Evinrude

Fredrik from Norway   Monday, January 24, 2005, 03:46 GMT
I see that the boat engine name Evinrude was discussed here in December (I searched for "Norwegian" :-)) we are a small nation and eager to hear other's opinions about us...)

Looks like nobody knew if it was a Norwegian name. i have heard that the guy was an American of Norwegian ancestry. To me, his name looks like an anglized version of a very normal Eastern Norwegian farm name: Evenrud (meaning the cleared spot (-rode in German, -ryd in Swedish) of a guy called Even (normal Norwegian male first name, from Norse Eyvind).

Of course, In English this name will be pronounced as eeven-rudd. In order to make fellow Americans pronounce it the Norwegian way, the name was probably spelled Evinrude = Eh-vehn-rood
Fredrik from Norway   Monday, January 24, 2005, 04:02 GMT
From Norwegian name lexicon:
Even (Evin, Evind) Variant av Øyvind

So maybe the original was evInrud, and they just added the last -e in order to make the -u long, as in Norwegian.
..   Monday, January 24, 2005, 05:11 GMT
Your posts are always very interesting.
..   Monday, January 24, 2005, 05:12 GMT
How about a discussion on the similarities and differences between English and the Scandinavian languanges, Norwegian in particular? You seem to be a fountain of knowledge, so I would love to hear anything you have to say on the subject.
.   Monday, January 24, 2005, 05:44 GMT
Hi ..
Fredrik from Norway   Monday, January 24, 2005, 14:12 GMT
Thanks! But isn't the subject a bit wide for me to just start pouring out things. You are welcome to ask me a question!
..   Tuesday, January 25, 2005, 00:35 GMT
OK, Do you find that there are many similarities between the two languages, or only a few. Is it easy for a Norwegian to learn English? Do English speaking people have a very distinctive accent when they speak Norwegian, if they do, what is it comparable too? Are any sounds in English hard for you to pronounce, or were they ever? Do you consider English to be closer to the germanic or romance languages?

I know those are a lot of questions, but you seem to be a good person to ask them too.
Fredrik from noway   Tuesday, January 25, 2005, 21:42 GMT
Yeas, there are many similarities, because of common Germanic roots (stone =stein) and Viking influence (they = dei).
It is quite easy for a Norwegian to learn English, because of linguistic closeness and because we are exposed to English from a very early age (films are not dubbed, like in Continental Europe).
The English speak Norwegian with a distinct accent, much like the Germans speak Norwegian, just with less clear vowels and with a rolled -r.
Th (THe, THin etc.) does not exist in Norwegian (but existed in old Norse), so it takes a bit of practize to pronounce it. But when we mis-pronounce it, we don't say a -zzz like the French and germans, but a normal -t.
English grammar is very Germanic, I think. Long and difficult words are of Romance origin while easy, short everyday words are of Germanic origin. English is a Germanic language totallly reshaped (especially the spelling) by Romanve languages.
american nic   Tuesday, January 25, 2005, 22:12 GMT
Yeah, I'd be curious to know about the language of my ancestors. I have Norwegian in every line of my blood, most of it coming here around 1850ish. Many other people from here (Minnesota) are Norwegian also. The only things we still have from the old country are the church (Lutheran), saying Ja for yes, and eating Lefse on holidays.
..   Wednesday, January 26, 2005, 00:11 GMT
Thanks, i appreciate your answers, they are very interesting.
Fredrik from Norway   Wednesday, January 26, 2005, 17:41 GMT
Mmm ja, lefse tastes good, with butter and sugar on it.
Fredrik from Norway   Wednesday, January 26, 2005, 17:43 GMT
And maybe you say "uffda"?

I have heard this is kind of a defining phrase of being an American Norwegian? In Norway today it is considered a slightly feminine expression, especially if pronounced with a -oo in stead of a -oh!
Fredrik from Norway   Wednesday, January 26, 2005, 17:48 GMT
Because you are so into Norwegian. I wrote this on another thread.

Swedes and Norwegians have no problems understanding each other. With a little extra attention and effort Norwegians and Danes can also easily talk. Swedes and Danes have to try a bit harder, but actually ALL languages in Scandinavian (excluding Finnish and Icelandic) are totally interintelligable.
Because of historical development (closest linguistical links with Swedish + long union with Denmark + lots of different dialects in Norway)) Norwegian is the language "in the middle", so we are the Scandinavian champions in understanding our neighbours.

Finnish and Sami is from a totally other language family (Finno-Ugric) so it is only natural that we Scandinavians cannot understand them
But Icelandic is practically the same as old Norse, the language of the Vikings, which was spoken in all of Scandinavia in the early mediaeval age. But then Norwegian, Danish and Swedish developed so much with a lot of loan-words from Low German) that we cannot talk to an Icelander, although we can understand some words and easy sentences.
Faroese is also close to old Norse, though has developed a bit more than Icelandic, more in tune with Western Norwegian.

I suppose a person from Western Norway could make some easy small-talk with a Faroese.
I also think Faroese people and Icelanders can understand each other to some degree.

Some Finnish people speak Swedish as their first language and many of them some Swedish as a second language (because of union with Sweden until 1809).
Most Faroese speak Danish too, as a second language (the Faroese islands were a part of Norway until 1814, from then on, and still, a part of Denmark).
Some Icelanders speak Danish as a second language (union until 1944) but they mostly speak excellent English).

Example (Faroese proverb):
English: Time runs like the stream in river
Faroese (and circa Icelandic): Tidinn rennur sem streymur i á. (d as in they
New Norwegian: Tida renn som strøymen i åa.
Book Norwegian: Tiden renner som strømmen i åa.
Danish: Tiden render som strømmen i åen.
Swedish: Tiden rinner som strömmen i ån.
Finnish (maybe something like): Kihaita pohrtine kus aasmykko naaminen.
Sami (maybe something like): Cinievra guiodna cos doitnuivreirra.

The Finnish and Sami examples I just totally made up. The Faroese one I would not have known if I did not know the proverb. Bit the Danish and Swedish ones I had no problem translating
american nic   Wednesday, January 26, 2005, 22:16 GMT
I don't personally say uffda, but it is common enough. It usually refers to something smelling badly (like a sock or something). Also, we often lengthen vowels (like o and a), which is supposedly a Norwegian thing.
Fredrik from Norway   Wednesday, January 26, 2005, 23:55 GMT
Hehe, strange to use uffda in that way! In Norway we more use it as a form of saying "sorry", being compassionate or generally showing displeasure with something! It is more rare to use it about bad smelling things1