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INTRO By Ben Hamilton Students are increasingly favouring virtual language lessons following the necessity brought about by COVID-19 There are some things you need to do in person, but not perhaps as many as we might have thought at the end of 2019.
ONCE ONLINE, FOREVER INCLINED
Playing team sports – that’s definitely one. And making love … with a partner. But once you’ve ruled out the bodily contact activities, are there really so many activities that we need to do in person?
Compete with a classroom? One such industry is language teaching. After all, when you think of a typical class, it’s a high-octane cauldron of togetherness, right? After all, students feed off the energy in the room, carefully learning from the teacher’s example and then jumping up to mingle and practise with their classmates. When the first lockdown was applied, many thought classes would just stop: how could you replace that learning environment? Well, vroom-vrooming into the room came Zoom, the video communication platform that might very well be changing the way we learn languages forever. Screen comforts Now, of course, online learning was a thing already, but never before have there been so many people doing it. The question is whether they will want to go back. There’s Julian, for example. Not much of a people person, he tends to get shy and this hinders his learning. Elizabette’s the opposite, and often her enthusiasm and extrovertness is her downfall. The teacher hates her, and the other students think she’s selfish. And spare a thought for Pierre. He’s fallen in love with the teacher and can’t look her in the eye at
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As far as Danish businesses are concerned, the answer is an emphatic no.
crucial moments in the learning process. But with Zoom, he can gaze all he likes.
fortlessly taking all studies online. “The teachers figured it out,” Lherbier told CPH POST proudly.
At their own pace There are just some of the myriad of students who are enjoying learning from the comfort of their home – and, let’s face it, when the wind chill is -12 outside, it’s a much more preferable option.
And even as the restrictions were eased, the online learning continued, with many of the students preferring to mix it up.
For many students, it also enables them to learn at their own pace. For example, they might have found the Danish vowel ‘å’ a tricky one to master. But because they recorded the lesson (with permission, of course!), they’re able to rewatch, practise and perfect, and reap the rewards. And let’s face it: everyone enjoys watching themselves in action, along with that classic moment when Herve unintentionally stood up to reveal he wasn’t wearing any trousers.
Numbers increasing The return of the free classes since July 1 last year has resulted in a lot more students learning Danish. The government’s reversal of the 2018 decision of its right-wing predecessor to charge students for lessons means newly-arrived residence permit holders can learn Danish for free. Numbers at UCplus in Copenhagen, for example, went up from 500 to 2,000 over the following months. In 2018 and 2019, student numbers fell by 75 percent.
“They figured it out” At UCplus in Copenhagen, one of two teaching schools to offer free lessons, students have been thriving during the lockdown, according to Mette Lherbier, the head of the language centre.
Changed landscape Nevertheless, the landscape has changed forever, and now only a select number of schools receive state subsidies to offer free classes – more or less the same establishments that won tenders in 2018 to offer heavily-discounted courses (2,000 kroner a module).
Last spring, the teachers were quick to demonstrate their versatility, ef-
Some of the other rules implemented in 2018 also remain.
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For example, students are still required to make a deposit of 2,000 kroner at the start of the course, and this is putting some off from taking the classes. The deposit is only payable by self-supporting citizens. Foreigners enrolled on an integration program and au pairs are exempt from paying one. Split into regions In 2018, the country was split into regions, which involved lumping many municipalities together. So, for example, while Copenhagen, Aarhus and Glostrup are single-municipality regions on account of the large numbers of potential learners, in areas of the country where there are few non-Danes, students might need to travel further! Again this has probably put some off. Two tenders in capital In Copenhagen, where a huge proportion of the new arrivals first find their feet in Denmark, there are two schools offering free classes: UCplus and Clavis. UCplus currently holds four other tenders in Denmark, including in Ringkøbing and Silkeborg, while Clavis holds the monopoly in Aarhus. Speak holds the tender in Gentofte.
Publisher: CPH POST • Editor: Hans Hermansen • Layout: CPH POST Info: hans@cphpost.dk • Tel: +45 2420 2411
LEARN DANISH OR RISK ENDING UP WITH
YOUR HAIR IN THE MAILBOX [ “Standing with your hair in the mailbox”
is a strange Danish way of saying you’re in trouble]
Learning Danish is about much more than just the language. It´s also about understanding culture, society and, not least, the strange sayings of the Danes. Luckily it’s all included in the Danish lessons at Studieskolen, and we guarantee that you’ll never risk ‘standing with your hair in the mailbox’ when having your first real life conversation in Danish. Find out more about our new courses for beginners, intermediate or advanced learners at studieskolen.dk.
IMPACT FACEBOOK/STUDIESKOLEN
LINGUA DANCA: THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING DANISH
By Edward Owen If you’re new to Copenhagen, there’s a good chance you will have never heard anything quite like the Danish language. Sure, maybe you’ve watched a few episodes of ‘The Bridge’, but essentially your brain switches onto autopilot as you read the subtitles. You’ve also noticed that the Danes seem to speak pretty good English. And so, you could easily convince yourself that learning the language isn’t really a priority. The fact of the matter is there are of course a myriad of advantages to learning the native language of your new home – especially given the strong possibility that you won’t want to leave. Employment: Avoid the creek! Some ability in Danish will present you with a wider range of choice in your chosen profession. Perhaps you’re here in Copenhagen because you work for a large international company and the official language is English. However, there is no doubt that new opportunities within such firms – in different departments or new projects – will be available to you if you
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can grasp Danish.
those already within your reach.
But what if you came here as a refugee of love or to follow your spouse, and your qualifications (a bachelor’s degree for example) aren’t what the big companies are thinking of when they talk about ‘highly-skilled foreigners’. The truth is that even if you find a job that specifies mother tongue English, they will very often still want you to speak Danish when socialising with the other workers. Such a situation can spoil the office hygge!
Education: Join the clique! Attending university is one of the main reasons for the large international presence in Copenhagen, and learning Danish will also help at school. Remember: many programs are available in English, but the number is being cut. Now, we’re not suggesting you move to Denmark and immediately enrol onto a course taught in Danish, but there is a significant amount of group work involved in a Danish education. Inevitably, you will find yourself in one such group as the only foreigner.
Within the service industry there are some employers who don’t have a preference on your Danish language skills and there are some that do. The point remains: you will have more options if you can get to grips with Danish. Whatever your profession, you will eventually find yourself in a situation in which knowledge of Danish is highly advantageous at work. The time may also come where you want to change your job or employer, and it’s at this point that the ability to use the language will open up significantly more opportunities than
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Imagine; you take a five-minute break from your group work and grab a coffee. Upon your return your peers are chattering away in Danish – no big deal, right? Wrong. It turns out that as you were gazing off into the distance, important decisions were made about the direction of the group project. If only you had understood, you could have recognised the importance of the conversation. Socially: Power when you speak! It’s also important to consider your social
life outside of work. Making friends with Danes can be a tough audition. Being able to converse in Danish will really allow you to immerse yourself in society and glide through social interactions and feel more at home. The day-to-day situations in which a good command of Danish can be an advantage are numerous, but here are a few examples. ‘Getting around’ Place names, directions, announcements on transport – particularly out in the regions where far fewer Danes tend to speak English well. Imagine you’re sat on the train and it fails to depart – there’s an announcement and everyone gets off the train. You can assume this train is going nowhere – but what did the announcement say?! ‘Life administration’ Paying bills, making purchases online, understanding receipts and terms and conditions, checking the small print etc. You are responsible for your own tax assessment in Denmark – receiving a large tax bill at the end of the year is not ideal. ‘Basic communication’ Not just with the Danes, but with a sizeable chunk of the 10 percent of the population who aren’t Danish, but don’t speak English. Immigrating from countries like Eritrea, Afghanistan and Syria, they wouldn’t have
learned English as a child, but most will speak Danish after being here for a few months. ‘Making new friends’ Not just with the Danes but also the social outlet offered by language school. Many often remain friends for decades, and it’s not unknown for some to start sports clubs once the learning experience is over. ‘Complaining’ Whether it’s in a checkout queue or at the traffic lights, if you’re speaking in English, will they admit to understanding you? ‘Eavesdropping’ Fun in any language. ‘Safety’ Last, but by no means least. In an emergency situation, Danish language skills could prove to be the difference – offering crucial clarity and timesaving. Culturally: New horizons to seek Ultimately it might come down to how well you want to get to know and appreciate your new home. Imagine the excitement many feel at being able to read and appreciate Hans Christian Andersen’s stories in their original language, or the philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard. Danish also connects you with the past and
the culture and history of northern Europe. It developed from Old Norse, which eventually split into Old West Norse, spoken in Norway and Iceland, and Old East Norse, spoken in Sweden and Denmark. Eventually, Old East Norse evolved into the Danish that is spoken today. Believe it or not, there are many regional dialects in Denmark and its territories, of which many are still spoken today. If you understand Danish you can go to more events, exhibitions and social happenings. Learning Danish will make you aware they are happening in the first place and will also allow you to get more out of them once you are there. And don’t forget that Danish is closely related to Norwegian and Swedish, even if their Scandinavian neighbours to tend to mock the Danes for sounding as if we speak with a potato in our mouths. So you’re not just learning one language, but three! Norwegian (bokmål) is almost a carbon copy of Danish, with a few distinctions irrelevant to normal every-day use. Swedish uses some unique words and phrases, but to a great extent is very understandable to Danish speakers.
Speak Hellerup Bernstorffsvej 20C 2900 Hellerup Speak Lyngby Klampenborgvej 221 2800 Kgs. Lyngby
speakspeak.dk
Learning Danish is expanding your horizon
Speak Frederiksberg Gl. Kongevej 74D 1850
Frederiksberg hello@speakspeak.dk +45 3946 3050
THE CONUNDRUM
SO MANY LANGUAGE SCHOOLS – but which one to choose?
FACEBOOK/SPEAK
There are many different types of language schools offering a range of courses catering to your individual needs and circumstances. Let us help you find the school that is right for you. Getting started Once you have arrived here and have settled, getting started on language tuition is relatively simple and requires only that you have a Danish CPR number (civil registration number). You will have to apply for this through the website or office of your local kommune (municipality). In order to obtain a CPR number, you have to meet the following criteria: • You have been in Denmark for more than three months; • If you are an EU citizen, you have a registration certificate (does not apply to Nordic citizens); • If you are a non-EU citizen, you have obtained a residence permit; • You have a valid, permanent address. A minimum length of one month’s stay is expected, but you might be asked to provide proof of three months. All this will be checked and your registration will not be accepted if there are any anomalies. Your registration can be cancelled if the address proves to be illegal. You will also be expected to provide other documentation, such as a valid passport, a marriage certificate if you are married and the birth certificates of your children if you have them with you.
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What’s available As well as teaching Danish to adult foreigners, many schools offer a wide range of other courses, including special youth courses and courses on Danish culture and society. There are long courses that run during the academic year, short intensive courses and summer courses. Depending on your needs, time, interests and prior qualifications, the main options below are available to you: Via the municipality Local authorities are required by law to offer Danish language and culture courses to all foreign residents. The local language schools offer courses at all levels. The target groups for these courses are new immigrants and refugees. It is also possible to study in neighbouring municipalities, such as Frederiksberg, so it is wise to go online and check individual language schools. It is usually possible to enrol on courses several times a year. Mandatory examinations are held twice a year. Adult learning centres The adult learning centres (VUCs) offer courses in all general subjects for adults at lower and upper secondary school level. In addition to the general courses offered to Danes, some of the VUCs offer Danish language courses for foreigners. Each course lasts 6-12 months and comprises 240 lessons. You can obtain more information on
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these courses from your local municipality or from the individual adult learning centre. If you are interested in a more intensive or perhaps a more individually designed course, you can enquire at one of the local language centres about private language teachers. Folk high schools Some folk high schools (folkehøjskoler) offer residential courses in Danish language and culture, either during the summer holiday (3-4 weeks) or during the autumn and spring semesters (4-5 months). These courses do not normally include formal tests or examinations. The Secretariat for the Danish Folk High Schools will provide you with further information about courses, admission and tuition fees. Visit hojskolerne.dk for more information. Higher education institutions In connection with a language school, some institutions offer intensive Danish language courses at the beginning of the academic year, during the semester, or as a part of a summer university program. Students who are enrolled at the institution are not usually charged a tuition fee, but have to pay a deposit of 1,250 kroner. Private instruction There are many private language schools and instructors out there. This type of learning is ideal for those who don’t have time to attend scheduled classes.
OPINION By Stephanie Brickman
As our move to Denmark loomed, a friend sent me a self-help book on adapting to expatriate life. I am an incorrigible fan of self-help books. When clearing out shelves for our move I found works ranging from ‘Think Yourself Thin’ to ‘Seven Habits of Successful People’. There would have been enough self-help books to build a small garden shed, if only there had been a volume called ‘Build Your Own Garden Shed’. Pseudo experts ‘Expat Expert’, as the aforementioned self-help book was called, was aimed at the spouses of diplomats preparing for drastic moves abroad. On that score I felt pretty lucky – we were just going next door. On the other hand, many ‘Expat Expert’ readers were looking at short-term postings, while ours is open-ended. Last month we celebrated the two-year anniversary of our arrival in Copenhagen. There’s a warning in ‘Expat Expert’ about the stage we are at. There’s a dip where the novelty has worn off, but the comfort of true familiarity has yet to take effect. In expat terms these are the ‘terrible twos’. We’re not cute newbies any more, we are tantrum-throwing toddlers driven wild with frustration that those around us don’t understand our carefully-crafted googoo gaagaa sentences. I blame you, Soft D The toddler analogy carries because, despite best efforts, I am still misunderstood at times. I’m in good company as there are people who have been here more than 20 years and still get the blinking “Hvad sagde du?” I may be projecting all my linguistic neuroses onto one phoneme, but I blame ‘Soft D’. It’s not soft in a cuddly way, it’s more of a sinister softness like ‘The Blob’ in that old horror movie. At first I thought it was a relative of ‘th’ in English and that we could be friends. I was wrong. A real expert Anxious to lift this barrier between me and the diminutive Danishspeaking world, I decide to seek expert opinion from Nicolai Pharao, an associate professor in the Department of Scandinavian Studies and Linguistics at the University of Copenhagen. “It’s an unusual sound; there are not many languages with a sound made in this way,” he said. According to Pharao, back in the 15th century it was a proper ‘d’ and this is why, 600 years later, it is still written that way. I guess no-one likes to be hasty with spelling rules. “It’s not really a consonant, it’s more like a vowel,” he continued encouragingly. “When you say a ‘d’, the tip of your tongue touches the alveolar ridge, behind the front teeth. Whereas when you say a soft ‘d’, you take the tip of your tongue down behind your bottom front teeth.” He freely admits that this is “just not normal”, and that even phoneticians who do nothing all day but study weird utterances are foxed by it. Milking it However, the ‘soft d’ may not be from such a distant planet for English speakers. The ‘l’ sound in milk (quite different from the ‘l’ in lumbago) is close to a soft ‘d’. Usually, teachers tell language students to practise sounds in front of a mirror. With Danish this is not advisable – the resulting contortions can only make you feel worse. So how can you know if you are doing it right? “With your tongue in position behind your bottom front teeth,
flex your tongue to say the sound, then breathe in. If you feel cold air along the centre of your tongue (not the sides) you’ve got it right,” Pharao said. No cream on top It’s a lot to think about in the middle of a word. However, I’m feeling quite buoyed by this new knowledge and am toying with the idea of Pharao and I writing a self-help book entitled ‘Embracing Your Inner ‘Soft D’’ or perhaps ‘Feel Like a Plonker and Do It Anyway’. I aim high. “Rødgrød med flødeskum,” I said to my neighbour cheerily while taking out a rubbish bag and inhaling appropriately to check my tongue position. “Hvad siger du?” she replied blankly. This column was originally published in January 2014
Access to CLAVIS´ online platform 24/7 Stream and revisit the lessons Located in Copenhagen right by Nørreport Station 30 years of teaching experience www.clavis.org CLAVIS ● Nørregade 49, 1165 Copenhagen K. ● Phone: +45 41 73 81 00 ● Email: cph@clavis.org