Archive by Author
Swedish Nursery Rhyme – Rida Rida Ranka Posted by Marcus Cederström on Feb 6, 2013
As I’ve written before, I sometimes do fieldwork in the United States, interviewing and talking with Scandinavian Americans. It’s a great experience and I get a chance to meet a lot of wonderful people and hear some amazing stories. One thing that has popped up a couple of times is an old nursery rhyme that…
25 Most Frequent Academic Words in Swedish Posted by Marcus Cederström on Jan 22, 2013
Academic writing can be difficult to get through, no matter what language you’re working in. It can be even more of a challenge if you’re trying to get through an academic text in your second (or third, or fourth, or whatever…) language – like Swedish. Just like all aspects of language though, there are certain…
15 (+1) Swedish Language Newspaper Sites Online Posted by Marcus Cederström on Jan 15, 2013
One important aspect of learning a language is reading. Of course, if you’re in the US, it can sometimes be tough to get your hands on Swedish language sources. Luckily, there’s the internet. That you can find Swedish language stuff online, no matter where in the world you are, isn’t new. This post isn’t about…
Minority Languages in Sweden Posted by Marcus Cederström on Dec 29, 2012
This blog, obviously, focuses on Swedish, the official language of Sweden. But there are several official minority languages in Sweden as well – these include Finnish, Sámi, Meänkieli, Romani, and Yiddish. Back in 2000, the country also ratified the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages. This charter offers a lot of protection for regional…
Gävlebocken – The Gävle Christmas Goat Posted by Marcus Cederström on Dec 24, 2012
On December 12th, 2012, around midnight, Gävlebocken burned to the ground. The fire started in the left back leg of the goat and can be seen in the YouTube clip below: But this isn’t a news report. You can find plenty of those online about the burning of the goat. This is about the…
How to Use “Man” in Swedish Posted by Marcus Cederström on Nov 30, 2012
Man is one of those sometimes confusing words in Swedish. It can be used a couple of different ways and mean a couple of different things. First, and maybe most obvious, it means “man” in English when you’re just using it as your classic noun. It can also be used to create a passive tense…
Som – A Swedish Relative Pronoun Posted by Marcus Cederström on Nov 16, 2012
I have a brother. He lives in Sweden. I have another brother. He lives in the US. These are four acceptable English sentences. If I was describing my family to you, you would know exactly what I was talking about. I would have conveyed meaning. You may also have found this manner of speaking to…