A Week In My Life 🇳🇴 Learning Norwegian (+Book Haul)

[@uberandy666]

As a Norwegian, I love knowing that there are people learning Norwegian outside of Norway. It's not a widely spoken language outside the country, and the fact that someone took a greater interest in Norwegian over more widely spoken languages like French, Spanish, or Mandarin, is very endearing.

[@novinightcore]

Ja, jeg kommer fra Nederland og jeg lærer meg norsk siden mai. 2023. Norsk er en fantastisk språk! :D

[@sd0088]

I know some people that learn this language.

[@joan98610]

Swedish learner here, welcome to the club! The most exciting part is when you can understand the other one, in my case Norwegian. Enjoy the ride, they are very cool languages to learn

[@strange.lucidity]

🙏🏻

[@BlackHermit]

I am Swedish, so the Norwegian language was not that difficult for me to learn, but listening to your explanations and personal thoughts was so fascinating!

[@Mohamed_Heikal_]

Hi! Thank you so much for the videos you make: in this chaos the world is in, your videos are very relaxing and even serene to watch.

[@strange.lucidity]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@mrsdewinter0]

The magic feeling you described about Norway and the tears coming to your eyes and everything. I relate so much!!! Started learning Norwegian for the same reason… My bf and I went there for our anniversary and it was the most beautiful, magical experience… Norway has my heart🥹🥹🥹

[@blueirene.]

Exactly the same for me!!

[@michaelm7823]

I laughed when you said we haven’t learned numbers but we are reading about the philosophy of life and death - just how I like it. 😂 you’re methods of learning - of course - creative.

[@trewaldo]

I like how your face brightens up while talking about your topic of interest in your studies. You seem to have your passion and skill aligned in the same thread. Keep it up, Maria! Cheers. 🥰🤓😍

[@peterbenson123]

Elskeren is The Lover, the most popular book by Duras. She is a very great, & highly unusual writer, whom I have been obsessed with for many years.

[@doberman_hund]

Duras is great, I think you’ll love her on memory.

[@shrouuuq]

An outstanding video I enjoyed watch it, I excited to see more of learning Norwegian. I’m very interested in learning languages as well I’m learning Norwegian.

[@markoverman4023]

Thanks for the video. I can totally relate to your remarks about Norway. I had the same. I loved your expression “ heaven for introverts”. I hope you will continue enjoying learning bokmål. Mvh from Nederland

[@strange.lucidity]

🙏🏻

[@MatW1lson]

I am only 5 mins. in and I have to go (I'll surely watch the entire video later today!) but a quick comment: I would say for a North Germanic language, pick the ones you find have the most interesting literature and a nice selection of audiobooks. For me -- personally -- that would be Swedish and Icelandic.

[@blane1814]

Great vlog 🌸🌸🌸hugs from your viewer In California USA

[@strange.lucidity]

Hugs back ❤

[@radiantchristina]

Love the long vlogs! Your vibe is so chill and relaxing - perfect way for me to de-stress

[@cassiopeiathew7406]

I’m having such a similar week, I’m learning Spanish and reading To The Lighthouse while I juggle university and I recently bought the Complete poems of John Donne and the Thebian plays (Antigone, Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus) by Sophocles.

[@hollievmilton]

I always have to have snacks with me during my four hour German classes, but I can go all evening not eating at my bartender job!

[@strange.lucidity]

Yes same for me! How strange!

[@brunacabral4732]

oh whoa, new vlog! love that! :) a big hug from brasil 🫶🏽

[@strange.lucidity]

Big hug back!

[@mullerss1]

your content is as always a such pleasure!

[@claranunes3369]

i love to watch your videos to practice my english listening 💖 i'm brazilian!

[@christopherpaul7588]

That's amazing! I studied Comparative Literature too. But in the US you already have to have a good level of the second language in order to read the literature. So my second language was Spanish. But I had already lived in Spain for three years so I was pretty fluent. I studied abroad in Madrid my first year and spent the whole year studying Spanish and Latin American literature in the original language. It was amazing!

[@strange.lucidity]

That sounds wonderful!

[@christopherpaul7588]

@@strange.lucidity It was! So how does Comparative Literature work in Austria? I'm curious!

[@strange.lucidity]

@@christopherpaul7588 I'm thinking about doing a dedicated video about the structure of my studies. If that would be of interest :-)

[@christopherpaul7588]

@@strange.lucidity Definitely! Because I don't understand how you could be using a language you are just starting to learn for Comparative Literature. Unless your second language is English, or another language you're fluent in, and they require a 3rd. I would be very interested in a video about your studies. :-)

[@Isaroossbby]

It would be amazing if you could share all of your resources that help you improving your Norwegian, such as podcasts, books, etc! I’m also learning it :) it’s such an interesting language

[@FromKhaos26]

Lykke til videre!

[@strange.lucidity]

Takk!

[@ssprezzatura]

I loved this vlog! Curiously I had never seen the english like a non germanic language, coming from you (Germanic native language speaker) is a really accurate and precise insight about this. Thank you for your content.

[@zachmosher3879]

I'd like to follow up on your point about Norwegian literature and language learning. Before visiting Norway I had a very close relationship with the work of Knut Hamsun and because of that a vague interest in the language of his books. After walking the streets of Oslo, climbing the mountains in the western part of the country, and hearing more of the language in the length of a short trip than I had in the entire length of my life, my vague interest became a deeply held curiosity. When I looked into it, however, it turns out that Norwegian giants like Hamsun, Ibsen, Bjornson, among others, wrote in a language that was indistinguishable from Danish. They were all also writing around the time of Norway's independence from the Kingdom of Denmark. From what I understand, they didn't use the opportunity of Norway's independence to distance and distinguish written Norwegian from Danish because a large part of their readership was, indeed, Danes whom they didn't want to alienate. I even tracked down a late 19th century textbook (published by Rev. C. J. P. Peterson in the case you want to seek it out) that describes itself as a "Norwegian-Danish Grammar and Reader" for "students of the Norwegian-Danish language." Anyway, the somewhat unfortunate fact of how the writing business imposed an adopted language on these authors has not only mortally wounded my literary motivations to learn Norwegian, but has also instigated a fracturing of the language between Bokmal and Nynorsk. That being said, Jon Foss is one of the most exciting contemporary writers of our time, although I have no idea of whether his writing has contributed to a more cohesive and distinct form of Norwegian. As a student of the language who shares in my ambitions to access the country's literature, what do you make of the matter? My apologies for using your comment section to indulge in pontification, but you and your community are some of the few people on Earth who probably care to consider this topic, which, as you can probably tell, has occupied my mind since I last marveled upon the city of Oslo .

[@mirandacolborne8959]

At 20:02, the book (title) looks to be in Danish 🇩🇰. If the book was in Norwegian I’d expect the title to be “To Dager, to Netter”. Thanks for pointing out it’s originally in Swedish, as I’m looking for good Swedish books to read. As you mentioned, both languages (Danish and Norwegian) are very similar. Although I’m learning Swedish (plan to move to Sweden), I’ve studied Norwegian (during pandemic) and Danish (study bits here and there when I need a change-up from Swedish). I echo your sentiment about the similarity between Norwegian and Danish, as there are a lot of cognates in Norwegian and Danish. The big difference was just spelling (occasionally) and pronunciation (the stød). Lots of love ❤ from Canada 🇨🇦 🍁

[@laylachisom8996]

I love your videos !! I’m from Nigeria and iam getting into literature and journalism in Frankfurt

[@Lana-ou8vu]

I was just curious… is there a possibility that you are starting a bookclub? That would be so awesome! 😇☺️

[@strange.lucidity]

Yes there is that possibility... 🙂

[@SoteriosXI]

Jeg har lært norsk i noen år nå. Én ting som hjelper meg med å lære et språk er å høre på musikk, men det er ikke mye musikk på norsk, så jeg begynte å høre på svenskpop i stedet for å forbedre norsken min haha. Tussen takk Veronica Maggio nå snakker jeg norsk med en svensk aksent og alle synes at jeg er rar.

[@strange.lucidity]

I understood all of that ❤

[@eva_teja]

So lustig, ich versteh echt fast alles, obwohl ich "nur" schwedisch kann. :) Viel Spaß beim Lernen!

[@strange.lucidity]

Vielleicht können wir nächstes Mal wenn wir uns sehen schon miteinander sprechen 😘

[@eva_teja]

@@strange.lucidity boah ja! Das müssen wir probieren 😁

[@Lisa-qt4hh]

Wonderful vlog, Maria! Very relaxing to watch :) It's very interesting to see you at the university and to get a sense of your days and what you read. How cool are the Norwegian books you got for free :o I studied French a few years ago but I don't really use it anymore. You inspire me to buy a French book that I have already read in Dutch or English, so I can delve into the language again

[@HCF6]

Truly there're a lot of Norwegian learners. I'm in China.

[@andreluiscoteroman3933]

Hi, I'm Brazilian. Among Norwegian authors, do you study Knut Hamsun? (I think his most famous work is “Sult”). I really like your channel for practicing listening in English and because your channel deals with literature in such a light and pleasant way. Thank you very much.

[@robertmueller2023]

I started the great digitization.

[@michaelsommers2356]

If you ever doubt that English is a Germanic language, take a good look at Old English, the English spoken before the Norman invasion. You, as a German speaker, would have an easier time learning it than a native English speaker would. English is most closely related to Frisian, a Germanic language spoken on the coast of the North Sea. There is even an expression, "Good butter and good cheese, are good English and good Fries."

[@nandhiniarumugam6477]

Lots of love from India...

[@lizzz-io9sb]

Nice Agalloch t-shirt 👀

[@sophieelsa7469]

I started learning Norwegian about 10 years ago and moved to Norway when I was 19 (I'm 23 now!). Will you consider going on exchange? I know that Erudio offers it. If you end up in Trondheim then I'd be happy to show you around!

[@robertmueller2023]

I like video books on flash drive the best. They are the wave of the future.

[@chanarali]

be happy always 🌍Ali🌍🌙✈

[@nantetoev1188]

I was wondering… what's your mother tongue? I'm learning German at the moment. I really like your accent.

[@jeyel4722]

Yoo i am from Hønefoss no wayyyy

[@strange.lucidity]

Jawel? 🙂

[@jeyel4722]

@@strange.lucidity Bare å komme på besøk! Din norsk er veldig bra 🙌

[@strange.lucidity]

@@jeyel4722 I'll definitely announce when I go to Norway and I'd love to meet some people :-)

[@jeyel4722]

@@strange.lucidity Good stuff :D

[@anita18274]

where are you from ?

[@joelharris4399]

The Merovingian from the Matrix, on the subject of speaking a foreign language, equated it with wiping your arse with silk. I'm pretty sure the experience comes quite close to this

[@Vyborne]

A little off topic but does anyone know what I can do with books I now want to be gone from my space? I've accumulated many books, and have sold some but I don't like that as the stores only offer pennies to the dollar (and they don't take the majority of books especially if I wrote in them) so I'd rather give them away. I tried leaving them outside in a box but people dump food and garbage into my box covering the books. I asked at the library and they said no entity in the entire New York City system takes donated books (as she said they would be overrun ). But this is a problem as I want to make room for new ideas. I've lived in my place for 14 years now. Help !

[@joemountains1539]

Ex-NYer here. You’re stuck unless you go out to the suburbs and donate there. Rent a car and make a day of it. It’ll be worth it!

[@Vyborne]

@@joemountains1539 Thanks for the reply. It's something to think about.

[@YEMinThant-gv1my]

👣👣👣👣

[@YEMinThant-gv1my]

✍✍✍👨‍🎤👨‍🎤

[@penguinization]

[@cleophea777]

Deutsch und Englisch sollen kaum das gleiche Vokabular haben? machst du witze?😂 Englisch ist ja auch keine Germanische Sprache sondern? ❤

[@zachmosher3879]

Na ja, jeder wisst doch, dass English mehr Wortschatz mit Französischen teilt als mit Deutschen. Gleichzeitig hast du Recht. Es ist übertriebend zu behaupten, dass Deutsch und English gar keine Ähnlichkeit haben.

[@joan98610]

Doch

[@cleophea777]

@@joan98610 Ironie...