understand the others fairly well, though studies have shown that speakers of norwegian generally understand both danish and swedish far better than swedes or danes understand each other. For those who speak at least one of the three, is there a particular order to learn these languages.
To what degree do neighbouring languages share mutual. Linguistic and extralinguistic predictors of interscandinavian intelligibility. Mutual intelligibility is a continuum that is, a gradient concept, marked by degrees of intelligibility, not by sharp divisions. But of course dutch is not a scandinavian language. The pronunciation of swedish seems a bit more straight forward then danish, but im not familiar with norwegian danish written and spoken language has become quite diverted over the cen. In internordic contexts, texts are today often presented in three versions. We usually say they sound like they have a potato in their throats when they speak. Linguistic and extralinguistic predictors of interscandinavian intelligibility charlotte gooskens university of groningen. Northern germanic languages spoken in scandinavia form a dialect continuum where two furthermost dialects have almost no mutual intelligibility. As many have already said, the written forms of swedish, norwegian and danish are easily understood by pretty much everyone in all three countries and the swedish contingent in finland.
These mutually intelligible languages will make you do a double take. This all is based on the somewhat high degree of mutual intelligibility, especially in written emails. The measurement of mutual intelligibility between westslavic. Til danish, norwegian and swedish are mutually intelligible. Internetonderzoek naar onderlinge verstaanbaarheid van. Most danes i speak to want to use english, mainly because they approach my norwegian as if i am trying to speak danish with them. Nov 14, 20 lets talk about the mutual intelligibility and similarities of the germanic languages.
Pdf communication between speakers of the closely related scandinavian. Linguistic and extralinguistic predictors ofinterscandinavian intelligibility. Even though the three west germanic languages dutch, frisian and afrikaans are also closely related, semicommunication is not usual between these languages. Mutual intelligibility between speakers of north and west. Nov 23, 2010 in the present investigation, results from intelligibility tests measuring the mutual intelligibility of danish, norwegian and swedish were compared with results of similar tests of mutual intelligibility between speakers of dutch, frisian and afrikaans. Mutual intelligibility is a situation in which two or more speakers of a language or of closely related languages can understand each other. The main difference between danish and norwegian is the spelling of and pronunciation of words the words are the same words, just spelled very slightly differently. Hi, seeing as though icelandic has stood frozen in time since the middle ages and hasnt changed a single bit from old norse, is icelandic mutually intelligible with old english. However, as the capitals of norway and denmark are close to sweden while the capitals of sweden and finland are distant from the neighbouring countries, the amount of contact. List of mutually intelligible languages written and spoken forms. Germanic language mutual intelligibility english, dutch. It is sometimes used as an important criterion for distinguishing languages from dialects, although sociolinguistic factors are often also used. As such, spoken danish and swedish normally have low mutual intelligibility, but swedes in the oresund region including malmo and helsingborg, across a strait from the danish capital copenhagen, understand danish somewhat better, largely due to.
Norwegian, danish, and swedishmutually intelligible. English scots frisian german luxembourgish yiddish dutch afrikaans north germanic. Linguistic and extralinguistic predictors of mutual intelligibility. Additionally, norwegian assimilated a considerable amount of danish. The limit of learning mutually intelligible languages. If this is true it may be because, as scandinavians sometimes say, norwegian is pronounced like danish is spelt, while danish pronunciation bears a rather more. Danish and swedish are the most mutually comprehensible, but german and dutch are also mutually intelligible. The contribution of linguistic factors to the intelligibility of closely. University of groningen mutual intelligibility in the slavic. The muchdiscussed mutual intelligibility between the scandinavian languages. The primary obstacles to mutual comprehension are differences in pronunciation.
Mutual intelligibility may also not be equal in both directions. Lets talk about the mutual intelligibility and similarities of the germanic languages. As such, spoken danish and swedish normally have low mutual intelligibility, but swedes in the oresund region including malmo and helsingborg, across a strait from the danish capital copenhagen, understand danish somewhat better, largely due to the proximity of the region to danish speaking areas. The largest problems are found in the mutual intelligibility between swedes and danes.
Pdf the influence of extralinguistic factors on mutual intelligibility. Nov 30, 2010 norwegian, danish, and swedishmutually intelligible posted by kari on nov 30, 2010 in language most people give me a very strange look when i tell them that i speak norwegian. It is largely mutually intelligible with norwegian and danish, although the degree of mutual intelligibility is largely dependent on the dialect and accent of the speaker. Im a danish non native speaker in a multinordic company in dk btw.
They give me an even stranger look when i say that one of my majors was norwegian. My question relates to language mutual intelligibility, specifically for norwegian, swedish, and danish. In the present investigation, results from intelligibility tests measuring the mutual intelligibility of danish, norwegian and swedish were compared with results of similar tests of mutual. Mutual intelligibility wikipedia republished wiki 2. These mutually intelligible languages will make you do a. Comparison of danish, norwegian bokmal, norwegian nynorsk and. Why some speakers cant understand speakers who understand.
Svt1 and svt2 some days has just as much danish or norwegian. Previous studies have indicated that mutual intelligibility between closely related language pairs is sometimes asymmetric. The contribution of linguistic factors to the intelligibility of. People, especially older, from southern sweden and eastern denmark communicate reasonably well face to face.
Languages understandable to englishspeakers without learning. It is often said, for instance, that danes understand norwegians better than norwegians understand danes. Dutch has a relatively close genetic relationship to the descendants of old and middle english such as english and scots, though less than the. However, in nearly all cases, both words will exist in the other language and have pretty much the. Nov 16, 2014 germanic language mutual intelligibility austrians, country, people, germans. Are danish, norwegian, and swedish mutually intelligible. Thus, they are closely related, and largely mutually intelligible. Intelligibility of germanic languages underestimated.
Germanic language mutual intelligibility english, dutch, standard user name. Norwegian, danish, and swedishmutually intelligible posted by kari on nov 30, 2010 in language most people give me a very strange look when i tell them that i speak norwegian. The three mainland scandinavian languages danish, swedish and norwegian are so closely related that the speakers mostly communicate in their own languages semicommunication. The bestdocumented case of asymmetric intelligibility is danish swedish. Mutual intelligibility of chinese dialects experimentally tested. The language group is sometimes referred to as the nordic languages, a direct translation of the most common term used among danish, swedish, icelandic and norwegian. Interscandinavian intelligibility mutual intelligibility is often imperfect alternative for a lingua franca or active command of l2 scientific knowledge is lacking about determinants of mutual intelligibility. Asymmetry has been observed, for example, between spanish and portuguese and between czech and slovak. Probably over 90% of words are the same or almost the same in danish, norwegian and swedish, and in the latter 2 swedish norwegian they are also pronounced in a similar way. Taiwanese all speaking chinese but varieties are so different they are mutually unintelligible. Hence, the present study examined the distance and the mutual intelligibility between amharic and two tigrigna varieties together with the effect of the attitude on the mutual. Its important to note that mutual intelligibility is highly subjective. I understand these three are, to an extent, mutually intelligible.
As such, spoken danish and swedish normally have low mutual intelligibility, but. Mutual intelligibility in the slavic language area groningen dissertations in. This strategy is widely used for communication among speakers of the three mainland scandinavian languages, i. Danish is largely mutually intelligible with norwegian and swedish. Mutual intelligibility between closely related languages.
Determinants of mutual intelligibility between closely. Understanding of spoken language will vary greatly from per. In linguistics, mutual intelligibility is a relationship between languages or dialects in which speakers of different but related varieties can readily understand each other without prior familiarity or special effort. The languages are mutually intelligible, with the primary differences being in pronunciation and in the sound system as a whole mutual intelligibility. For me, norwegian, even western norwegian, is easier to understand. In some cases, a specific word will be used in norwegian and another in danish. Germanic language mutual intelligibility best, country. Danish, norwegian and swedish are all descended from old norse, the common ancestor of all north germanic languages spoken today. Mutual intelligibility wikimili, the best wikipedia reader.
The study looks at the intelligibility of auditory and written material and concludes that. However, there are hundreds of studies on this topic so finding a newer study in english that can be used as a reference for the danish swedish partial mutual intelligibility should not be a problem. I do know that, from a linguistichistoric perspective rather than a mutual intelligibility perspective, norwegian is more closely related to icelandic and faroese than swedish or danish. Like between the slavic languages, there is also many similarities and in some also mutual intelligibility between germanic languages. Mutual intelligibility between closely related languages in. There are certain sounds in both languages that to the untrained ear does not manifest themselves as anything recognizable.
They are subdivided into east danish, swedish and westscandinavian norwegian, icelandic languages. Sep 23, 2009 are german and swedish mutually intelligible. Danish, norwegian and swedish, are so closely related that the speakers often use their own language when communica. By knowing german, i can understand most written dutch. I speak norwegian as a second language and i am able to have conversations with swedes without a problem. I communicate in danish swedish and danish norwegian nearly effortlessly via email, rarely i have to look up a swedish word or expression more often than norwegian. I even got mistaken for a norwegian once in a cafe in stockholm. Mutual intelligibility of pronunciation between malay and swedish users of english as an international language eil hyeseung jeong download fulltext read fulltext. Generally, speakers of the three largest scandinavian languages danish, norwegian and swedish can read and speak each others languages without great difficulty.
As such, spoken danish and swedish normally have low mutual intelligibility, 7 but swedes in the oresund region including malmo and helsingborg, across a strait from the danish capital copenhagen, understand danish somewhat better, largely due to the proximity of the region to danishspeaking areas. Are scandinavian languages mutually understandable. Germanic language mutual intelligibility austrians, country. Danish, swedish and norwegian are said to have very high mutual intelligibility to the point that everyone just speaks in their own language in the scandinavian countries, with icelandic and faroese constituting another branch which is not as much as mutually intelligible. The mutual intelligibility is partial and perhaps asymmetric, but one can often discern the meanings of the majority of the words in a sentence, and correctly infer the grammar. This holds especially true of danish and norwegian.
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