Sweden shrugs off English words as Norway seeks more Norwegian

Sweden sees little reason for concern over English words entering the language, while Norway is promoting Norwegian alternatives, DR reports. Denmark is debating how English words should be handled, but experts say the situation does not threaten Danish.

English vocabulary has become deeply integrated into everyday Danish, with people using words such as “like”, “update” and “stream” without always noticing their English origins.

Jacob Thøgersen, an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Nordic Research and Linguistics, says Norway probably uses slightly less English than Denmark in national newspapers. Sweden, he says, is at roughly the same level as Denmark.

Norwegian speakers may appear to use fewer English words because they have adopted distinct Norwegian alternatives in some cases. For example, Norway uses “e-post” for email. But English words may appear elsewhere where Danish uses a Danish term, Thøgersen says.

He rejects the idea that Danish is threatened by English, calling the concern “completely absurd” and “a political storm in a teacup”.

Sweden sees no problem

In Sweden, the debate over English words is far less intense than it was in the past. Lena Lind Palicki, head of a department at the Institute for Language and Folklore, the Swedish counterpart to the Danish Language Council, says the biggest debate took place in the 1990s.

She does not consider English words a problem in themselves. Swedish words do not necessarily disappear when English words enter the language, she says, as the two can exist alongside each other.

Sweden nevertheless seeks Swedish alternatives in some cases because they are often easier to spell and inflect. A computer is called “dator”, a password is “lösenord” and phishing is “nätfiske”.

Norway wants more Norwegian

Norway takes a different approach. Daniel Gusfre Ims, a department director at the Norwegian Language Council, says extensive English influence can create problems for Norwegian spelling and understanding between Norwegian speakers.

The council focuses particularly on Norwegian terminology and professional language. It has a list of established Norwegian alternatives to English words, including “minnepinne” for memory stick and “nettbrett” for tablet.

However, Gusfre Ims does not believe that every English word is a problem. One or three words are not an issue, he says, but the total number of loanwords can challenge both the spelling system and people’s understanding of words.

His advice to Denmark is to have a policy supporting Danish words and the willingness to use them. He says it is encouraging that Denmark is moving in that direction, adding that Norway should now take inspiration from its neighbour.