This introduction to Norwegian helps students acquire the basic units of vocabulary and structure and use that knowledge to learn about Norway and Norwegian culture.
Once students acquire the basic units of vocabulary and structure, they will use their knowledge of the language to learn about Norway. Students will learn about the cities of Oslo and Bergen, how to converse when eating in a Norwegian home or restaurant, and about Norwegian schools. Emphasis is also given to travel and communications, as well as the seasons of the year and Norwegian holidays.
The present edition of the text features a short grammar summary, a reference for review to assist in drawing together aspects of the grammar that are presented throughout the text. To aid in developing good pronunciation and intonation habits, as well as to internalize certain items of vocabulary and structure, most chapters contain a practice dialogue for students to practice repeatedly while studying the chapter.

The modern Norwegian-American Christmas is a warm and regenerative family holiday for millions of Americans whose ancestors came from Norway -- celebrated with family feasts of lutefisk, lefse, rommegrot, rull, and fruit soup, observed in homes where trees are decorated with straw ornaments, flags, and heart-shaped baskets. It is the time to carry on customs whose origins have been lost in the past. This book brings home the stories of Christmas customs in both countries. Norwegian immigrants carried with them the folk traditions, developed over centuries, that shaped their identities, and they held those practices especially dear at Christmas time, remembering family members left behind. But in the U.S., they and their descendants met the newly evolving traditions of the highly commercial American Christmas, a powerful homogenising force in a nation of immigrants. And the celebration of Christmas in Norway continued to evolve as well, as the holiday -- influenced in the twentieth century by U.S. practices -- became more child-centred and more commercial. Stokker describes and traces the development of folkways on both sides of the ocean, from their origins to their practice today. With fascinating details, with scores of accounts of ancient and modern Christmases, with recipes and photographs, this book reminds Norwegians and Norwegian Americans of their connections to each other and explains how their celebrations differ on this most joyous of holidays.

This teacher'd guide is designed to accompany an anthology of Norwegian writings. It suggests a variety of classroom communication activities for using in work with both pairs of students and with small groups. Intended primarily to complement ""Norsk, Nordmenn, og Norge"" the most widely used Norwegian text in the United States, the anthology may also be used independently and offers a lively, diverse collection of Norwegian writings for the intermediate-level student of Norwegian. High schools universities, or adult classes will find that the various stories and exercises provide a flexible text to meet their differing needs. Writings by Norwegians for Norwegians are grouped into three sections that allow the student to receive a hands-on approach to ""bokmal"" (Norway's standard language). The first section provides core readings that gradually grow in length and complexity, including stories, songs and dramatic sketches on themes ranging from romantic relationships and travel complications to women's rights and environmental issues. A second section on cultural background explores Norwegian geography, immigration to the United States, Germany's World War II occupation of Norway, and contemporary social issues in Norway. Students will find the third group of writings a useful start to expanding their use of Norwegian: selected texts are repeated in ""nynorsk"" (Norway's second official language), ""riksmal"" (the older form of the language), various Norwegian dialects, Swedish, and Danish, to demonstrate how minor adjustments in reading skills can make a wider range of writings accessible to the student. Bound by no single philosophy or teaching method, the anthology allows instructors to use their own approaches, while offering a range of specific suggestions for those who desire more structure. The anthology's eclectic character, introductions to selected Norwegian authors, vocabulary lists, and maps provide opportunities for discussing Norwegian history, culture, geography and literature. Cartoons, jokes, charts, directions, illustrations, maps, and a tourist brochure add variety to the readings. A companion workbook (""arbeidsbok"") is also available, offering a comprehensive grammar review and exercises. It also introduces new constructions necessary for comprehending and discussing the core selections of the anthology.