Renewing the identity of French in New England
I wonder if the Norwegians and Swedes...
... are still wringing their hands about the purity and validity of each other's respective language centuries after Old Norse splintered.
I wonder how many Norwegians sit around concerned that perhaps the folks in England or the U.S.A. would frown upon their language because it was no longer identical to that of the King of Sweden. And aren't there not one, but TWO forms of Norwegian—Bokmål and Nynorsk? You see! They can't even agree in their own country on a standardized form.
I wonder how many Norwegian Americans seeking to regain their heritage language are booking tickets to Stockholm to spend a semester or two? I imagine not everyone can afford to do that, but fortunately for them they have the "Swedish Alliance." I'm told at the "Swedish Alliance," they can take classes to acquire a pure "International accent*" and more intelligent-sounding vocabulary without all those archaisms. And for those unfortunate individuals who can't afford to go back to Scandinavia or attend the "Swedish Alliance," there's always—as a last resort, of course—well-meaning, intelligent, highly educated, "book-learned" speakers of Swedish who are more than willing to help them learn the language of their Norwegian grandparents. Who wouldn't take advantage of that great opportunity?!
And then there are those rebels from Iceland, well... really now... they don't even count! Heaven knows they don't speak anything close to proper Swedish OR even Norwegian, for that matter! And their excuse? Oh please! Just a little ocean separating them from the mother country for a few centuries? How lame.
As a Minnesotan, surrounded by all these insecure Scandinavians, I'm sure glad French Canadians and French-Canadian Americans aren't plagued with such foolishness.
* I'm told by some Norwegians that they feel the term "International accent" is just a veiled term for "Swedish accent from Stockholm." You know, people are so paranoid. I doubt that's the case at all.
I wonder how many Norwegians sit around concerned that perhaps the folks in England or the U.S.A. would frown upon their language because it was no longer identical to that of the King of Sweden. And aren't there not one, but TWO forms of Norwegian—Bokmål and Nynorsk? You see! They can't even agree in their own country on a standardized form.
I wonder how many Norwegian Americans seeking to regain their heritage language are booking tickets to Stockholm to spend a semester or two? I imagine not everyone can afford to do that, but fortunately for them they have the "Swedish Alliance." I'm told at the "Swedish Alliance," they can take classes to acquire a pure "International accent*" and more intelligent-sounding vocabulary without all those archaisms. And for those unfortunate individuals who can't afford to go back to Scandinavia or attend the "Swedish Alliance," there's always—as a last resort, of course—well-meaning, intelligent, highly educated, "book-learned" speakers of Swedish who are more than willing to help them learn the language of their Norwegian grandparents. Who wouldn't take advantage of that great opportunity?!
And then there are those rebels from Iceland, well... really now... they don't even count! Heaven knows they don't speak anything close to proper Swedish OR even Norwegian, for that matter! And their excuse? Oh please! Just a little ocean separating them from the mother country for a few centuries? How lame.
As a Minnesotan, surrounded by all these insecure Scandinavians, I'm sure glad French Canadians and French-Canadian Americans aren't plagued with such foolishness.
* I'm told by some Norwegians that they feel the term "International accent" is just a veiled term for "Swedish accent from Stockholm." You know, people are so paranoid. I doubt that's the case at all.
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