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Exactly, Swedish language for Swedes, Dutch language for the Dutch, nothing sad about that. However there has to be a lingua franca that makes it possible for people of different languages to communicate with eachother, and that is English.
Do you think it is possible that English will eventually take over Swedish in Sweden? Or will the role of English change/increase during the next, say, 50 years?
As I live here in The Netherlands I can say that German speak much better English than some people who post here. Why do you think that they need to speak English anyway? They are German not English Some times I pretend that I don't speak English when it come to ask directions. Because they wont stop from there they will offer a beer or even more By the way I have been to Sweden my dear there also the same. So ...hi hii
The place I had the hardest time communicating in English was Newcastle. They seemed to understand me, fairly well, but I hadn't a clue what they were saying, most of the time.
Ya divvent nah whar th'sedd?
Yes, very strong "Geordie" is incredibly difficult to understand - I saw an interview with a woman on the news once, and they put up subtitles! Glaswegian is tricky, but Belfast/Ulster is the worst of all. Might as well be another language. I went out with a lad from Derry for a while, but the fact I simply could not understand him made the relationship short lived.
Quote:
Originally Posted by deneb78
Yes I believe you. I've been to the Netherlands before and it's like how you just described when I tried some Dutch but I think they appreciated my effort and saw it as a sign of respect.
I have a lot of experience trying to practice Dutch in the Netherlands. They usually can't be bothered. They last time I tried, in a quiet bar, with the barman, he said "why do you want to learn such a useless language? - let's stick to English!". I used to wonder why they seem to have zero tolerance or patience when I made mistakes, but a Dutch friend explained that it's because they rarely hear it spoken by anyone other than natural Dutch speakers, and as such, can't cope when it's not completely correct. This made sense. As an English native, I hear my language spoken in every dialect, sometimes so "broken" it's hard to understand, from every corner of the planet. And in London (naturally!). I'm used to hearing it strangled, and just accept it as normal - and with gratitude that they can communicate.
I often think of my German suppliers who deal with the same Italian companies as I do. The Italians speak very, very basic English, but no German - and the Germans speak no Italian. They deal in English - and it must be very difficult!!
Do you think it is possible that English will eventually take over Swedish in Sweden? Or will the role of English change/increase during the next, say, 50 years?
I would say young people don't even understand what they lose meanwhile admiring english and using slang words in english etc. It is insidious tragedy. They could improve and nurture their own instead. So many dialects and smaller languages died already. People should wake up to value what they have. Sometimes it is better than what they are fancying...
Do you think it is possible that English will eventually take over Swedish in Sweden? Or will the role of English change/increase during the next, say, 50 years?
No absolutely not. We do not speak English to eachothers, we only speak English to those who don't understand Swedish.
And what if more and more expats will come, more and more mixed marriages with English as a common language..?
Well, just for a starter, its very hard to get a job in Sweden if you can't speak or understand Swedish (or Danish/Norwegian). And our media is almost entirely Swedish, with the exception of a very few programs/news in Finnish, Meänkieli and Davvisámegiella (North Sami).
Foreign languages has had a great status in the Swedish society for centuries, now its English, before it was French, and before that, it was German (specifically: Low German, Plattdeutsch). But during all the time, Swedish has been the majority language and has recieved many French and Low German influences that has been made permanent, and will probably have many English influences as well. If it was not for the French and Low German influences we would today speak a completely different language, something similar to what they speak in Iceland today.
I would say young people don't even understand what they lose meanwhile admiring english and using slang words in english etc. It is insidious tragedy. They could improve and nurture their own instead. So many dialects and smaller languages died already. People should wake up to value what they have. Sometimes it is better than what they are fancying...
Agreed 100%. It's very sad to see the dialects wither away. I can see it in my family. Everyone over 60 speaks regional dialects mostly. Everyone under 30 speaks high German, with no regional variation.
I would say young people don't even understand what they lose meanwhile admiring english and using slang words in english etc. It is insidious tragedy. They could improve and nurture their own instead. So many dialects and smaller languages died already. People should wake up to value what they have. Sometimes it is better than what they are fancying...
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As I live here in The Netherlands I can say that German speak much better English than some people who post here. Why do you think that they need to speak English anyway? They are German not English
Some times I pretend that I don't speak English when it come to ask directions. Because they wont stop from there they will offer a beer or even more
