Comparing Standard Written Swedish to Bokm?l and Nynorsk: Insights from a Czech Speaker

Swedish, like many other languages, has its written and spoken forms which vary in complexity and similarities with other nearby languages. This article explores the relationship between standard written Swedish and its counterparts, Bokm?l and Nynorsk, focusing on the vocabulary, grammatical structures, and phonetic characteristics. A unique perspective is provided by a foreigner, a Czech speaker, who has some familiarity with Swedish and other Scandinavian languages to share insights on reading and understanding these languages.

Relationship Between Standard Written Swedish and Bokm?l

Standard written Swedish is closely aligned with Bokm?l, which is one of the two written standards of the Norwegian language, alongside Nynorsk. Both Bokm?l and standard written Swedish share a more similar vocabulary and grammatical structure compared to Nynorsk. This is evident in specific lexical comparisons. For example, the Swedish phrase 'jag r inte hr' for 'I am not here' is closer to the Bokm?l 'jeg er ikke her' than to the Nynorsk 'eg er ikkje her'. This linguistic similarity underscores the close relationship between Bokm?l and standard written Swedish in their written forms.

Distinctive Characteristics of Spoken Swedish

While there is a significant overlap in the written forms, spoken Swedish exhibits its own unique phonetic characteristics, which still maintain a connection with Bokm?l and Nynorsk due to their shared North Germanic roots. However, when it comes to pronunciation and intonation patterns, spoken Swedish is most closely related to Bokm?l. This points to the underlying similarities in their spoken forms despite the variations in written texts.

Personal Insights from a Czech Speaker

A Czech speaker with modest knowledge of Swedish shares his experience of reading and understanding these languages. According to this individual, Bokm?l is easier to read compared to Nynorsk. He also notes that reading Danish at a similar level suggests that Danish and Bokm?l are indeed quite similar. Comparatively, Finnish Swedish is more comprehensible, highlighting the strong similarities between these languages. However, it is challenging to distinguish the spoken forms of Swedish and Norwegian due to their phonetic resemblance.

Lexical and Grammatical Comparisons

When looking at specific lexical and grammatical elements, some key differences and similarities can be observed. For instance, Swedish uses letters and letter combinations such as 'x' and 'ch', as in the words 'vuxen' for 'adult' and 'och' for 'and'. This contrasts with Bokm?l and Nynorsk, which use 'ks' and 'g' respectively in similar contexts. For example, 'vuxen' translates to 'voksen' in Bokm?l, indicating a closer phonetic similarity.

Verb infinitives in Nynorsk often end in 'a', similar to Swedish, whereas in Bokm?l and Danish they end in 'e'. For example, the verb 'be' (to be) is 'vera' in Nynorsk, which is closer to 'vara' in Swedish, in contrast to 'vre' in Bokm?l and 'vi' in Danish. This subtle but significant difference highlights the distinct characteristics of each written language.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while all three languages share some similarities, standard written Swedish aligns more closely with Bokm?l than it does with Nynorsk. The written forms of these languages reflect historical and linguistic influences, and despite their shared roots, they present unique characteristics that distinguish them from one another.

A postscript from a Czech speaker's perspective reinforces the notion that while reading these languages might require some adjustment, their spoken forms share a strong phonetic resemblance, making the distinction between Swedish and Norwegian challenging at times.