Description
This article is from the Nordic countries
FAQ, by Antti Lahelma and Johan Olofsson, with numerous
contributions by others.
1.8 What are Nordic graphemes?
(by Tor Slettnes)
Nordic graphemes can in this context be described as "graphical
representations of the letters that exist in the various Nordic
alphabets, beyond those that exist in the English alphabet". Each of
the Nordic written languages uses some additional letters compared to
English. These are, in order of appearance in the alphabets:
Letter: Languages used: Pronounced like: character:
________________________________________________________________
a acute is 'ou' in "loud" á
eth is 'th' in "there" ð
e acute is (dk, no, se, fi) 'ea' in "yeah" é
i acute is 'e' in "he" í
o acute is 'o' in "home" ó
u acute is 'ou' in "you" ú
y acute is 'e' in "he" ý
thorn is 'th' in "thumb" þ
ae is 'i' in "hi" æ
dk, no 'a' in "bad" æ
o-slash dk, no 'i' in "bird" ø
a-ring dk, no, se (fi) 'o' in "bored" å
a diaeresis se, fi 'a' in "bad" ä
o diaeresis se, fi, is 'i' in "bird" ö
u diaeresis (se, fi, dk, no) 'ue' in french "rue" ü
A set of parentheses around the country code indicates that the letter
is rarely used in the corresponding language, typically only for loan
words or names originating from another language. Other accents, such
as ^ (circumflex) and accent grave are now and then used in foreign
names and words in all Nordic languages.
In Denmark and Norway the alphabet is ordered:
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z æ ø å
For Finland and Sweden the order is:
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z å ä ö
If your curiosity isn't satisfied by the pronounciation guide above,
there are more extensive comments in the various language sections of
this faq.
Continue to:
Share and Enjoy
Bookmark this story so others can enjoy it:
Tags
travel, vacation, nordic, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, tourism, history, books, language
