The Nordic: Norway vs. Sweden vs. Finland
Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2014 11:22 am
When it comes to winter sports and its tournaments, there's always appears to be a rivalry between certain neighbouring countries. Canada vs. USA is one, maybe Japan vs. South Korea is another. But perhaps the most apparent would be Sweden vs. Finland with its various hockey tournaments most recently in the Olympic semi-final. But sports competition aside, I've wondered whether neighbouring countries immediately have a lot of cultural similarities and are there notable cultural differences and if so, what exactly are they?
I stated that I'd say overall cultural-wise there are many similarities and overlap between Canada and the USA. And simply looking at one, I cannot tell whether one was Canadian or American. Looking at Paris Jackson - is he an import or non-import? How about Travis Lulay? Perhaps area in which I can recognize an American is if they speak with a clear southern accent.
On the other hand, there are quite a few non-subtle differences between in the countries in SE Asia and I'd say with a 90% certainty by looking I can recognize a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Thai, and Vietnamese and most certainly I can recognize their language differences. Perhaps because of being an ethnic-Asian myself with the huge SE Asian immigration and influence in Greater Vancouver, I've been exposed to these differences.
I've never had similar experiences with Scandinavian and Nordic countries - Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark and my only exposure would be in international competition observations and using products from those countries. All five countries use the Scandinavian cross on their flag so that's a similarity to start with. And they are mostly Protestant. And I concede that simply by looking I cannot definitively tell the difference between a Norwegian, Swede, or Finn. Language wise, Norwegian is similar to Swedish but Finnish is completely different. If you've personally experienced and socialized with many Nordics, what have you learned from them culturally?
I'd say on an international level it looks like Sweden has the biggest presence in various aspects:
Music: ABBA, Ace of Base, Roxette
Vehicles: Saab, Volvo
Furniture: IKEA
Tennis: Bjorn Born, Stefan Edberg
Authors: Stieg Larsson
Electronics: Ericsson
Finland seems to have a lesser international presence, with perhaps the most famous being the Nokia electronics and Linus Torvalds who was the architect of Linux. There are good athletes including in ice hockey although they've never struck gold in the Olympics yet.
For Norway, one big difference is that their hockey team never fell in the same elite category as their two Nordic counterparts although they're good in other winter sports and usually among the leaders in the medal tables. Celebrity wise, perhaps the most famous Norwegian band was A-ha. And Oslo is often ranked very high in terms of quality of life but at the same time it's also ranked very high as one of the most expensive cities.
I'm sure you've heard of those jokes that start with: An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman...
I suppose in those three Nordic countries they have their own: A Finn, a Swede, and a Norwegian...
What do you think about those three countries in general? Would they be countries that you want to visit anytime soon?
I stated that I'd say overall cultural-wise there are many similarities and overlap between Canada and the USA. And simply looking at one, I cannot tell whether one was Canadian or American. Looking at Paris Jackson - is he an import or non-import? How about Travis Lulay? Perhaps area in which I can recognize an American is if they speak with a clear southern accent.
On the other hand, there are quite a few non-subtle differences between in the countries in SE Asia and I'd say with a 90% certainty by looking I can recognize a Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Thai, and Vietnamese and most certainly I can recognize their language differences. Perhaps because of being an ethnic-Asian myself with the huge SE Asian immigration and influence in Greater Vancouver, I've been exposed to these differences.
I've never had similar experiences with Scandinavian and Nordic countries - Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark and my only exposure would be in international competition observations and using products from those countries. All five countries use the Scandinavian cross on their flag so that's a similarity to start with. And they are mostly Protestant. And I concede that simply by looking I cannot definitively tell the difference between a Norwegian, Swede, or Finn. Language wise, Norwegian is similar to Swedish but Finnish is completely different. If you've personally experienced and socialized with many Nordics, what have you learned from them culturally?
I'd say on an international level it looks like Sweden has the biggest presence in various aspects:
Music: ABBA, Ace of Base, Roxette
Vehicles: Saab, Volvo
Furniture: IKEA
Tennis: Bjorn Born, Stefan Edberg
Authors: Stieg Larsson
Electronics: Ericsson
Finland seems to have a lesser international presence, with perhaps the most famous being the Nokia electronics and Linus Torvalds who was the architect of Linux. There are good athletes including in ice hockey although they've never struck gold in the Olympics yet.
For Norway, one big difference is that their hockey team never fell in the same elite category as their two Nordic counterparts although they're good in other winter sports and usually among the leaders in the medal tables. Celebrity wise, perhaps the most famous Norwegian band was A-ha. And Oslo is often ranked very high in terms of quality of life but at the same time it's also ranked very high as one of the most expensive cities.
I'm sure you've heard of those jokes that start with: An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman...
I suppose in those three Nordic countries they have their own: A Finn, a Swede, and a Norwegian...
What do you think about those three countries in general? Would they be countries that you want to visit anytime soon?