Norwegian Language Blog

Port of Oslo

As I am in the business of commercial import, I find myself learning new information about international shipping activities every day.  I work for a Dutch company that sells seasonal and garden decor by the container load on an FOB (free on board) basis from Rotterdam or China.  This means the merchandise must fill a 20´, 40´, or high 40´container.  A 20´container is basically a semi truck load.  I would love to visit a large, busy Chinese port such as Shanghai to see what thousands upon thousands of containers on hundreds of ships looks like coming in and out of the harbor.  It´s  been described to me as seemingly mass chaos, but it clearly works and we as consumers are able to find the goods we need in stores.  I´ve also heard the individuals that work in this industry are something else…

Norwegian container ship "Tampa" rescues asylum refugees in Indian Ocean

While Oslo and Bergen are no Shanghai, they are 2 of Norway´s busy ports.  A few facts:

-Norwegian companies own or operate some 1,400 vessels

-Norwegian vessels account for 10% of the global merchant fleet

-Norway is one of the world´s 4th largest shipping industries

-23% of cruise vessels are Norwegian

-10.5% of the world´s crude oil tankers are Norwegian

-19% of the world´s gas carriers and chemical tankers are Norwegian

-more than 90% of Norway´s shipping activity is cross-trading (Norwegian companies moving commodities from one location to another outside of Norway)

Furthermore, not only is Norway a leading country in shipping, but she is comprised of one of the world´s most all-encompassing maritime environments.  The shipping environment in Norway consists of shipowners, shipyards, classification societies, banks, brokers, maritime research, design, and engineering, specialized law firms, underwriters, and maritime insurance.

Like the Netherlands, another leading shipping nation in the world, I find it so interesting that 2 very small countries such as Norway and the Netherlands are leaders in this industry.  Oslo was actually the host in late May of Norshipping, a global event for the maritime industry, where 30,000 participants from the shipbuilding, shipping, and offshore industries met to discuss future opportunities  in the maritime industry, specifically focusing on new technology.

Norway and China have a close relationship in the maritime industry.  The Norwegian Consulate General traveled to Guangzhou, China this spring to host an event in which he highlighted the mutual benefits of the Sino-Norwegian relationship in this industry.  Norway is selecting Guangdong shipping companies to build “green” vessels designed in Norway.  This bilateral relationship is extremely important for Norway to remain competitive in this field that will undoubtedly advance leaps in the years to come.  China benefits from this relationship in that she gains access to one of the world’s largest and most sophisticated shipping industries.

One of the Norwegian company Ulstein's ships with a Viking inspired bow

While container ships account for nearly half of the worlds CO2 emissions, they are still an extremely efficient mode of commercial transport.  Here is a very cool fact that I will end with: China’s first ship engine running on Liquefied Natural Gas is a collaboration between Marintek, a Norwegian Maritime Research Center and Guangzhou Diesel!

Sure, there are more and more English words being incorporated into the Norwegian language all the time.  Courtesy of American films, television, music, and of course the internet, modern Norwegians use words like cool, jeans, baby, drink, chips, and many more.   Let´s not forget, however, the massive influence the Vikings had on the English language.  You may be surprised to know how many English words are derived from old Norse or Norwegian.

map showing Scandinavian settlement from the 8th-11th centuries as indicated by color

dirt-comes from ´drit´which means feces

berserk-comes from ´berserkr´ which means bare shirt (signifying the courage of the Vikings)

reindeer-comes from ´hreindyri´ (reinsdyr på norsk)

town-comes from ´tun´which means an open space between buildings

hell-comes from ´Hel´the ruler of the underworld in Norse mythology

ugly-comes from ´uggligir´which means dreadful

husband-comes from ´husbondi´which means master of the house

gun-comes from ´gunn´which means war or battle

anger-comes from ´angr´which means trouble or affliction

knife-comes from ´kniv´

sister-søster

smile-smil

seat-sete

kniv-knife

There are over 1,000 old Norse words that are part of the English language today.  Additionally, there are many place names in England that are directly related to Viking settlements.  Place names that end in ´by´(village or town)´thorpe´(farm), ´thwaite´ (clearing) and ´toft´(homestead) are but a few.  There are also many family names that end in ´son.´

So next time you hear or see English words in Norway, remember that there are many more Norwegian or old Norse words that have influenced the English language.  The Vikings sure got around and made their mark!

Sopp is the Norwegian word for mushroom.  I have enjoyed eating various kinds of sopp for a while now, but it wasn´t until recently that I became interested in å jakte på sopp (going mushroom hunting), particularly morels.  I don´t believe morels grow in Norway, but they are very plentiful where I live.  I didn´t even know morels existed until last year.  Few restaurants cook with them and if they do, chances are I´m not eating there.

Morels are quite difficult to find and consequently valuable and pricy.  Last year on my way home from a town nearby, I encountered a father and daughter who were selling their catch on the side of the road.  I forget exactly how much it cost, but it was expensive produce.  They were so worth it!  It was at the end of the hunting season last year (this type of mushroom has a very short season), so I had to wait until this year to attempt the task.  I´ve been out twice in the last week and I can confirm that they are very difficult to find.  My hunting partner and I only found a handful.  We´re going up north this weekend and will have a try at it up there if the weather permits.

I got to thinking, Norway must also have delicious wild sopp.  There are many varieties of sopp that grow in Norway and å jakte på sopp is a very popular activity among Norwegians.  Of course one must be careful to avoid poisonous wild sopp.  You know who didn´t avoid these?  The Vikings.  They ate wild sopp with halucinogenic properties to give them additional courage for battle, not to mention a little foaming at the mouth action!  Wild sopp that have particularly strong colors were also used for dying wool years ago in Norse times.

If you want to be absolutely certain that you are safe to eat the wild sopp that you have found, there are certain parts of the woods that have designated inspectors who can put novices at ease.

See here for an interesting site in Norwegian where you can read about the most popular sopp å jakte på in Norway -the kantarell.  These are described to have a delicate and nutty flavor, sometimes fruity.  They are yellowish-orangish in color and the caps resemble trumpets.