Swedish Norrlandish English French and Dog

Daily writing prompt
Which languages do you speak and how did that impact your life?
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The focus of this blog is Leonberger dogs but sometimes I write about other things, for example, about myself. This time I am responding to the daily Writing prompt “Which languages do you speak and how did that impact your life?”.

Swedish or Norrlandish

My native language is Swedish because that is where I was born and grew up. Since I lived in northern Sweden, I speak Swedish in a dialect referred to as Norrlandish. I was told by a Dutch linguist that Norrlandish is different enough from main Swedish that Norrlandish could be considered its own language, especially in the region where I grew up where the Norrlandish dialects are especially distinct. He was very familiar with the local variants of my dialect, which I found to be amazing. I was also amazed by the fact that he spoke so many languages. If I don’t remember incorrectly this linguist claimed that he spoke 30 languages.

Swedish flag on blue sky with white clouds. 6 June. Flag. Celebration Holiday National Day Festive.
Flag of Sweden in sunny rays high on the flagpole. Shutterstock asset id: 2344367957 by GenOMart.

Anyway, languages evolve, including Swedish. Things like Television, local travel, etc., tend to dilute and evolve dialects. However, I’ve been in the US for a few decades, and I’ve lived in Texas for 25+ years, which means that the way I speak Norrlandish has not evolved much, which has led to some interesting situations.

For example, once when I was shopping at a local grocery store in northern Sweden the cashier told me, “It is so nice to hear someone who still speaks the old way”. She was curious about how I had managed to keep the old dialect, and she asked me where I was living. Maybe she expected me to live in a cabin deep in the forest without a TV or radio. It was obvious from her reaction that she did not expect “I live in Dallas, Texas”.

Now I speak American or as some call it English

An American flag on the background of a blue sky.
The flag of the United States of America Shutterstock asset id: 2566207745 by Ashley Grise.

One of the languages I studied back in school was English. The other was German. My parents did not speak any English, well, at first. However, my dad took English classes as an adult and was able to get by. My guess is that when I was done with school, I spoke English at the B1 level, possibly B2 level, according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, which rates your language skills in any language from A1 to C2 (A1 is beginner, then comes, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, C2 is like a native speaker).

B1 means that you can participate in a conversation with some difficulty, understand a newspaper article that does not have difficult language, write a short essay on any unexpected topic using multiple tenses, and understand a radio newscast that is not too fast.

In 1987 I was sent to Case Western Reserve University by my University, Uppsala University, Sweden, as a university level exchange student for one year. I was studying electrical engineering and physics. During that year I met my wife and after living in both the US and Sweden we ended up staying in the US. I had some difficulties with my English at first but with respect to learning a different language nothing beats being embedded in the language and I soon spoke and understood English I think pretty well. The type of English that we had studied in Swedish school was British English, but now the English that I absorbed was American English. Thereof the tongue in cheek of the title of this section.

I view being fluent in the main language of the country you live in to be of high importance. I have no problem understanding, speaking, reading or writing in English. However, it is very difficult to lose your accent when you have learned a new language as an adult. Just think of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Children can do it more easily. They say that the cut-off age is 12 years old. It is quite uncommon for people who are not fluent in at least two or more different languages to grasp this. On several occasions people have expressed their surprise over the fact that I still have an accent. Sorry the accent stays, and it is not my choice. You can read a related post “Accents are very difficult to lose” over at my second blog.

Another second language fact that you will find in that post is that Spanish has 74 million non-native speakers in the world, making it number eight with respect to the number of non-native speakers (second language). Oh, you thought it was the most popular second language in the world after English? Well, that is a common misconception here in the US due to the closeness to Latin America. I have often come across people who do not consider me bilingual just because I don’t speak Spanish. There are thousands, actually millions, of ways of being bilingual.

Now I am learning French

French flag against blue sky
Flag of France. Shutterstock asset id: 2457252007 by Kyrylash Stanislav.

My wife has a sister in France and her parents speak French. When she decided to improve her French by taking French lessons for adults, I joined in with her. I don’t know if it is because of age, or because I am not putting in enough time into it, but it is going slow. However, I did pass the French B1 exam, which means I can participate in a conversation with some difficulty, understand a radio broadcast if they don’t speak fast, read a newspaper, and write short essays in French. However, I don’t think I can become fluent in French unless I somehow stay in France, or another French speaking country for some time.

So far, my experience in French has not been of very high importance to me. However, it is a hobby, it is something interesting that my wife and I can do together, and French speakers cannot speak behind my back without me knowing.

Speaking Dog

Big brown Leonberger dog standing on our red leather sofa stretching forward to give me a hug.
My Leonberger dog Bronco is giving me a hug.
Our yellow Lab Baylor is sitting on the left. Our brown-black German Shepherd Baby is sitting on the right.
Our Labrador Baylor and German Shepherd Baby. They were both rescues.
Ryu and Daisy are sitting inside a red suitcase looking defiant.
Our Japanese Chin Ryu and Pug Daisy staging a protest against us travelling.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo is playing with an orange volleyball on the green grass.
Our mini-Australian Shepherd puppy Rollo playing with an orange ball.
The photo shows a dark brown/black and white mini-Australian Shepherd biting a Leonberger dog’s tail in the living room.
Our mini Australian Shepherd is harassing our Leonberger dog Bronco and biting his tail. Bronco was very patient with him.

Dogs don’t speak human languages, but they can understand many words and react to them. Some dogs such as our mini-Australian Shepherd Rollo understand several hundreds of words. If you tell him, “Rollo go look out the window”, he goes and looks out the window. If you tell him, “We are going to Jack and Etty”, he starts screaming happily and running around in circles, because he knows he will get snacks there. If you say “bribe” he comes running expecting a handout, just like a politician. I could go on.

Dogs don’t speak with words, but they express themselves through body language and different kinds of barks, and if you pay attention, they can tell you a lot. For example, when Rollo lays down on his side and lets out one loud bark, he wants a belly rub. When it is 4PM and he starts staring at me, he wants dinner. When I am sitting in the sofa and he scratches my leg with his paw, it means, “move over so I can sit in the sofa”. So, you could say I also speak Dog. Sometimes people call me the dog whisperer, which I like to hear. Well, except for the sarcastic tone.

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Author: thomasstigwikman

My name is Thomas Wikman. I am a software/robotics engineer with a background in physics. I am currently retired. I took early retirement. I am a dog lover, and especially a Leonberger lover, a home brewer, craft beer enthusiast, I’m learning French, and I am an avid reader. I live in Dallas, Texas, but I am originally from Sweden. I am married to Claudia, and we have three children. I have two blogs. The first feature the crazy adventures of our Leonberger Le Bronco von der Löwenhöhle as well as information on Leonbergers. The second blog, superfactful, feature information and facts I think are very interesting. With this blog I would like to create a list of facts that are accepted as true among the experts of the field and yet disputed amongst the public or highly surprising. These facts are special and in lieu of a better word I call them super-facts.

59 thoughts on “Swedish Norrlandish English French and Dog”

    1. Oh yes I know that Irish or Irish Gaelic as some call it, is very different from English. Learning a second language is huge project and if you don’t like it, it is a much harder.

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    1. Thank you so much Esther. Knowing languages can be very useful and like you say speaking dog is essential. It is great that you loved languages in school. I did not. I detested learning English. I thought it was such a weird langiage. I think I was almost the worst in the class. Well, I think Gunnar was worse. I thought German was easier. But here I am having no problem with it. It requires a lot of work to learn a language though.

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        1. That is amazing, especially that you learned Latin. I guess I had a harder time with English compared to other students because I did not listen to popular music, which was often in English, and I did not see a lot of movies at the cinema. The movies at the cinema were often in English with subtitles. I pretty much stayed with Swedish only when I was young. But you are right, English is also not an easy language to learn.

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    1. I am not a natural with languages either. I really had to struggle with English and now French. I had an easier time with German but since I did not keep up with it I forgot most of it. Russian seems like a difficult language, at least for a west-north European. Dog is the best language.

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  9. *Title:*
    *Prayer For Good Health & A Sound Mind | Daily Christian Prayer Request*

    Heavenly Father,

    I come before You today asking for good health and a sound mind.

    Touch my body, Lord. Heal every sickness, every pain, every weakness. Let Your life flow through my bones, my blood, my organs. Make me strong from my head to my feet.

    Guard my mind, God. Take away fear, anxiety, and negative thoughts. Fill my mind with peace, joy, and clarity. Help me think right, speak right, and make wise choices.

    Your Word says in *2 Timothy 1:7* – _“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”_

    I receive that sound mind today. I receive that good health today. I will not be sick. I will not be confused. I am strong in You.

    Thank You Father, because You have heard me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

    *Prayer Request*: If you need prayer for your health or mind today, comment “Amen” below. God sees you.

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  11. A fun post, Thomas. I took six years of French in school and when I traveled to France most turned up their nose and said “Eh?” when I attempted to speak. I understand the French are insulted by the American accent so unlike outer countries they are not impressed if you try. Maybe your accent will be thought of more favorably.

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      1. I am sorry you had that experience Anneli. I wonder how long ago this was. I think it is much better now. When I visited France 40 years ago, when I was young, I could not speak any French and I was just observing others and I did not get a good impression. However, to me it seems much better now, but now I can speak some French, with a Swedish accent.

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    2. Well, my French teacher thinks my accent is funny and she laughs sometimes. It is definitely different from and American or English accent. My wife lived in France as a kid, and even though she needs to improve her vocabulary and grammar, etc., her accent is perfectly French. It is that being a kid while learning a language magic. My guess is that it was a while ago since you were in France. Back then the French did not speak English and they did not look favorably on other languages. Now they’ve learned English in school and are much more open to other languages, including English. I think you might have a different experience now.

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        1. Yes that was before the French had started taking other languages like English seriously. The problem now though is that the French are so eager to practice English, or show that they know it, that they will switch to English when you speak French, so you just say, well I want to practice my French, S’il vous plaît, je veux pratiquer et améliorer mon français.. They can practice English when it is their turn.

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          1. I won’t likely get to France again, but if I do, I’ll give it a try. When I worked for Bayer, I took German lessons, but sadly, the language of commerce at Bayer is English, so like you say, I had to find folks who wanted to practice English in order for me to practice German. (sometimes beer was involved)

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  12. I took French in high school but remember very little of it. My husband grew up with his dad and grandma speaking Italian around him, but he didn’t remember enough for it to help when we visied in Italy. 🙂 I’m always impressed when people can retain several languages. It is definitely good to speak dog!

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    1. Yes if you don’t use it, you loose it. I took five years of German in high school and I could speak it with some difficulty. However, I’ve never used it and now I’ve forgotten how to speak it. I am not even A1 level. Learning a language and retaining it require a lot of work. I agree, it is definitely good to speak dog!

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  13. Your comment about Rollo being like a politician is very funny. It’s nice to speak a pure version of your own language as well as English and French. I picked up a lot of words in French while in France and Belgium. I can read Dutch and understand it if it’s spoken slowly.

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    1. Ha ha thank you Robbie. Yes bribing dogs with treats is typically a good way of getting them to behave the way you want. Dogs and politicians have a lot in common that way. 40 years ago, when I was young, I visited France but I picked up nothing. I have a hard time learning languages. It takes me a lot of work. My guess from what you are saying makes me think you have an easier time. I am impressed that that you can read Dutch and understand it if it’s spoken slowly. My guess is that it is because of Afrikaans?

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      1. Hi Thomas, yes, Afrikaans is quite similar to Dutch and Flemish and I can read and understand Afrikaans well 💓. I know some French and Zulu but I don’t consider myself to be good at learning languages. I wish I knew more but art and writing take all my spare time ✍️🧑‍🎨

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  14. Ah. Americanese. But which dialect? I speak with a Yankee twang, I’m told, but since I don’t listen to myself I have to take their word for it.

    Interesting about Norrlandish. I listen to a band called Raubtier. Among their songs is one “från Norrlands til Helvete port” (I believe.) now I have some context, I think.

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    1. Yes I guess that is like in Boston. I wonder what the Dutch linguist I spoke to would say about the different dialects here in the US. I’ll bet that he might consider the Texan English that people speak out in the Texas country side to be a different language.
      M R ducks: “‘Em are ducks.”

      M R not: “‘Em are not.

      “O S M R: “Oh, yes, ’em are.

      “C M Wangs: “See ’em wings?”

      L I B, M R ducks!: “Well, I’ll be, ’em are ducks!”

      Anyway, I had nor heard about Raubtier before. I have not followed that kind of music very well but I saw they are from Haparanda, definitely Norrland.

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        1. Yes maybe it is. I should say that the English / American spoken here in Dallas where I live is not very “southern”. It is pretty mainstream. Think about how Owen and Luke Wilson speak. They grew up around where we live and my kids went to the same school as they did (well Owen was kicked out in high school). However, out in the country side (I used to take the kids hunting), the southern accent is strong.

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                    3. I think I’ve been to all the New England states including Rhode Island, but only as a visitor. I’ve never lived there. I forgot to mention Rhode Island but my wife and I spent a few days of vacation in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

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    1. Ha ha Java Bean. Three years of Spanish, in school, is not going to make a big difference, especially if you don’t continue using it. Just ask me about my five years of German in school. Ein, zwei, drei….I don’t remember much else.

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