Scandinavian languages (was: Re: anti-Sanskritism and more)

>>How related are Norweigian and Swedish, Sweddish and Danish, and
>>Norwegian and Danish?
>
>I think it depends on whose mouth the hot potato is in.
That's a boiled potato, mind you...and I think you'll find that it's always
in the mouth of the Dane.  (Even the Danes admit to this.)

I'll leave it up to the Scandinavians on the list to give you the
definitive answer on this one, since Danish is my second language.  When I
have tried to read Norwegian, it has gone reasonably well.  When I have
tried to read Swedish, it has not gone nearly so well.  I have had very
little aural exposure to either language.

I can tell you that a Danish friend told me that she once picked up a book
and started reading.  She didn't have any particular trouble reading it,
but she was very surprised to find so many orthographical errors in a
printed book.  Eventually, she realized that the book was written in Norwegian.

I know that the Swedes on the list have complained about how poorly the
Danish language is enunciated, making it very difficult for them to
understand spoken.  We have at least one Dane on the list.  (Do we have
more?)  Do we have any Norwegians?

Isidora

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