Meaning what you say. Or is it saying what you mean?

I remember one of the first days in Newcastle, I was standing at a crossing with my flatmates on our way to the university. Unbeknownst of my severe americanisation, I innocently asked where the nearest subway was. My flatmates looked at me a bit weirdly but responded diligently “I think it’s in the shopping centre, it’s really tiny though and it reeks of cheese and beef.” I could not wrap my head around it. And then I realised what had happened. “Oh no not the restaurant Subway, the subway, the train?” to which my flatmates just blinked and said “You mean the metro”.

The TV-show “Welcome to Sweden” is painfully relatable when it comes to translating Swedish lifestyle to English.

Having attended English speaking schools since the age of 12, I never expected the language to be one of the hurdles for me. My flatmates have unrelenting patience with me and politely lets me know when I have stepped over. “It’s rubbish, not trash”. “It’s called kitchen roll, not household paper”. “We don’t use the word dork here”. Although I am studying at a higher education level, I still feel like the retarded communist on a daily basis.

Why do we react to what word is used in a certain situation? I.e. non-native using different synonyms than native speakers?
What is the process behind learning everyday English compared to academic? Are some people more apt to one or the other?
Interlanguage – is knowing Swedish of an advantage with learning English or are we at a disadvantage?
How can you tell who is “not English” without the accent, based on their choice of words?
What is the difference between acquiring and learning a language?
What is more important, saying what you mean or meaning what you say?
How would you summarise/define the English language as it is today?

daniel.duncan@ncl.ac.uk

Lecturer in sociolinguistics

martha.young-scholten@ncl.ac.uk

Professor of Second Language Acquisition

Pride & Prejudices: Things you will hear as a Swede in the UK

From the bottom of our hearts, please stop asking if we have polar bears in the street. Sincerely, We Are Only A Few Degrees Colder Than You.

“When I first moved to the UK I had a hard time with strangers in the shops calling me “love” and “darling”. For me it felt very intrusive until I got used to it. I still only call close family or friends by it though.” – Saga Efraimsson, Nottinghamshire

“I work in a factory and we often get representatives from other companies. Last week we had a salesman from a Swedish tool company who was told that he could only see me because I’m Swedish. The salesman was English.” – Marcus Johansson, Essex

“Compared to other nationalities I feel like there are expectations on me to be trustworthy, responsible, organised, civilised, healthy, good looking, work out etc.” – Lina B. Frank, London/Bristol

“Someone from work asked me what the Swedish chef was saying. I said ‘he doesn’t speak Swedish you muppet'” – Tanja Bryant

“Toilets in the UK! First of all, why do you have one tap for cold water and one for hot? I so miss Sweden’s one tap. Second of all, why do the doors on public bathrooms open inwards, I can come in to a toilet but never out!” – Julia Henderson, Newcastle Upon Tyne

“I don’t understand how Englishmen can have cereal or granola with milk, I have to have sour milk with it” – Amy Sophia Elm

“‘Oh, I have a friend in Stockholm called Anna!’ How nice for you?” – Karl-Axel Karlsson, London

“No, I don’t work at IKEA. No, I’m not related to ABBA. And no, I don’t drive a Volvo.” – Christine Nilsson Liddle, Berkshire

Welcome to your go-to Scandi-UK guide!

If you are now sat thinking “too bad I’m not Swedish, this looks like a fun blog” – fear not! The aim of this site is not to spread Swedish propaganda or to just be a survival guide for other UK-based Swedes. It is an insight into student life here, in comparison with Sweden, into the norms and mannerisms experienced by an outsider and the frequent mishaps and misunderstandings that not knowing these bring about. As a future journalist, I am of the opinion that if I did not recognise and compare cultural differences, political climates, unwritten rules and languages, moving to England would have only been an excuse to escape the snow chaos of my Nordic home.

Who is the Annoying Swede?

With running the risk of stating the obvious, I will quickly break down the name:

Annoying = Moving to the UK I cannot keep count of the situations that have occurred where I have said the complete wrong thing, cooked some weird meal, had traits and opinions simply ascribed to me based on my nationality or even ordered a drink that is ‘too masculine’ for me. The name is more of a joke than how I actually view myself, but it does speak of the struggle that is adapting to a whole new culture.

Swede = I feel like this is self-explanatory, but to develop the deeper meaning I wanted my nationality to guide this blog as it does have, as previously mentioned, already ascribed traits, values, interests and opinions in people’s minds – as with all nationalities. Adding to this, moving away from Sweden made me personally acutely aware of my nationality in a more everyday fashion than I ever was before.

My aim is to publish new content every week, generally twice a week – Wednesdays and Fridays – with posts ranging from entertaining anecdotes and fun facts to filmed discussions with other Swedes in the UK, news reporting and more serious reflections.

It is the clashes, interactions and meetings of the experienced “UK-identity” and “Swedish-identity” that this blog will build upon. The funny, the embarrassing, the upsetting, the revolutionary bits – they are all here, in one place, making this the perfect site to use as your personal Scandi-Guide to UK-culture, no matter where you are from.

When I’m not posting on here you can find me on my Twitter: @AnnoyingSwede or my Instagram: @theannoyingswede. Ha det bra!