Help Scandinavian language help

[old.user4556]

I came across this video clip on Youtube and wondered what language they're speaking? Given that Stelan is Swedish and Mads is a Dane - are they speaking their own language or a single language? I'm aware that Swedish, Danish and Norwegian are very similar so wondered if they were just 'understanding' each other speaking their own particular language.

Mads Mikkelsen and Stellan Skarsgård on Skavlan - YouTube

 

[Wazzerphuk]

Yes, the Scandinavian languages are different but carry a certain level of mutual intelligibility.

I don't know what they're speaking though, but it is possible for them to be speaking their own languages and get what each other are saying, normally.

 

[old.user4556]

Just translated some of the comments and it would appear Mads was speaking Swedish.

 

[Aoami]

from what i've heard, danes can understand swedes, and vice-versa, and that same with swedes and norwegians, but danish and norwegian are a bit less similar.

 

[CorNokZ]

They are speaking Swedish

 

[Chosen]

from what i've heard, danes can understand swedes, and vice-versa, and that same with swedes and norwegians, but danish and norwegian are a bit less similar.

It depends alot where in Norway you live. As our southern parts of Norway got dialects very close to the northern Danish part!

But for myself speaking "Bokmål" our main language, then swedish is alot easier to understand then danish. But when it comes to the writing language again, danish is closer to norwegian then swedish is.

But all 3 languages originates from the same language(Norrønt) which is why we are so similar.

 

[old.user4556]

Cheers guys, much appreciated. I'd love to go to Norway, i've seen some awesome photography from there.

 

[TdC]

it's amazing there G. I went in 2010. if you get a chance to go, don't skip it!

 

[fettoken]

Norwegian is more easy to understand than Danish. But as said, depending on where in Denmark / Norway you live, you can understand more/less. But i guess Danes/Norwegians can put some effort and talk so us Swedes can understand

 

[Gwadien]

They're typing english though.

 

[Helme]

They're jumping a bit between both Swedish and Danish, but as everyone else has already said - we all understand eachother fairly well, Danish is a bit harder than Norwegian for me but not that much. Written text is very easy to grasp too.

Icelandic however is a fucking disaster of a language.

 

[Mabs]

Two Ronnies: Swedish Made Simple/FUNEX? - YouTube

 

[DaGaffer]

They're jumping a bit between both Swedish and Danish, but as everyone else has already said - we all understand eachother fairly well, Danish is a bit harder than Norwegian for me but not that much. Written text is very easy to grasp too.

Icelandic however is a fucking disaster of a language.

I thought Icelandic was the earlier version that all the other nordic languages evolved from? Mind you, I suppose if someone started yakking at me in Old English I wouldn't know what they're on about either.

 

[Zenith]

Nah, the Scandinavian languages is a offset from the Germanic (?) languages, which involved slightly different in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. AFAIK Icelandic is a bastardised language that survived and evolved from vikings occupying the island ages ago?

In the clip, Stellan is swedish, Mads danish and Skavlan norwegian. Mads is trying (and doing quite well) to speak Swedish and Skavlan norwegian.

As a Swede, its next until impossible to understand Danish (a bit depending where they're from). Its an age thing aswell, the older generation Danes understand Swedish and can speak Swedish much better than the younger generation. Norwegian is easier, but their switches in pitch is fucking annoying. Naturally, Swedish is master of the Scandi languages, where the Danish and Norwegian and Finnish-Swedish dialects heritage from.

 

[Fafnir]

Swedish and Danish is closer to eachother, while norwegian and gutemål, the language they speak on the swedish island of Gotland is closer to eachother, pretty much two branches on the same language tree.

 

[Chosen]

Nah, the Scandinavian languages is a offset from the Germanic (?) languages, which involved slightly different in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. AFAIK Icelandic is a bastardised language that survived and evolved from vikings occupying the island ages ago?

Actually Norrønt or "old norse" is what evolved during the vikingage. The difference between Norway, Sweden & Denmark were almost none existant back then, and we were practically spoke the same language. But yes, "old norse" did evolve from the Germanic language!

Iceland still use the old language with small changes. But nearly impossible for us to understand, except for some similiar words.

 

[CorNokZ]

Oldie, but thought it suited the thread quite well

Danish language - YouTube

 

[Olgaline]

I always have an easier time understanding norwegian

 

[DaGaffer]

Actually Norrønt or "old norse" is what evolved during the vikingage. The difference between Norway, Sweden & Denmark were almost none existant back then, and we were practically spoke the same language. But yes, "old norse" did evolve from the Germanic language!

Iceland still use the old language with small changes. But nearly impossible for us to understand, except for some similiar words.

So I was right then? Icelandic is the equivalent of Old English.

 

[Chosen]

So I was right then? Icelandic is the equivalent of Old English.

No, Icelandic is what you would've called Old Norwegian. As they speak the exact language that my norwegian ancestors did. This because of we beeing the first/only settlers there.(Except for the danes who rules it at the last part, right before it became a independent country).

 

[old.Tohtori]

Old norse really, though i could give the norwegians the language if pushed, since they'rem the ones who held on to proto-norse longest.

Norwegians are the ony cool bunch anyway, from the jonte talking nations. Probably why the Finns and norse came along so nicely and why Norwegians and Finns get along too

But yeah Gaff is right in what he said, i kinda thought it would be taken wrong(Cho probably too it like i would'vee, that old english is somehow linked to iceland); old english is to english what old norse is to norwegian.

 

[Chosen]

Old norse really, though i could give the norwegians the language if pushed, since they'rem the ones who held on to proto-norse longest.

Norwegians are the ony cool bunch anyway, from the jonte talking nations. Probably why the Finns and norse came along so nicely and why Norwegians and Finns get along too

But yeah Gaff is right in what he said, i kinda thought it would be taken wrong(Cho probably too it like i would'vee, that old english is somehow linked to iceland); old english is to english what old norse is to norwegian.

The only reason Old English is linked to Iceland is that Old English was at the later stage heavily influenced by the Old Norse language(Which is what Icelandic is).

"From the 9th century, Old English experienced heavy influence from Old Norse, a member of the related North Germanic group of languages."
From the wiki.

Which means it is the other way around. That Old English spoke Icelandic(Old Norse)!

 

[Aoami]

Lots of places in England got their names from the Vikings. Norvic became Norwich, Jorvik became York etc. There is a fair few norse words in modern english.

 

[old.Tohtori]

The only reason Old English is linked to Iceland is that Old English was at the later stage heavily influenced by the Old Norse language(Which is what Icelandic is).

"From the 9th century, Old English experienced heavy influence from Old Norse, a member of the related North Germanic group of languages."
From the wiki.

Which means it is the other way around. That Old English spoke Icelandic(Old Norse)!

Yeah but what Gaff meant was that old norse is like old english, meaning that it's a precursor language. In that sense old norse and old english are similar.

Aoami, that's because you were half viking yourselves. Atleast in nothern england most folk got viking ancestry.

 

[Chosen]

Yeah but what Gaff meant was that old norse is like old english, meaning that it's a precursor language. In that sense old norse and old english are similar.

Aoami, that's because you were half viking yourselves. Atleast in nothern england most folk got viking ancestry.

They are both languages that have evolved in two different directions from germanic, yes! But noway near similar except for some certain shared words.

How I saw Gaff's comment is that he asks if the Icelandic language is the same as the Old English one. Which the answer is: No!

Icelandic originates from Old Norse, which they still resembles alot the day today. The only similiarity between Old English and Icelandic is what I stated earlier. Old English got heavily influenced by the Norse language(This because of vikings taking parts of England, and settling down in their own villages).

 

[old.Tohtori]

Yeah i know, i was trying to explain what i think Gaff meant. Easy to confuse stuff when talking with the english lot

He didn't mean old norse and old english are similar, just that it's like old english in a sense that its a precursor.

 

[DaGaffer]

Yeah but what Gaff meant was that old norse is like old english, meaning that it's a precursor language. In that sense old norse and old english are similar.

Aoami, that's because you were half viking yourselves. Atleast in nothern england most folk got viking ancestry.

Yup, that's what I meant. Basically Icelandic is a fossil language in relation to modern Scandinavian languages in the way Old English is to modern English.

Of course, back when Old Norse was the standard Scandinavian language the relationship between English and Norse was a lot closer than than English and Scandinavian languages are now (both being derived from old German). If it wasn't for the Normans, the languages would probably still be fairly similar today, but English was massively changed during the Middle Ages by the French and Latin influence.

 

[Lamp]

Is Icelandic harder to learn than Finnish? I've heard both are pretty tricky

 

[TdC]

I've not yet been to Finland but Icelandic is pretty tricky. At least in Danish / Norwegian you have more or less an idea what you're meant to be discussing. Sadly I haven't spoken to that many Swedes when I was visiting there to get a grasp of the normal things (eg, some buns please, two beers/coffees/blowjobs, you know, regular stuffs)

Icelandic seems to be more along the lines of making random noises at each other and happenstance dictates what gets done

 

[Aoami]

in iceland everything is in english anyway. my experience of reykjavik was that most of the bar staff were from the uk/us/aus/nz etc