Swedish for foreigners???

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Alicia
Posts: 371
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2003 9:43 am
Location: Vaasa

Swedish for foreigners???

Post by Alicia » Wed Oct 08, 2003 3:32 pm

Dear all,

I am in both a good and bad situation:

1. Swedish speaking partner
2. Swedish speaking in-laws
3. Swedish speaking friends
4. Finnish speaking majority school
5. Finnish speaking school friends (one Swedish speaking school friend)

I speak Swedish in the weekends, listen to Finnish during the day, Swedish news at night, Finnish out on the pubs.....? Can get confusing.

So, which language do you learn first, or focus your attention on? I had Swedish chosen for me, after a few family weddings, ski trips with friends etc.

Can I have some encouragement, or some tvåspråkig inspiration?

(I know this doesn't belong in Learn Finnish but where else do I put it???)



Swedish for foreigners???

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Hank W.
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Post by Hank W. » Wed Oct 08, 2003 3:50 pm

Well, if you get Swedish fluency, you'll just be automatically counted into the "bättrefolk" down here by the Finns. Of course with a horrid 'pami' accent you'll be treated like something the cat brought in by the locals as you are not one of the "ankdammen" either. But as a good point, you will have chances to some areas & professions (or moving to Åland) easier. So if I was you I'd exploit the inlaws to the fullest extent and learn fluent Swedish (as its easier for the Englishspeakers anyhow.) Broken Finnish in Österbotten won't be anythging extraordinary and your Finnish will be anglo-broken anyhow I guess.
Cheers, Hank W.
sitting here like a lemon looking for a gin.

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Post by Guest » Wed Oct 08, 2003 3:51 pm

I'm in the same situation.
Swedish speaking in-laws, most of the 'friends' are Swedish speaking. If you have some German language skills the Swedish will come gradually. I learnt it within a year, without really studying it. I can manage pretty ok with Swedish.
Focus on the Finnish. You're going to find a lot more problems in there. You'll need all your time for that. Especially if you're using mostly Swedish.

Handsome
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Joined: Wed May 15, 2002 10:00 pm

Post by Handsome » Wed Oct 08, 2003 4:13 pm

I'm also in the same situation as Arno.

I deliberately focused on Finnish when I first arrived, simply because I thought that's what I'd be using in the workplace, and just picked up/taught myself Swedish.

Stu

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tgabawm
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Location: hell...sinki

Post by tgabawm » Wed Oct 08, 2003 6:10 pm

I vote for Swedish... and it's quite usefull in Vaasa...
If the drop would say "I am unnecesary", there would be no ocean.
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Alicia
Posts: 371
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2003 9:43 am
Location: Vaasa

Thanks

Post by Alicia » Fri Oct 10, 2003 10:31 am

Thanks for the encouragement. It makes more sense from an outsider, than a local that just wants to talk dialect with me!


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