Danish or Swedish - Scandinavian detectives?

[Proto]

So a Danish detective pops over to help his colleagues in Sweden. What language do they use?

Malmo and Copenhagen next door to each other, so according the Wallander/Martin Beck thrillers detectives often border hop to help out, but what language do the use to communicate?

Just curious.

 

[Jerry Atrik]

Watching the Killing last night and the Danish cop is moving to Sweden and sending her son to Swedish lessons . I never knew they were different languages doh .

 

[Norm]

There are differences but the two languages are pretty close and they can be understood without too many issues. Many Swedes consider that their neighbours speak Swedish with a potato in their mouths.

There is a lot of shared history there, much of it quite captivating.

Besides, chances are that they'd communicate in English, both speaking it better than I can.

I have been privileged in spending quite a bit of time out there. 10 years ago, I lived in Copenhagen for 6 months, then moved to Stockholm for the same sort of time and my last permanent job had an office in Helsingborg, a short trip across the Oresund and north a bit from Copenhagen. I love it out there, I've never met a Swede or a Dane that I didn't like instantly.

 

[Aperitif]

Mashed Swede

 

[subaqua]

Mashed Swede

nah beer is waaay too expensive there.

I work for a swedish company, NOT Ikea though, and most if not all of the management team from Sweden speak English to a very high standard. better than some english born people i have met

 

[661-Pete]

You can always tell who are the Swedes visiting Norway, or the Norwegians visiting Sweden.

They're the ones speaking English, with a funny accent...

 

[Jezston]

Slightly OT, but I had a dutch flatmate once who had a flemmish speaking Belgian friend. He said the flemmish was understandable to him, but really weird - kind of like us hearing someone speaking olde english. "Verily mine fine friend, how art thee?". Wouldn't it be great if there was a country bordering us where everyone spoke like that?

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Wouldn't it be great if there was a country bordering us where everyone spoke like that?

Not been to the Isle of Man then?

 

[User169]

Slightly OT, but I had a dutch flatmate once who had a flemmish speaking Belgian friend. He said the flemmish was understandable to him, but really weird - kind of like us hearing someone speaking olde english. "Verily mine fine friend, how art thee?". Wouldn't it be great if there was a country bordering us where everyone spoke like that?

My daughters refer to Flemish (as in Belgian Dutch) as "joke Dutch". It's essentially the same as Dutch with funny accents. I've seen Dutch TV stations use sub-titles if the speaker is Belgian, but I think that's only to annoy them.

There are Dutch dialects spoken in Belgium which are referred to as "Flemish". Maybe that's what your friend was referring to.

 

[ChrisKH]

It's a bit like going to work in Luxembourg. They will chat in French or German (esp. if they're older as they were forced to learn German.......) but the really salacious bits are spoken in Luxembourgish. By and large their English is pretty good too.

 

[661-Pete]

I find Weegie difficult to understand...

 

[Proto]

I think he was taking the mickey! Afrikaans is a bit like that though.

My Afrikaans speaking wife can just about understand it, but would have trouble communicating in Dutch. Although she is of English speaking stock, she was raised in a very Afrikaans area and it was pretty well her first language until her teens. My wife describes Afrikaans as 'kitchen Dutch'.

 

[HLaB]

I find Weegie difficult to understand...

Weegie is no bad if you can get them to slow down; its like all Scottish accents my own included

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I find Weegie difficult to understand...

....Pardon?

 

[Dayvo]

On Wallander they always speak Swedish and the Danes usually speak very basic, thickly accented Swedish. But I have very good Danish and Swedish friends and they just talk with each other in their own languages and get on fine. Some Swedish people I know say that they can't tell the difference between Danish and Norwegian (Bokmal) speaker, which I find a bit strange.

Calling Dayvo for the definitive answer, I think!

OK, you asked for it I'll do my best!

In a nutshell, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish (and Icelandic) stem from the same language Old Norse. On becoming seperate kingdoms their languages evolved differently.

Generally speaking, Danes, Norwegians and Swedes will inderstand each other in the same way an Englishman, Scotsman, Welshman and Irishman will.

However, with strong heavy regional accents, understanding becomes more difficult: imagine a Cornishman, Brummie, Scouser, Geordie, Glaswegian, a Welshman (with English as his 2nd language) and a Kerryman having a conversation! A similar situation will arise within Scandinavia.

If anything, Icelandic is pure Norwegian (as Norway had 434 years of Danish rule, then 95 years under Swedish rule) as the island was settled by Norwegians over 1,200 years ago.

The difference is not as close as the British dialects and accents, but closer than Spanish, French and Italian, and more like German German, Swiss German and Austrian German.

And breathe!