Thunder
M. Michael Brady writes about the origin of the word thunder and how it was derived from Old Norse mythology in his Word about Words column.
Author: M. Michael Brady
Words about words: sportsvaske
M. Michael Brady reports that Norway’s Language Council chose as word of the year sportsvaske: using sports to cover human-rights violations.
Yule – Jul
M. Michael Brady talks about the origins of the words yule and jul (Christmas) and how they evolved throughout Nordic and European countries.
Words about words: Gift
M. Michael Brady writes about the evolution from Old Norse of the word “gift,” which means both “married” and “poison” in Norwegian spoken today.
Story of “scream”
M. Michael Brady traces the history of the word “scream” from Shakespeare to Norway’s Edvard Munch, who named his famous painting “The Scream.”
Søtvier to Nightshade
M. Michael Brady discusses the evolution
of “søtvier” in Norwegian and “nightshade” in English, which end up with
identical botanical classifications.
Little Endians, Middle Endians, and Big Endians
M. Michael Brady explains how countries write their dates with differences known as endienness, named after characters in Gulliver’s Travels.
TUBFRIM helps those in need
M. Michael Brady reports that TUBFRIM, whose first mission was to eradicate tuberculosis from Norway, today helps children with disabilities and illnesses.
Omnipresent caffeine exposure
Norwegian Committee for Food and Environment reports on caffeine exposure and risk and what’s safe to consume and for whom.
Is Norwegian society really egalitarian?
A traditional view of Norwegian society holds that it is egalitarian, but Adel Khan Farooq, a second-generation Pakistani Norwegian, argues differently.
