Then, a list of tips I have received from very helpful friends.
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DISCLAIMER!!This advice is no sure method! I suggest no such thing and will warn any English speakers now that learning Norwegian is very hard because most of the blighters know English in the first place! Well, English or American English (which I prefer to call FREEDOM SPEAK! apologies to any Americans reading this, if you managed to leave the land of freedom for some enlightenment.... I love you!). Indeed, it takes effort to attain what some language learners call "Immersion method" which basically entails a massive language barrier and only your wits to breach it. In essence, Its too damn easy to switch to the Queens sprakken!!!
Of course any side affects such as spontaneous enlightenment, flight, the ability to summon annoying children that say "why?" as many times as is inhumanly possible, cannot be attributed. Blame TV. I do.
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The Books!
Language books are evil. There is no two ways about this statement. The are expensive, call to question your intellect and effectively reduce you to the literal and spoken age of a four year old. Picture yourself for the first few days pointing at objects in abject bliss shouting "en Bil" at a passing car and "en brun bil!" at a passing Volvo. To the owner of the poo brown Volvo that passed me yesterday, your days are numbered.
Language books, for those of you who arnt familiar, are those shiny tombs of intellect that sit on the shelf in that part of Waterstones or Ark (i Norge) where you must were glasses and be carrying another such book to get in. In other words, find the graphic novels and then turn 180, and keep going until you reach the other side of the shop.
Be prepared to pay through every orifice people. For some strange reason, language books see fit to charge as much as a £100 pound (1000 Kr) for the privilege of learning another speaky speak. For some reason there are so many professional tourists out there (Def: Been the world over, but each visit was only for the length of a package holiday, and often just was a package holiday.) that the demand for such books goes up and hence the prices. I always thought education was meant to be free really but apparently thats socialism or something.
Teach yourself Norwegian.This was my first book. This one made me feel all smart and invested and I admit, it was very useful. Its exercises and explanations were all semi academic (ie, not to smart, not to dum), and despite not even being in Norway it helped me prepare. However, once I got here I quickly realised I had been fooled. The book is out of date. Not like, smell bad, through away off more its granddads lingo. Language is alive, and books are designed to last. So it shouldn't be a surprise to see that the advice, grammar and many of the pronouns are no longer used by the current generations in Norway.
For example, De is the Norwegian word for they, but its use is also in a kind of royal you (or french Vous) which isnt used anymore. Also, the letter writing advice would get you called in for an interview just to check your age!
Usually priced at around £45 pounds, with CD, I would aim to get this cheaper. Its advice is mostly sound, but there is better...
Norwegian in 10 minutes a day.AVOID AT ALL COSTS. If something is cheap and seems to good to be true, it will be cack and make you cry blood! Although it read well like a proper high school book, unfortunately it had some severe problems.
Not only did it contain many cultural errors (For example saying Jeg vil har det, is really like saying "Peasant! Give me that!" quite impolitely. Well its not that bad, but does make you seem like a poor tourist. For the record its best to say Kan jeg få det? Or even speaking in English until your sure.
Although a suitable exercise book and Ok for learning the basics quickly, DO NOT approach a Norwegian with this as your only tool. You have been warned.
På Vei.Now this is the stuff. If you can get it. Abroad its very hard to find unless you know someone in the country, though I have heard you can buy it off the internet from Norwegian book handlers. Still it is worth the money. I got the Work book (Arbeid bok), the text book (tekstbok) and Id recommend the word book (Ordbok).
Its a lot but you get the professional set to get you started. It isnt easy because it is mostly in Norwegian but in the end, you would be surprised how helpful.
Strangely though, the CD that comes with the work book is for use with the text book, yet you also need another CD I have yet to find for use with the work book. Confused? Me too. But it is the set that a lot of Norwegian courses use over here, so there must something in it.
http://pavei.cappelen.no/
A great website that funny enough goes with the above set, is the free http://pavei.cappelen.no/ .
You can use this to play around with the language and although its more of a source of exercise and language level checking, its still useful to learn from. Give it a go! See how much you pick up!
A good rule of thumb in all of this is if the book is from Norway itself, it will more likely be uptodate and the real deal. Always avoid books designed for the aforementioned professional tourist.
Right, Im tired now, and Ive got to get my tooth drilled out again. The fun never stops! Next time Ill set up a list of bullet points of helpful advice I have gotten from friends here. If anyone wants to post a comment on the books listed here or can recommend any, feel free.
xx
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