It's been a while since I've taken language classes. I felt like I was back at Gage listening to "Bifteck" and learning verb conjugations; my Swedish teacher, Annika, even reminded me of Ms. Baylus, okay? So weird.
Maybe it was just familiarity with the French language, since I took it for three years, but Swedish seemed to be a bit more challenging. One of the most difficult aspects is pronunciation. The Swedish language has some of the strangest letter combinations. Like, I'm pretty sure I just wasn't born capable of making those sounds no matter how many times my roommates correct me! The trickiest combination for me is "sj/sk" (just looks wrong doesn't it?!). The "sj" sound is found in words like sju (seven) and sjukhus (hospital). Also our "k" only makes one sound; Swedish "k" can make the same sound as "k" in English or it can make a "sh" sound. So kaffe (coffee) and komma (come), versus kyckling (chicken) and kemi (chemistry). I really can't describe the sounds so here is a video I found online: Saying 7
Oh! Another thing, the word "the" is non-existent here. Which, in my opinion, is such a tragedy. Instead of distinguishing "a chair" from "the chair" with "a" and "the" the Swedish language requires you to change the form of the noun. Of course there are multiple different forms depending on the gender, quantity, and type of noun. And you have the exceptions to these rules as well. It's been a joyous three weeks of grammar lessons...
But in the end, the 3 1/2 hours of Swedish instruction a day really did help! I got to know some of my other classmates (all UC students), pick up favorite sayings, and find my way around the grocery store (kinda). I won't be continuing Swedish in fall since I'm already taking a full load of classes. I'm looking forward to all three English taught classes, but first a two week break!
Until next time!
Xo
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