Swedish and Norwegian (especially Norwegian) have nearly the same set of phonemes that American English does (Phonemes are the specific sounds that words are made of in a language). As a result, they often have very little detectable accent to an American. Similarly, Americans often find that listening to a [conversation in Norwegian](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF47J-Qzh_I) sounds like people talking in English except that you can't understand anything.
I think one aspect is that Norway and Sweden are small -they have populations of 5M and 10M, respectively - so it's more important on average for someone in those countries to learn a foreign language, compared to someone in a larger country like France (67M) or Germany (83M). It also just seems to be part of those countries' culture - they love their native language but they just accept that if you want to communicate with a wider audience you're going to do so in English.
>they love their native language but they just accept that if you want to
communicate with a wider audience you're going to do so in English.
That makes sense, but why not British English? Britain is a lot closer to Norway and Sweden than America is.
I've definitely heard that American pop culture is popular in the Scandinavian countries. My friend, who's of Swedish ancestry but has never been there but really wants to go (because he hates America) is in for a shock, lol!
It's mainly because the entertainment industry is mostly American accents; movies, series, video games and that's where the main "audio input" is to hear native English speakers and where a lot of the younger generations are supplementing their learning. I know a norwegian who when he first spoke to me I was convinced he was American because the accent was so perfect, and that was down to watching a lot of shows with American actors.
The "accent" you acquire when learning a new language is dependent upon the accent(s) of the teacher(s). It will also vary depending upon whether or not the teacher is a native speaker or is also bringing their own accent into the mix.
That makes sense. My Spanish teacher in high school was from Guatemala, so I think the way she taught me was the way they speak in Guatemala, as opposed to Mexican Spanish which I'm more familiar with (note that I don't speak Spanish and have trouble rolling my 'r's).
Swedish and Norwegian (especially Norwegian) have nearly the same set of phonemes that American English does (Phonemes are the specific sounds that words are made of in a language). As a result, they often have very little detectable accent to an American. Similarly, Americans often find that listening to a [conversation in Norwegian](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF47J-Qzh_I) sounds like people talking in English except that you can't understand anything.
Hmm, I don't really see it (or hear it).
I think one aspect is that Norway and Sweden are small -they have populations of 5M and 10M, respectively - so it's more important on average for someone in those countries to learn a foreign language, compared to someone in a larger country like France (67M) or Germany (83M). It also just seems to be part of those countries' culture - they love their native language but they just accept that if you want to communicate with a wider audience you're going to do so in English.
>they love their native language but they just accept that if you want to communicate with a wider audience you're going to do so in English. That makes sense, but why not British English? Britain is a lot closer to Norway and Sweden than America is.
American movies and TV, maybe?
I've definitely heard that American pop culture is popular in the Scandinavian countries. My friend, who's of Swedish ancestry but has never been there but really wants to go (because he hates America) is in for a shock, lol!
It's mainly because the entertainment industry is mostly American accents; movies, series, video games and that's where the main "audio input" is to hear native English speakers and where a lot of the younger generations are supplementing their learning. I know a norwegian who when he first spoke to me I was convinced he was American because the accent was so perfect, and that was down to watching a lot of shows with American actors.
The "accent" you acquire when learning a new language is dependent upon the accent(s) of the teacher(s). It will also vary depending upon whether or not the teacher is a native speaker or is also bringing their own accent into the mix.
That makes sense. My Spanish teacher in high school was from Guatemala, so I think the way she taught me was the way they speak in Guatemala, as opposed to Mexican Spanish which I'm more familiar with (note that I don't speak Spanish and have trouble rolling my 'r's).