When I was in Poland, round about 1997, I didn't even try to speak English, even German was a long shot! True, when I was in Sweden, as I just finished telling Krysia, everybody and his grandmother wanted to practice their English with me!
Honestly, from the point of view of 'practicing' English, I've no problems in speaking English in countries, even where I speak the language fluently, e.g. Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, Spain, Poland etc. My problem is in Northern Europe particularly, when people occasionally ignore the distinction between merely 'practicing' vs. actually 'speaking' a language, in this case English!
If a Swede, young or old, responds to my Swedish in English (which never really happened, I must admit), I will respond, "Oh, would you like to practice your English?" For what then is the difference between me 'practicing' my Swedish and a Swede practicing his/her English??
Me again. So you mean that you can speak swedish, then you think we will respond in english, no I don't think that gonna happen, sorry, we are really addicted to our own language, so if you speak swedish, we will respond in swedish. That's not strange is it? But you should try to speak english first, then we will respond in english and there you go, you can be the teacher, hehe. So just tell that you're trying to speak swedish, and maybe some nice person will learn you the swedish language.
Ever heard the lyrics of Swedish pop groups? I hear Polish bands singing po polsku, the French rapping en Francais, even Welsh groups singing in Cymraeg, but so many Swedes singing in English. Jens Lekman writes some fantastic English lyrics, and we all love ABBA, don't we?
haha, yes you're right osiol, in that way we seems to love the english language. But there is also many bands/artists that has been really big abroad, so I think thats why we are singing in english (at most). In fact for us swedish persons, there is a lot of artists that sing our own language. I think it's harder to be understood and get many fans etc. if you're singing swedish. And yes here is a lot of SAAB:s, I'm not that into car:s though. I thought that BMW and Mercedes was more expensive and symbolized more status.
You're doubtless referring to 'Abba' and other 60's rock groups, correct? While that's true, Dan's also right in saying that the Swedish language as a legitimate vehicle for linguistic expression, even in an English-dominated industry such as music, is making a comeback!
I was to Sweden twice in the early 90's, but if I start posting my thoughts and impressions, it may come out too close to Michal's rants about Poland 20 years ago, so I just say I didn't like the country/people at all :(
The Swedes, unlike the Poles, take a longer period of 'warming up to'! They are not often given to spontaneous outbursts of either affection or outrage. Witness the old joke about the Finn and the Swede playing chess, sitting for many hours in frozen silence; looking at one another, finally one of them breaks the ice:
Finn: Sven-Aake. It's your move.
Swede: (slamming his fist on the table) Do you want to talk, or play chess!!!
I found Swedish people really cool. I noticed that in Sweden they are more open to new ideas than in Poland, the catholic religion doesn't rule there and they are more open minded with a relaxed sense of feeling. They do not stare at you if you are dressed differently while in Poland some women will stare you down and criticize your clothes, your hair.
That's completely true I think, we're not that critic, are we? It's most truly because in Sweden people have their own style, (well, at most). And you can see all different kind of folks, specially in the bigger cities. So sure thing, we're open-minded, but here's jackasses as everywhere else. But the most people are really nice, and understand some difference between each other.
Sorry you 'missed' my message to you yesterday in Polish (our administrators must have deleted it, surprise, surprise -:) LOL ). As far as the Swedes being "cool", perhaps this peceived open mindedness revolves around the stereotype of them as being somehow more sexually liberated than those in Roman Catholic societies, such as Poland or Spain. France though, at least nominally Catholic, would seem the exception to the rule.
I too found and find the Swedes quite open on matters of personal freedom, yet very proscriptive on matters of social behavior, as compared say to the Americans. Swedes definitely don't tolerate unsocial behavior, even among strangers, and speak their minds far more bluntly than the average US-citizen!
I haven't been in Sweden long enough to get to know everything about the country. Didn't dwell deep enough into their sexual enlightments or their stand on abortion, etc. But I noticed like you said they don't tolerate unsocial behaviour.
Me again. A favorite saying of mine sums up the sometimes annoyingly homogeneous character of the Swedes, moreso certainly than the Poles, and even other related Scandinavian neighbors of the Swedes, i.e. the Danes and the Norwegians:
"Because I get dressed at a certain time each morning, means everyone else in the world is putting on their pants!"
So you mean that swedish people are like the centrum of the world in their own mind, or do they just think like this to be accept of other without accepting their self?
I mean that precisely because Sweden has for centuries been such a homogeneous and closed society, it naturally respects long-established mores (seder) and sees most deviation therefrom as mildly threatening, that's all.
Don't be offended! After all, who loved the Swedes more, while criticizing them more savagely, than their greatest modern muse, Ingmar Bergman??
Lebbe! (Your forum name rhymes with the Braunschweig clothing store "Flebbe")
Bist du Deutsche(r)? I trust you're kidding -:)!! LOL Also, I know there are no rules regarding vulgarity, but "sucks" is rather common (etwas ordinaere Sprache) Try another expression. English is a banquet when it comes to words and most poor suckers out there are starving.
While we have a Swedish person on the forum...can i ask if you can give me a bit of a clue how far it is from Ystad to Ostersund...just a rough idea will do....thanks...
... haven't been back to Sweden yet. But Stockholm was nice (did the duty free shuttle run from Helsinki a few times...). Very tough language though, Finnish is much easier, Polish too.
I'm late into this discussion but I'd like to offer a reflection on Marek's comment about critizising Swedes. I also live in Sweden (and in Gdansk for hollidays) and my reflection is that there is nothing more typically swedish is the paradoxical combination that we are deeply self-critical/apologetic and at the same time believing that we have discovered the perfect model for a society.
HAL9009: While Swedish is probably not the easiest language to learn (e.g. our grammar is messed up...) but there is no way that Finnish is easier!
While Swedish is probably not the easiest language to learn
Au contraire. For a native speaker of English who also knows some German (or vice versa) the Scandinavian (mainland) Germanic languages are absurdly easy to learn to read. Yes, speaking and understanding are different and harder, but I didn't have to put in much effort to learn to read a fair amount of Swedish and Norwegian.
Written Dutch should be easier (more closely related to English and German), but for some reason it isn't (for me).
My first trip to Sweden was at dearly age of 15 and it was a school trip, back under communists. My school class wychowawca, Mrs Rychter was wife to high ranked SB officer and had used her influence to organize school trip to the West and got all the permits, passports etc.
Some weeks before taking ferry we had spent all school classes with this teacher to prepare. All was carefully planned...we had learnt a song we were to perform (went really badly), we all had to buy/dress in white long sleeved shirt and were given 50 usd cash on great official rate. On one of the school classes it was decided one pupil wouldn't go as he was overweight and ugly - kind of reminds me current China Olimpic paranoia.
Anyway I had fallen in love with Anna on Swinoujscie Ystad ferry and had tried my first luck on gambling machines. In Sweden I bought myself a pair of blue jeans and a jacket.
As a kid I was impressed with the school they had there in Ystad and all those neon advertisements and parking meters and trendy, shiny cars.
At swidish school I was picked by Swedish journalist with interpretor and remember had been asked a question whether polish communist leader was popular in Poland.
I understood "popular" as 'well known" and therefore answered properly that indeed he WAS popular. Second question was if I wanted to stay in Sweden forever - that made me puzzled as I had never - age 15! - been outside home for longer then 2 weeks....I remember trying hardly understand what was meaning of this question...can't remember now what my answer was.
Anyway after visiting school premises, performing our song and listening to Swedish kids songs we all jumped into shopping. Then remember we were asking everywhere for more plastic bags as they were salable in Poland. One store they gave me plenty in another we were refused as apparently other kids were there before us already lol
Back trip ..we all were wasted as it was one day trip. Remember one kid won some money in gambling machine ...another got from his Swedish pal a box of Beatles and Abba LP ( huge treasure )
On the way out of Poland our passports were carefully inspected....guy looking veeery carefully into passport picture. When we were entering Sweden they had just collected our group passport and counted us and let go in.. :)
I had been dating Anna for some time later on ..having my first movie date with her.. Back home mom praised me for spending money wisely and dad complained that I am being brainwashed at school. Before taking that trip to Sweden whole class had joined Poland-Russia Frienship Society...yeah, then we went to Sweden lol
Very interesting sprawozdanie Kowalski. When I flew over there last year I thought the plane's gonna land on water because the airport in Copenhaggen is right on the shore. Then took a train going under the channel to Malmo, Sweden. That was cool.
Been there only once so far, but would like to visit again.
