Tag: languages

La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.

I had a great time noting street signs and shop and business names as I roamed the streets of Bergen. Some time back, I shared what is considered the longest Finnish word, which our friend Lulu kindly pronounced for us in one breath (click here). Although I find Finnish very difficult to remember, that’s mostly because the vocabulary rarely relates to any other language I know.

I do find Finnish easy to pronounce. Words sound how they look. As far as I know, every letter is pronounced and I’ve begun to appreciate the emphasis placed on double consonants. Norwegian, however, doesn’t sound anything like it looks. And if you live in Bergen, other Norwegians might say it doesn’t even sound like Norwegian.

One of the longest Norwegian words commonly used is “menneskerettighetsorganisasjonene,” which means “the human rights organizations.”

Here’s a great and less often used word (I wonder why) “Dampskipsundervannsstyrkeprøvemaskinerikonstruksjonsvanskeligheter,” which means something akin to “underwater steamship strength test machinery building difficulties.”

But, I’m told there’s really no limit to the length of a word in Norwegian, since you can keep adding elements as needed to describe something. And, by the way, the street sign at top means, I think, Nicholas Church Commons.

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Me lo pasé muy bien observando careteles de las calles y nombres de tiendas y negocios mientras deambulaba por Bergen. Hace algún tiempo, compartí lo que se considera la palabra finlandesa más larga, que nuestra amiga Lulu pronunció amablemente para nosotros de una sola vez (haz clic aquí). Aunque encuentro que el finlandés es muy difícil de recordar, eso se debe principalmente a que el vocabulario rara vez se relaciona con ningún otro idioma que conozca.

Encuentro que el finlandés es fácil de pronunciar. Las palabras suenan como se ven. Hasta donde yo sé, cada letra se pronuncia y he comenzado a apreciar el énfasis puesto en las consonantes dobles. El noruego, sin embargo, no se parece en nada a lo que parece. Y si vives en Bergen, otros noruegos podrían decir que ni siquiera suena como noruego.

Una de las palabras noruegas más largas que se usa comúnmente es “menneskerettighetsorganisasjonene”, que significa “las organizaciones de derechos humanos”.

Here’s a great and less often used word (I wonder why) “Dampskipsundervannsstyrkeprøvemaskinerikonstruksjonsvanskeligheter,” which means something akin to “underwater steamship strength test machinery building difficulties.”

But, I’m told there’s really no limit to the length of a word in Norwegian, since you can keep adding elements as needed to describe something. And, by the way, the street sign at top means, I think, Nicholas Church Commons.