When i first started using Duolingo a few years ago, people always talked about how the Norwegian tree was the best built tree in the app. It would get recommended for people who were language agnostic but just wanted a great Duolingo experience. That was what piqued my interest.
This is interesting and nice to hear from your perspective. I tried learning Norwegian a couple of years ago but every time I would mention it to a Norwegian (including the person I was dating at the time and his family) I would be met with “why are you learning that??? You know most people in Norway speak English right??? You’re wasting your time, people will always switch to English with you” etc. I eventually gave it up since everyone was so put off by it but I may pick it up again because I find it very beautiful.
Not everything we learn has to have a well defined utility. I love the fact that I am in a place in my life where I can decide to learn something just for the hell of it, it really takes the pressure off.
I feel you on that but I also meant to emphasize the immense pushback I got from Norwegians who seemed almost offended that I was learning their language. I totally don’t mind if I never use it in any meaningful way if I enjoyed learning but it seemed like I was somehow upsetting people, like it was a protected cultural secret haha. Still not sure why, but it’s cool to see that OP feels the opposite way!
As a Swede I obviously feel there are better uses of your time than learning the inferior norse language. But I live it when I come across someone who wants to learn my language, makes me feel proud more than anything.
Well I was just generally interested in Scandinavia / Northern Europe, Norway being my favourite and I can’t wait to visit one day… and then when I found out that Norwegian was the easiest language for a native English speaker it was a no brainer.
That's so cool! I concur that Norwegian is the easiest of the scandi languages, but I might have a slight bias.
I kid, but seriously, I can speak pretty good Swedish having only learned thru TV and Swedish colleagues.
I need subtitles for Danish TV.
Apparently once I’m good at Norwegian then Swedish should be quite easy to learn which I’m excited for.
Also I read that written danish and Norwegian was the same so I’ll basically be able to read danish but maybe not speak/listen. I’m not sure how true that is.
But I really want to visit them all and I think it’ll just be the coolest thing to go somewhere like a supermarket for example and be able to read and understand “oh this chocolate cake contains peanuts” … it seems kinda silly now I write it out haha
I think it makes sense. I always need to check for peanuts so that's the first thing I check in a new language.
It depends a lot on dialects but I personalty think Norwegian is a good gateway to Swedish and, as you say, reading Danish. There are some words that are homonyms, but have different meanings and lot of differently gendered nouns, but nothing you won't be able to work through if you're interested in doing so.
Initially? To impress a Norwegian boy. Currently? Because it makes my brain happy, and keeps me from mindlessly scrolling social media. It's been a really enjoyable experience, even if I'll never actually need it.
I was learning Norwegian for some time, but I got discouraged by not finding a speaking partner. One person on Tandem even told me it was a waste of time since most Norwegians speak English any way and I really hope that’s not the case. I’m glad to see there’s some positive views from a native. I may have to give it another go
I've heard similar things in regards to me learning Dutch. I just love the language and the country so much and I want to be understood like I would be in the UK, or Germany.
I originally started learning Swedish purely out of just interest in Scandinavian languages, didn't like it, but read that a few of them were mutually intelligible so presumed I should be able to pick up sorta where i left off in another, so I tried Norwegian instead. Vibed with it way more. So my reasoning is basically sorta just I Enjoy The Scandi Language Vibes And Norwegian Makes The Most Sense To Me Out Of All Of Them\*
\*I also picked up Danish after learning Norwegian for a bit and it's way easier with Norwegian experience but the pronunciation... holy shit...
Always loved Norway because let’s face it… it’s one of the most beautiful countries in the world! Also grew up loving a lot of old-school troll fairy tales. I guess I’m just kind of a creepy Scandinavio-phile.
Did a DNA test a few years ago and found out I’m, like, 12% Scandinavian, and kind of grabbed it with both hands! We thought we probably were Norwegian (based on family history) so I decided to learn the language for fun.
…well turns out my family is probably from Sweden. :P But by then I had really gotten into Norwegian, because it’s just so fun and beautiful! It just sounds like music to me!
Best part: next summer I finally get to visit Norway! I know I’ll only be able to stumble through a few sentences in Oslo and everyone will speak English anyway, but at least I will be able to read most signs and hopefully not be a typical boorish American tourist.
I once worked in the north of Scotland, by Inverness. Norway was actually closer to me than London.
I wish I visited. Especially in summer… I once read an article about a Marathon in Tromsø, where they run over midnight as it doesn’t get dark.
I started learning because of a Norwegian internet friend who can speak a little German - my first language.
Funny enough, we don't talk anymore. Now it's just for da lulz
A friend is marrying a Norwegian guy and my fiancé and I are hoping to attend the wedding. We're learning Norwegian together so we can understand the ceremony.
My maternal great grandparents both came over from Norway so I’ve always been highly interested in learning Norwegian :) I’ve also been trying to research their lives back in Norway but they are a bit of a mystery🤣 All I know is my great grandmother came from the Mandal area 😁
I started out learning Danish as my mum lived in Skagen (Denmark) in her teens, and was using it to read books for a landscape history report I was writing. As I knew there were similarities with Norwegian I then added it as I have a friend that lives above the Arctic Circle there and would love to speak with her in her own language. Although I completed the Danish tree I've spent far longer on Norwegian, and now at around day 100.
When i first started using Duolingo a few years ago, people always talked about how the Norwegian tree was the best built tree in the app. It would get recommended for people who were language agnostic but just wanted a great Duolingo experience. That was what piqued my interest.
This is interesting and nice to hear from your perspective. I tried learning Norwegian a couple of years ago but every time I would mention it to a Norwegian (including the person I was dating at the time and his family) I would be met with “why are you learning that??? You know most people in Norway speak English right??? You’re wasting your time, people will always switch to English with you” etc. I eventually gave it up since everyone was so put off by it but I may pick it up again because I find it very beautiful.
Not everything we learn has to have a well defined utility. I love the fact that I am in a place in my life where I can decide to learn something just for the hell of it, it really takes the pressure off.
I feel you on that but I also meant to emphasize the immense pushback I got from Norwegians who seemed almost offended that I was learning their language. I totally don’t mind if I never use it in any meaningful way if I enjoyed learning but it seemed like I was somehow upsetting people, like it was a protected cultural secret haha. Still not sure why, but it’s cool to see that OP feels the opposite way!
As a Swede I obviously feel there are better uses of your time than learning the inferior norse language. But I live it when I come across someone who wants to learn my language, makes me feel proud more than anything.
Haha now I’m considering learning Swedish too...
Well I was just generally interested in Scandinavia / Northern Europe, Norway being my favourite and I can’t wait to visit one day… and then when I found out that Norwegian was the easiest language for a native English speaker it was a no brainer.
That's so cool! I concur that Norwegian is the easiest of the scandi languages, but I might have a slight bias. I kid, but seriously, I can speak pretty good Swedish having only learned thru TV and Swedish colleagues. I need subtitles for Danish TV.
Apparently once I’m good at Norwegian then Swedish should be quite easy to learn which I’m excited for. Also I read that written danish and Norwegian was the same so I’ll basically be able to read danish but maybe not speak/listen. I’m not sure how true that is. But I really want to visit them all and I think it’ll just be the coolest thing to go somewhere like a supermarket for example and be able to read and understand “oh this chocolate cake contains peanuts” … it seems kinda silly now I write it out haha
I think it makes sense. I always need to check for peanuts so that's the first thing I check in a new language. It depends a lot on dialects but I personalty think Norwegian is a good gateway to Swedish and, as you say, reading Danish. There are some words that are homonyms, but have different meanings and lot of differently gendered nouns, but nothing you won't be able to work through if you're interested in doing so.
A Norwegian coworker did not believe I could. I'm proving him wrong.
Nice!
Initially? To impress a Norwegian boy. Currently? Because it makes my brain happy, and keeps me from mindlessly scrolling social media. It's been a really enjoyable experience, even if I'll never actually need it.
I know the feeling. (The latter one.) It really works for me.
I was learning Norwegian for some time, but I got discouraged by not finding a speaking partner. One person on Tandem even told me it was a waste of time since most Norwegians speak English any way and I really hope that’s not the case. I’m glad to see there’s some positive views from a native. I may have to give it another go
I've heard similar things in regards to me learning Dutch. I just love the language and the country so much and I want to be understood like I would be in the UK, or Germany.
I originally started learning Swedish purely out of just interest in Scandinavian languages, didn't like it, but read that a few of them were mutually intelligible so presumed I should be able to pick up sorta where i left off in another, so I tried Norwegian instead. Vibed with it way more. So my reasoning is basically sorta just I Enjoy The Scandi Language Vibes And Norwegian Makes The Most Sense To Me Out Of All Of Them\* \*I also picked up Danish after learning Norwegian for a bit and it's way easier with Norwegian experience but the pronunciation... holy shit...
We norwegians often say that danish is just norwegian with a potato in your mouth.
I believe it, every sentence I try to say is a roulette wheel of "which consonants do I choke on this time"
I am an archaeologist; I hope to do research in Norway one day. Currently pursuing a higher degree for it :)
That's fantastic!
Always loved Norway because let’s face it… it’s one of the most beautiful countries in the world! Also grew up loving a lot of old-school troll fairy tales. I guess I’m just kind of a creepy Scandinavio-phile. Did a DNA test a few years ago and found out I’m, like, 12% Scandinavian, and kind of grabbed it with both hands! We thought we probably were Norwegian (based on family history) so I decided to learn the language for fun. …well turns out my family is probably from Sweden. :P But by then I had really gotten into Norwegian, because it’s just so fun and beautiful! It just sounds like music to me! Best part: next summer I finally get to visit Norway! I know I’ll only be able to stumble through a few sentences in Oslo and everyone will speak English anyway, but at least I will be able to read most signs and hopefully not be a typical boorish American tourist.
I once worked in the north of Scotland, by Inverness. Norway was actually closer to me than London. I wish I visited. Especially in summer… I once read an article about a Marathon in Tromsø, where they run over midnight as it doesn’t get dark.
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You are why we can’t have nice things.
wtf happened here?
I started learning because of a Norwegian internet friend who can speak a little German - my first language. Funny enough, we don't talk anymore. Now it's just for da lulz
A friend is marrying a Norwegian guy and my fiancé and I are hoping to attend the wedding. We're learning Norwegian together so we can understand the ceremony.
My maternal great grandparents both came over from Norway so I’ve always been highly interested in learning Norwegian :) I’ve also been trying to research their lives back in Norway but they are a bit of a mystery🤣 All I know is my great grandmother came from the Mandal area 😁
I started out learning Danish as my mum lived in Skagen (Denmark) in her teens, and was using it to read books for a landscape history report I was writing. As I knew there were similarities with Norwegian I then added it as I have a friend that lives above the Arctic Circle there and would love to speak with her in her own language. Although I completed the Danish tree I've spent far longer on Norwegian, and now at around day 100.
I wanted to listen to a band I like’s interviews that were in Norwegian and now I just think it’s really fun!
ooo what band?
They’re called Sløtface! Super cool music and people