Her love for Swedish began when she was a teenager with the music of ABBA. Since then, this philologist from Madrid has not wanted to live without this language. She is also currently studying Danish and Icelandic. For her, studying languages is an enormously enriching experience that can also be very useful in the working world.
By Hannu Arvio
Hannu: At Institut Nordic, we teach five of the Nordic languages: Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish and Icelandic. You are studying three of these languages: Swedish, Danish and Icelandic. Swedish, moreover, at a very high level, C1. The question is, where does so much interest come from?
Sonsoles: The interest came a long time ago and in a somewhat fortuitous way. It turns out that I have always been, since I was a child, a big fan of the group ABBA, which, as we know, is of Swedish origin. Being so fond of their music, after having acquired all their music in English and Spanish, I asked myself: “What else is there, what else can I listen to? And at that moment, I knew that, before they were ABBA, they had recorded more music either as solo artists or with other Swedish groups. And all that music was in Swedish. So I started buying records in Swedish that I began to listen to. It was very nice music, but I didn’t understand anything. So I decided to study Swedish to understand what my favourite artists were singing.
Hannu: This was long before Spotify, when you were buying LPs. You are also studying Danish and Icelandic.
Sonsoles: The music of ABBA introduced me to Swedish. When I started studying the language, I fell in love with it. Studying a language is not only about grammar; you learn a lot of cultural things, and the Nordic countries, the truth is that they go hand in hand and have a lot of collaboration. And even though you are studying about Swedish culture, Finland, Norway, and Denmark are also mentioned… So I started reading about other Nordic languages, and after a long time, because I really started studying Swedish when I was still in high school, I hadn’t even started university, after many years, a couple of years ago, I decided to try other Nordic languages.
Hannu: In fact, Swedish and Danish are said to be quite similar and can cause confusion if studied at the same time. Does that happen to you?
Sonsoles: It doesn’t happen to me, but I did have it very much in mind when I decided to study Danish. Why do I think it hasn’t happened to me? Well, I think because of the difference in time since I started studying Swedish and Danish. I think that if I had started to study both in parallel, there would have been some interference, but since there were decades of difference between Swedish and Danish, I think I already had Swedish sufficiently established for there to be no interference.
Hannu: And Icelandic, which is also a language with Germanic roots, do you see any similarities with Swedish and Danish?
Sonsoles: Yes, I see a certain resemblance, and being able to speak Swedish and having some knowledge of Danish, I think it helps. In the sense that, for example, when we are starting a new text, it’s not that I understand it directly, but I do recognise words and I can even guess what the text or paragraph might be about. But it is quite a bit further away from the other two languages.
Hannu: You said you are in love with Swedish (language). Lovers always have something special. What does Sweden have for you?
Sonsoles: (laughs) Well, I don’t know, I think it could be a little bit of everything. It was a language that, although it wasn’t easy for me, since I already spoke English and had studied German, wasn’t completely foreign to me either. I was always very interested in learning it, I didn’t find it difficult at all, and after a few years, I could speak a little bit. The vocabulary, the pronunciation, the way it sounds… I love it.
Hannu: And the Nordic languages, for you, do they have any purpose? What are you going to use them for?
Sonsoles: I currently use it at work, because in the company where I work I collaborate with several Swedes, so I speak a little bit of Swedish every day. What’s more, in previous jobs, I was actually hired for speaking Swedish. It’s not just a hobby, it’s also useful.
Hannu: It has improved your professional competitiveness.
Sonsoles: Yes, it has.
Hannu: Is there any place in the Nordic countries that for you is a must visit, that you have to see?
Sonsoles: Well, I’m not an expert, but for me they would be the capitals. They were very attractive to me. I don’t know if it was because of affinity, because I am from Madrid and I live in a capital city, so I saw it in parallel.
Hannu: Culturally, are there any Nordic cultural works that have caught your attention, besides ABBA?
Sonsoles: I am also a fan of Swedish literature, so I like certain Swedish authors such as Hjalmar Söderberg, from the beginning of the 20th century, or Vilhelm Moberg, famous for writing the saga of “The Emigrants”. Since I am fond of reading, especially Swedish literature, in conjunction with ABBA and other musical artists.
Hannu: In fact, the authors you have mentioned do not belong to this current of noir novels, but are rather classical Swedish writers. What is it that strikes you about Swedish literature?
Sonsoles: For example, from Söderberg, I am very attracted to how he describes the society and Stockholm of that time. As I am very interested in linguistics, I enjoy reading Swedish that is a bit older than what is spoken today, with the different plurals, different endings and spellings… I really enjoy discovering other facets of the language.
Hannu: You read them in Swedish, obviously. So, being at a C1 level, do you use Swedish culture more to support your studies, or is it more the other way around?
Sonsoles: Another of my supports to keep Swedish alive, apart from using it at work, is to listen to Swedish radio a lot. I find it a wonderful aid that is available today to anyone and that can contribute to foreign language learning. Every day, I listen to Swedish radio for at least an hour. Apart from getting my ear used to it, it helps me a lot with pronunciation.
Hannu: Even though you live in Madrid, you use the radio to keep you surrounded by Swedish in your day-to-day life.
Sonsoles: That’s right. In addition, I also subscribe to a couple of Swedish magazines. One is popular science (Forskning och framsteg), and the other one is Språktidningen, which is about the Swedish language. So, nowadays it’s quite easy to have access to materials in Swedish, because I don’t get the magazines physically, but I read them on a tablet.
Hannu: From the time you were buying ABBA LPs to today, a lot has happened.
Sonsoles: Yes, it is an abysmal difference (laughs).
Hannu: For a Nordic language learner, would you have any hints on how to advance. You are studying three languages at the same time and with good results, do you have any secrets?
Sonsoles: Let’s see, it’s not a secret because that’s what is always recommended in language learning, and that is to be constant: at least a little bit every day. Because that is the way to keep the knowledge alive and to consolidate it. Something that, for example, you hear for the first time on Monday, you have to read it again on Tuesday to remember it, on Wednesday, you may already remember it automatically, and on Thursday, you already have it active in your mind. So it’s very important to be consistent, and then, for me, the radio thing. Getting used to listening to the radio, which I know not everybody likes, but even if you don’t understand everything they say, having it in your ear constantly and making the effort, I think it pays off.
Hannu: You have a hobby that is not very common. In your environment, have you had to explain many times why you study these languages? Has it been a normal after-dinner conversation topic for you?
Sonsoles: If we talk about it here in Spain, when people learn about my love for Nordic languages, yes, I usually have to explain it starting with the history of ABBA. And when I meet Swedish people and they ask me why Swedish, and I tell them about ABBA, it’s a good icebreaker in the conversation, since they are more predisposed to engage in conversation.
Hannu: English is the language of the world, but if you want to stand out, in your case, it has been with Swedish.
Sonsoles: I think that nowadays we can’t move away from English, in fact, in my company, English is used a lot, but in my case, collaborating in the Nordic part of the company, Swedish has given me an advantage.
Hannu: If you think about a person who wants to study a language other than English, why would a Nordic language be good instead of the typical ones like German or French?
Sonsoles: I think that nowadays there are many possibilities in the Nordic countries, either for work or studies, so obviously speaking a Nordic language always helps that person to integrate into the country more quickly, and not only to integrate, but also to understand the country.
