Tips for beginners in Norwegian Research: Difference between revisions

You may have from family or other sources the name(s) of the place(s) in&nbsp;Norway where your ancestor lived or came from. However, when you try to find that in a place list such as the parish listing for Norway, or, a gazetteer, it doesn't show up. What then? Remember that an "American language" ear heard what your Norwegian ancestor was trying to say in his/her "Americanized Norwegian," <br>There are letters beyond "z" in the Norwegian alphabet, which are also used in the middle of words, and in people and place names. Their sounds must be taken into account when trying to figure out what people and place names really are. Those letters are Æ æ, Ø ø, and Å å&nbsp;, ocurring in both upper and lower case. <br>The Å å or two a's together are pronounced with a long english "o" sound like in open. The&nbsp;Æ æ&nbsp;is pronounced like "a" in apple.&nbsp;The&nbsp;Ø ø&nbsp;is pronounced like "u"&nbsp;in turn or "ea" in learn.&nbsp;<br>If a personal or place name begins with one of these letters, they will be alphabetized totally after "Z" in any indexes or alphabetical listings using the&nbsp;Norwegian alphabet. <br>The above letters' placement in a personal or place name also affects the pronunciation of what is said and consequently, what is heard.  

To help you&nbsp;learn more about sounds, you may want to&nbsp;purchase a good&nbsp;Norwegian-English dictionary.&nbsp; You may&nbsp;also&nbsp;want to seach&nbsp;for one online.&nbsp;