Midsommer vs. Sankthans
Words about words M. Michael Brady Asker, Norway In Norway, Midsommer, the everyday word for the period around the summer solstice, is celebrated on Sankthans, the feast day of St. Johannes, June 24, and...
Category: Norsk Språk
Reinventing the wheel
What to call a clothesline that’s not linear? M. Michael Brady Asker, Norway The ubiquitous Norwegian tørkestativ might have had another name. In principle, it functions as does the traditional fiskehjell (fish flake), a...
Pentecost or Pinse?
Words about words M. Michael Brady Asker, Norway Pentecost is the name of a Christian festival that linguistically is both simple and complex. It’s simple because it designates a specific day. It’s complex because...
Norsk 101
Language practice with Christie Ericson Hipp hipp hurra for 17. mai! The 17th of May (syttende mai eller 17. mai) is Norway’s Constitution Day (Norges grunnlovsdag) and is celebrated all over the country (det...
Norsk 101
Dogsled racing: an Alaska-Norway connection Hundespannkjøring: en tilknytning mellom Alaska og Norge Language practice with Christie Ericson Here in Alaska (Her i Alaska), dogmushing (Hundespannkjøringg) is a popular sport (en populær sport). In fact,...
An ode to panegyric
Words about words M. Michael Brady Asker, Norway Words are means of expression that often are classified in registers, spectrums of usage reflecting factors such as social occasion, purpose, and audience. Panegyric is a...
Norsk 101: God Påske!
Language practice with Christie Ericson Easter (påske) is a rather long holiday (en ganske lang ferie) in Norway (i Norge). Schools (skolene) are usually closed (stengte) for the entire week (hele uken) preceding...
A bonanza of tequila?
Two Mexican Spanish words that ambled through English into Norsk vocabulary M. Michael Brady Asker, Norway In the 1840s, two Mexican Spanish words, bonanza and tequila, found their way into English, and thereby, 50...
“Red-letter days”
Words about words M. Michael Brady Asker, Norway Everyone knows what holidays are about. Almost. A glance at a commonplace wall calendar or pocket diary for the year will reveal many sorts of holidays....
Sund and Sound
Two words, one entangled relationship M. Michael Brady Asker, Norway The modern Norwegian word sund comes directly from the Old Norse word for a narrow fairway (smalt farvann). It’s seldom used alone but is...
