Should German count as only one language?

[Gustaf]

A friend's uncle was a politician in Austria. He had to have an interpreter in certain places to communicate with the locals when campaigning.

[Gustaf]

A friend's uncle was a politician in Austria. He had to have an interpreter in certain places to communicate with the locals when campaigning.

Lol, what ?

Was the guy from Vienna and wanted to campaign in Vorarlberg ?

Because I don't see how anyone from the other 8 states would beed an interpreter in these states other than maybe Vorarlberg.

Unless the uncle was a foreigner and not capable of the Austrian-German ...

No, he's an Austrian. I think he was from Vienna. I couldn't tell you where the interpreter was needed though - it was somewhere.

[Gustaf]

Gus, while you're here I may as well turn the table on you. I've heard the argument that Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish should be classified as one Scandinavian language. Fair or no? And I don't buy the requisite literary precedent argument for the defintion of a language. Most languages in the world have little to no extant literature.

Well...it's more or less fair. Swedes, Danes and Norwegians can pretty much understand each other if they try.

I think the intrinsic differences are certainly a lot smaller than within German or Chinese, to give examples that have been discussed here.

Of course, since they have different countries they do have different written languages and so on.

[Gustaf]

Gus, while you're here I may as well turn the table on you. I've heard the argument that Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish should be classified as one Scandinavian language. Fair or no? And I don't buy the requisite literary precedent argument for the defintion of a language. Most languages in the world have little to no extant literature.

Well...it's more or less fair. Swedes, Danes and Norwegians can pretty much understand each other if they try.

I think the intrinsic differences are certainly a lot smaller than within German or Chinese, to give examples that have been discussed here.

Of course, since they have different countries they do have different written languages and so on.

Norwegian and Swedish have different spellings, but they're pretty close to one another. I'm sure verbally they sound basically the same. Danish is definitely different though. Would you speak Swedish if you visited another Nordic country or just English?

Well, this is a complex question.

First of all, in written terms Danish and Norwegian are identical. I mean, seriously. What little difference there is can be ascribed to the Norwegians doing silly spelling reforms stuff when that sort of thing was really trendy a century ago and they gained their independence.

When it comes to the spoken language, Danish is a very, very muddled language. As in I believe (and obviously this is a convenient myth to be pushed here in Sweden, but I think it might actually be true) it takes longer for Danish kids to learn to speak because the language is so hard to listen to.

It's quite removed from the spelling with a lot of letters "swallowed down". As an effect, Danish is very easy to read for a Swede (as in I can pretty much read Danish without any trouble) but if it's spoken fast it's hard to keep up. I often have to ask a Dane to repeat things a bit slower.

With Norwegians it depends a lot more on the dialect. Standard Norwegian is not at all hard to follow for a Swede.

In terms of what language I use when going there, it varies a lot. I like to use Swedish since I think it's silly to use English with my Nordic brethren. On the other hand, sometimes it seems a bit arrogant, as if I was one of those continental European idiots who go abroad without knowing English and expect everyone to know French/Italian/Russian etc.

Especially with Danes it can seem hypocritical since I often can't understand them that easily. Then again, I often meet Danes/Norwegians in international contexts where everyone speaks English anyway, or the kind of people who have learnt to communicate with Swedes. I have a half-Swedish half-Danish friend, for example, and she speaks a Swedified version of Danish with me that I can understand very easily.

[Gustaf]

On the other hand, sometimes it seems a bit arrogant, as if I was one of those continental European idiots who go abroad without knowing English and expect everyone to know French/Italian/Russian etc.

There's always the classic British idiot abroad method as well: SPEAK ENG-LISH LOUD-LY AND SLOW-LY.

Ha, yes. I'd say though that one can often expect people to know English. I got pissed at the airport security in Brussels when they didn't (I know enough French to get by anyway but I found it unprofessional).

But if you're like, Italian, what do you expect?

[Gustaf]

On the other hand, sometimes it seems a bit arrogant, as if I was one of those continental European idiots who go abroad without knowing English and expect everyone to know French/Italian/Russian etc.

There's always the classic British idiot abroad method as well: SPEAK ENG-LISH LOUD-LY AND SLOW-LY.

Ha, yes. I'd say though that one can often expect people to know English. I got pissed at the airport security in Brussels when they didn't (I know enough French to get by anyway but I found it unprofessional).

But if you're like, Italian, what do you expect?

Don't go to Spain then.

I've been to Barcelona. Loved the Gaudi architecture. It fits my bourgeois taste.

[Gustaf]

I have a half-Swedish half-Danish friend, for example, and she speaks a Swedified version of Danish with me that I can understand very easily.

So...Skane?

No, "Skånska" as they speak in Skåne is not easily understandable.

[Gustaf]

"Ti va elå int ti va, je froågon:
Må e va betär tro ti toål o liid
All styng å pilar som man foår i liive
Elå räis se mot e hav oåv ploågår
Å jier shlut åp allt. -Ti döij -
Ti soåv - bare soåv -
I sömnin shlutar järtta kväsch
Å tusentale ploågår
Som je kropsins arvedäil
Tar entligen in iend.
He sku va än noåd ti bydi om i stillhäit."

Finland Swedish dialect

Haha! So, for the non-Swedish speakers that is Hamlet's monologue "To Be or Not To Be"

[Gustaf]

I'll just note that dialect shame definitely exists in Sweden. There was even a big hit some years ago referencing someone getting rid of their stupid dialect to make it in Stockholm.