How different are Scandinavian languages?
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The two languages differ about as much from each other as Castellano does from Valenciano. The main difference lies in the spelling of and pronunciation of words – the words often being the same words and having pretty much the same meaning, just spelled slightly differently.
Is Swedish pronunciation difficult?
Supposedly, Swedish is relatively easy for English speakers to learn. But if everything’s relative, then it’s also possible that you’ll still find certain aspects of Swedish difficult to master — particularly when it comes to the most difficult Swedish words to pronounce.
How do you say Kottbullar?
Köttbullar, or Swedish meatballs, is apparently pronounced “SHUT-boo-lahr”, with “SHUT” pronounced as when saying “Shut the door”.
Where is Swedish spoken in the Nordic countries?
Swedish is the most spoken language in the Nordic countries and the 14th-most spoken language in Europe, after Greek. It is the most widely spoken second language in Finland where it has status as co-official language. Swedish has also had historic use in Estonia, although the current status of the Estonian Swedish speakers is almost extinct.
How many vowels are in the Swedish language?
Swedish phonology. Jump to navigation Jump to search. Swedish has a large vowel inventory, with nine vowels distinguished in quality and to some degree quantity, making 17 vowel phonemes in most dialects. Swedish pronunciation of most consonants is similar to that of other Germanic languages.
What is the difference between Danish and Swedish?
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. Swedish is a descendant of Old Norse, the common language of the Germanic peoples living in Scandinavia during the Viking Era.
What is the history of the Swedish language?
The period that includes Swedish as it is spoken today is termed nusvenska (lit., “Now-Swedish”) in linguistics, and started in the last decades of the 19th century. It saw a democratization of the language with a less formal written form that approached the spoken one.