Re: Norwegians "singing Danes"?

[Lena A Löfström <lal@algonet.se>]

Sinclair wrote:
> 
> I learned the expression for Niels Laughersen, an Danish engineer married to
> a Norwegian lass named Liv.  Kenneth Lungren of BNE Swede Bank told me in
> 1991 that the reason he called the people 'singing Danes' was the cadence of
> their speech.  

Well, Kenneth (his surname must be LunDgren not Lungren.... it's
actually my maiden name) might have called them that but no one else.
However it is true that the Norwegian language is a "singing" language.
Norwegian is also very similar to Danish so I think that's why he called
them Singing Danes, but that's his expression not anybody else's. 

We usually just say that the Norwegians are singing (and we like it as
long as it is not Jon Teigen ,-) )



Niels was from Albourg and Kenneth from Malo.  Since the two
> towns are close together perhaps it is a local expression.

But in Malmö, Kenneth's town, they do not sing at all..... it's more
like they are having their mount filled with food while talking. And
almost impossible to understand. Even to me, having almost all my
ancestry down there.

Lena
> 
> Sinclair
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Iain" <iain.laird@totalise.co.uk>
> To: <sinclair@quarterman.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2001 4:57 PM
> Subject: Norwegians "singing Danes"?
> 
> > None of my Norwegian friends have ever heard of themselves described as
> > "singing Danes".  It is not a term used in the vicinity of Norway or
> > Norwegians. Where have you heard this?
> >

[ Excess quotations omitted. ]

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