![\"Polish](\"http:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File%3APolish_bean_soup.jpg\")
<\/a>(Okay, this photo is actually from Poland\u2026 But not that different from the soups we eat in Denmark!)<\/p><\/div> Instead of cereals and tubers, I\u2019d rather compare Danish to a well-done soup \u2013 with a lot of quite similar yet different vegetables and spices: At first it all tastes hot and salty, and you can\u2019t tell beans from peas, parsley from marjoram. You strongly consider ordering a pizza instead (with neatly spread ingredients as clearly identifiable as the vowels of Italian<\/a>). But after a good while something happens: the soup cools down and gradually your tongue starts discerning fine nuances of taste you didn\u2019t even know existed before. (It may not make your heart throb in quite the same way as chili or chocolate, but it does warm you and feel, well, hyggelig<\/a><\/strong>.)<\/p>\n Take for instance the Danish letters i<\/strong><\/span> and e<\/strong><\/span>. Like all vowels in Danish, they have various \u201dhues\u201d depending on their position. (Don\u2019t worry about that now, the right \u201dcolouring\u201d comes with practising the language. I mean, did it ever trouble you that the English letter i<\/em> doesn\u2019t sound the same in light<\/em>\u00a0and lit<\/em>?)<\/span> In some cases \u2013 like when children are reading their ABC book aloud \u2013 i<\/strong> and e<\/strong> sound almost identical. That is, if you\u2019re a foreigner. Danes hear instantly that the e<\/strong> is a wee bit more open than the i<\/strong>. I have two friends called<\/p>\n Line<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Lene<\/a><\/strong>, respectively.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t recall anyone<\/em> having mixed their names! \ud83d\ude42<\/span><\/p>\n A similar story can be told for the letters u<\/strong> and o<\/strong>. <\/p>\n Anyone can learn reading and writing Danish<\/span><\/span>, and Queen Margrethe won\u2019t imprison you for speaking with an accent. Your real challenge will be to get hold of the stuff that comes out of ordinary Danes\u2019 mouths. (If you watch some Danish vintage movies you\u2019ll certainly get the idea that mumbling is \u201dso 2012\u201d in Denmark. \ud83d\ude09 I recently read some dialogue for an educational short, and was told to speak less clearly!)<\/span> For those who\u2019ve come to enjoy the beauty of for example Danish poetry, the numerous comparisons of Danish with gray, grainy substances\u00a0may seem a bit over the top. In fact, I suspect those dull descriptions stem mostly from Danes themselves. (Keeping an ironic, \u201dlowbrow\u201d attitude can only make you pleasantly surprised when the prestigious speakers…<\/p>\n
\nF<\/strong>or those who\u2019ve come to enjoy the beauty of for example Danish poetry, the numerous comparisons of Danish with gray, grainy substances\u00a0<\/span>may seem a bit over the top. In fact, I suspect those dull descriptions stem mostly from Danes themselves. (Keeping an ironic, \u201dlowbrow\u201d attitude can only make you pleasantly surprised when the prestigious speakers of major cultural languages such as English or German do comment upon your \u201dtiny\u201d language! \ud83d\ude42 )<\/p>\n
\nOle<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is a man\u2019s name, while en ugle<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is \u2013 an owl.<\/p>\nThe bottom line is this:<\/h4>\n
\nKeep talking, keep an open mind, and I bet that your ears too will soon capture the rich variety of Danish shades of sound.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"