A Way With Words
Frequently Asked Questions
In Germany the word Igel doesn't mean the masterful creature we would assume to be the eagle. Instead it's the common prickly garden animal, the hedgehog.
Help! I have a Scandinavian source text.
How do I tell whether it is Swedish or Danish or Norwegian?
Spotting the difference is easy:
- Swedish has ö and ä - Danish and Norwegian have not.
- Danish has softer consonants such as g, b, d, and v.
- Norwegian has harder sounds such as k, p, t, and f
The exception to this is "of": "af" in Danish and "av" in Norwegian. Most texts will contain this word!