My Danish has improved a great deal

Gro Bjerknes from Norway tells about her decision to learn Danish when moving to Denmark in 2006.

How does the use of parallel languages affect your work life at the University of Copenhagen?

Generally, my experiences are good, but I do feel that many Danes understand neither Norwegian nor "Dorsk" (Danish with a Norwegian accent).

What thoughts did you have about learning Danish when moving to Denmark?

I decided to make Danish one of my primary foreign languages, both in order to preserve my Norwegian language but also because I thought my language abilities in Danish would improve.

How did you commence with your Danish language learning?

I attended a Danish course for Scandinavians at a language school where the focus was primarily on reception and oral and written Danish. This year, I have participated in a one-to-one language course focusing on Danish pronunciation. The reason for participating in this course was to be able to teach a course at my work where my course participants would not have time enough to be able to get used to my "dorsk".

What did you gain from the course(s)?

My Danish has improved a great deal! My rhythm of speech is better, I use my mouth differently, and I perceive more subtleties in pronunciation. The one-to-one course has improved my self-confidence - I don't feel bad about calling Danish people I don't know that well anymore. I also understand much more when for instance speaking with people in situations where there is a lot of background noise.

How do you intend to continue your acquisition of Danish?

I'm very fond of my list with difficult words, which I received at the one-to-one course. And I will continue to use that for practice. Moreover, I feel that I have more of a feeling for Danish and consequently I'm better at correcting myself now.

Do you have any advice for international and Danish employees working at a workplace with parallel language use?

Learn Danish! It is impossible to get integrated in Denmark without speaking Danish, even though most Danes are polite and speak English - but after 5 minutes most Danes tend to return to speaking in Danish.