Teach Yourself Norwegian - 2 Audio CDs and Book
Brand New : 2 CDs and Book
*learn how to speak, understand and write norwegian
*progress quickly beyond the basics
*explore the language in depth
If you want to progress quickly from the basics to understanding, speaking and writing Norwegian with confidence, then Teach Yourself Norwegian is the course for you. Although aimed at those with no previous knowledge, it is equally suitable for anyone wishing to brush up existing knowledge for a holiday or business trip. Key structures and vocabulary are introduced in 16 thematic units progressing from introducing yourself and dealing with everyday situations to writing a letter and making a complaint. In the later units you will become familiar with many aspects of Norwegian life as well as the language. The emphasis is on communication throughout with important language structures introduced through dialogues on the accompanying recording. The course is centred around an English student, Sue, and her adventures in Norway, including a hospital visit, celebrations and family life. There are plenty of exercises to practise the language as it is introduced and tips throughout to help with grammar. Cultural information tips give useful advice and information for anyone planning a trip to Norway.
The new edition retains the tried-and-tested structure of the lessons but has been updated to include a brand new double CD of the audio material. Popular features of the previous edition have been retained:
- an English-Norwegian vocabulary,
- a glossary of grammatical terms,
- a taking it further section directing you to further sources of real Norwegian.
About the Author
Margaretha Danbolt Simons is Norwegian, but has lived in England for many years. She has been teaching at the University of Surrey for the last ten years. Her course, Norwegian ab initio, which is part of the MA/Diploma in Translation Studies, attracts 15-20 students per year. She uses her own book 'Teach yourself Norwegian' as her textbook and main teaching aid. Other subjects she teaches at the University of Surrey are Medical and Literary translation, English into Norwegian, and an introductory course of Interpreting.
She runs two Norwegian classes at the Guildford Adult Education Centre, one for beginners and one intermediate, and also teaches on a one-to-one basis. Students include diplomats and businesspeople.
About the Norwegian Language
Norwegian (norsk) is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants. These continental Scandinavian languages together with the insular languages Faroese, Icelandic, as well as some extinct languages, constitute the North Germanic languages (also called Scandinavian languages). Faroese and Icelandic are no longer mutually intelligible with Norwegian in their spoken form, because continental Scandinavian has diverged from them.
As established by law and governmental policy, there are two official forms of written Norwegian — Bokmål (literally "book language") and Nynorsk (literally "new Norwegian"). The Norwegian Language Council recommends the terms "Norwegian Bokmål" and "Norwegian Nynorsk" in English.
There is no officially sanctioned standard of spoken Norwegian, but the sociolect of the urban upper and middle class in East Norway, upon which Bokmål is primarily based, is the form generally taught to foreign students. This so called Standard Østnorsk (Standard East Norwegian) can be regarded as a de facto spoken standard for Bokmål.
From the 16th to the 19th centuries, Danish was the standard written language of Norway. As a result, the development of modern written Norwegian has been subject to strong controversy related to nationalism, rural versus urban discourse, and Norway's literary history. Historically, Bokmål is a Norwegianized variety of Danish, while Nynorsk is a language form based on Norwegian dialects and puristic opposition to Danish. The now abandoned official policy to merge Bokmål and Nynorsk into one common language called Samnorsk through a series of spelling reforms has created a wide spectrum of varieties of both Bokmål and Nynorsk. The unofficial form known as Riksmål is considered more conservative than Bokmål, and the unofficial Høgnorsk more conservative than Nynorsk.
Norwegians are educated in both Bokmål and Nynorsk. A 2005 poll indicates that 86.3% use primarily Bokmål as their daily written language, 5.5% use both Bokmål and Nynorsk, and 7.5% use primarily Nynorsk. Thus only 13% are frequently writing Nynorsk, although the majority speak dialects that resemble Nynorsk more closely than Bokmål.[citation needed] Broadly speaking, Bokmål and Riksmål are more commonly seen in urban and suburban areas; Nynorsk is seen in rural areas, particularly in Western Norway. The Norwegian broadcasting corporation (NRK) broadcasts in both Bokmål and Nynorsk, and all governmental agencies are required to support both written languages. Bokmål is used in 92% of all written publications, Nynorsk in 8% (2000). In spite of concern that Norwegian dialects would eventually give way to a common, spoken, Norwegian language close to Bokmål, dialects find significant support in local environments, popular opinion, and public policy.
Norwegian is one of the working languages of the Nordic Council. Under the Nordic Language Convention, citizens of the Nordic countries speaking Norwegian have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs. |
