For many languages with official status, more often than not, there would be some sort of standardisation of that particular language, at least to that country itself. In some non-English languages, this standardisation would center around the variety used in the capital or largest cities. For instance, Standard Japanese is developed around the Tokyo variety … Continue reading Norwegian’s many dialects
Norway
What makes the Danish language so… incomprehensible?
In Scandinavian country banter, Denmark usually gets the short end of the stick by having the language everyone would make fun of. Several comedy videos have shown how garbled the Danish language sounds to Norwegian and Swedish speakers, and to much more hilarious effect, even fellow Danish speakers. If one thinks this cannot appear any … Continue reading What makes the Danish language so… incomprehensible?
Learning Northern Sámi (Davvisámegiella)
In 2025, I started the year with a particular goal in mind. I wanted to commit fully, to the best of my ability, to learn an indigenous language, and reflect on this process towards the end of the year. Now that it is the December of 2025, it is finally time to share this experience. … Continue reading Learning Northern Sámi (Davvisámegiella)
An introduction to Ume Sámi
A while ago, I traveled to Umeå in Västerbotten County in Sweden. It was there when I came across signs like these, on which upcoming events in the city are posted. But it was not the events that caught my attention, but more rather, the languages which are featured on the signs themselves. While I … Continue reading An introduction to Ume Sámi
Putting a ring on it — The å’s diacritic
The letter 'å' (typed using Alt+0229) is perhaps one of the most recognisable letters in the languages of Scandinavia, as you may have recalled the last time you went strolling about in an Ikea store. It is even the entire name of certain places in Norway and Sweden. So too does it represent a unit … Continue reading Putting a ring on it — The å’s diacritic
Where can we find the letter Đ?
This letter has long been associated with the Vietnamese language, ever since it switched over to the chữ Quốc ngữ from the traditional Chữ Nôm. In addition to the amount of diacritics and tone marks, the letter Đ is perhaps one of the most iconic in the Vietnamese alphabet. Yet, it is not the only … Continue reading Where can we find the letter Đ?
The Language Closet 