When is a lake not a lake? When it\u2019s a sea. Doesn\u2019t make much sense, now does it? But unfortunately that\u2019s how it can be in Swedish. Sometimes a lake is just a lake, but sometimes, even though it\u2019s called a lake, it\u2019s really a sea.<\/p>\n
Of course, I am talking about the \u201chav<\/strong>\u201d and \u201csj\u00f6<\/strong>\u201d issue. And what inspired me to write about it was a heated discussion between a Swede and a foreigner I overheard on the bus the other day. The discussion was in English, the foreigner was asking lots of questions and the Swede was doing the explaining. Sadly, he wasn\u2019t very good at it and I was seriously contemplating whether or not I should join in. But since one doesn\u2019t just join random conversations taking place in public places in Sweden, I stayed silent. I was reading an interesting book anyway.<\/p>\n So, here\u2019s my chance to add my 2 \u00f6re<\/strong> to the discussion, even though I seriously doubt that the foreign guy from the bus reads this blog.<\/p>\n But this was his question that started the whole discussion: But what\u2019s up with this \u201csj\u00f6<\/strong>\u201d (lake) business? That\u2019s something the Swede had a much harder time explaining. And I can\u2019t blame him. There\u2019s V\u00e4nern<\/strong>, which is most definitely \u201csj\u00f6<\/strong>\u201d, in fact V\u00e4nern \u00e4r Sveriges st\u00f6rsta sj\u00f6<\/strong> and third largest in Europe.<\/p>\n So, if \u201csj\u00f6<\/strong>\u201d means \u201clake\u201d, then why do we have \u201c\u00d6stersj\u00f6n<\/strong>\u201d (the Baltic Sea) and Nordsj\u00f6n<\/strong> (the North Sea)? Well, the traditional reasoning is that those two seas were so well-known to the Vikings, they didn\u2019t even consider them as seas, but as their own lakes. Fine, I can live with that, too. But then what about Sydkinesiska sj\u00f6n<\/strong> (the South China Sea)? Was it also known to the Vikings? Mercifully, Sydkinesiska sj\u00f6n<\/strong> also has an alternate name – Sydkinesiska havet<\/strong>. And that\u2019s more like it. To make the distinction between lake-lake and sea-lake easier, the kind of lake that is a normal lake is called \u201cinsj\u00f6<\/strong>\u201d in Swedish.<\/p>\n \u201cHav<\/strong>\u201d means either a sea OR an ocean. So you can have for example Stilla havet<\/strong> (the Pacific Ocean) and Medelhavet<\/strong> (the Mediterranean Sea).<\/p>\n Ok, so if \u201chav<\/strong>\u201d means \u201cocean\u201d and there\u2019s Stilla havet<\/strong> to prove it, then what about \u201cIndiska oceanen<\/strong>\u201d? Hmmm\u2026 a very good question. Luckily, you can say either \u201cIndiska oceanen<\/strong>\u201d or \u201cIndiska havet<\/strong>\u201d \u2013 both are fine.<\/p>\n And what about the Atlantic Ocean? To make things even more interesting, it\u2019s simply called \u201cAtlanten<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n When is a lake not a lake? When it\u2019s a sea. Doesn\u2019t make much sense, now does it? But unfortunately that\u2019s how it can be in Swedish. Sometimes a lake is just a lake, but sometimes, even though it\u2019s called a lake, it\u2019s really a sea. Of course, I am talking about the \u201chav\u201d and…<\/p>\n
\nWhy is the Baltic Sea called a \u201clake\u201d in Swedish? And how come it\u2019s not even called \u201cBaltic lake\u201d but \u201c\u00d6stersj\u00f6n<\/strong>\u201d \u2013 Eastern Lake.
\nHmmm\u2026 the easy answer is that: Since it\u2019s to the east of Sweden, it\u2019s called \u201ceastern\u201d, even though as far as I know the rest of the world calls it \u201cBaltic\u201d. That\u2019s OK, I can live with that. Every language has its quirks and this is one in Swedish. And that was pretty much what the Swedish guy on the bus said.<\/p>\n\n
\n