Danish students leave you out of the conversation
Photo: Luci Ellis
Study of class work looks into why Danish students switch back into Danish, even when international students are present
'I'm sorry. Could you please speak in English?'
For international students in Denmark, this is a phrase they are sick of repeating.
In many classes taught in English, Danish students suddenly slip into discussions in high-speed, complicated Danish, leaving international students completely in the dark.
A new Master's thesis now sheds light on this phenomenon, which is called 'code switching' (alternating between two languages, ed.). The thesis is the work of Lotte Eggert Kiil, who studied English and who now works as a student assistent at the Centre for Internationalisation and Parallel Language Use.
Read: 'Hard work finding Danish friends'.
Can speak English, but don't
»I was interested in seeing how Danish students interact in courses taught in English. I wanted to investigate how, when and why they code-switched,« she says.
»It was my impression that the Danish students are perfectly capable of speaking in English and do so, but that they also switch to Danish in some situations. I wanted to investigate how, when and why they did this«.
Lotte Eggert Kiil recorded the interactions of two classes of students being taught in English at the Faculty of Life Sciences. One class was entirely made up of Master's students, and the other was a mixture of Master's and Bachelor students.
She observed lectures, student presentations and group work, to see whether there was a difference between how much the Danes used their mother tongue in these three situations.
Group work? Switch back to Danish
»I found that the students hardly ever spoke Danish during lectures when they had questions, or in student presentations,« she explains, adding that »at the most they would switch languages if they didn't know a word.«
But in group work situations, the Danes were much more likely to slip into their own language, sometimes excluding non-Danish group members.
»In all groups, the Danish students swiched into Danish as soon as the international student left the room for some reason. But in one of the classes, they would also sometimes switch to Danish when the international student was present. Sometimes this meant that the international student was excluded from the conversation – both in relation to the exercise they were doing, but also in relation to the small-talk,« she continues.
Read: Top 10 tips to meet Danes.
Language shift may be unintentional
The use of Danish, resulting in the exclusion of non-Danish group members, is not easy to interpret, says Lotte.
There are a number of possible explanations, and it is possible the Danes simply do not realise they are doing it.
»I am not really able to say whether it was intentional or not. I think that the Danes were not always aware that they were switching to Danish. In the questionnaire most of them wrote that they never or rarely speak Danish when an international student is present. But that did not match with what I was observing,« she says.
»I don't see any problem with students speaking Danish together in group work, unless it excludes an international student. In this case it can seem quite rude.«
Learning politeness
Indeed, being linguistically considerate may be a skill that is acquired over time with practice, it seems.
»One explanation could be that the students at the MA course, where the students did not shift into Danish during group work, are simply more used to being taught in English. They had already taken five or more courses in English, whereas the mixed class with primarily BA students (who tended to lapse into Danish in group work) had only taken two classes of this type previously.«
However, the language spoken may also depend on the behaviour and attitude of the international student, says Lotte.
»In a questionnaire, some Danish students wrote that if the international student was 'passive', they might switch into Danish to talk to the other Danish group members,« she says.
She added that »in this case, it is hard to know what is cause and what is effect. It could be that the interational student is passive because the others have switched into Danish.«
Read article: Danish is worth the effort.
During breaks, mother-tongue rules
Even the Danish students who stuck to English during classes and group work reverted to their mother tongue during breaks.
»When there is a break, an instant switch occurs. The Danes speak Danish with each other, and they hardly ever interacted with the international students. It seems that in the courses I observed, the Danish students are not really interested in including the international students in their social life.«
The phenomenon of code-switching is by no means unique to Danish students in Denmark, the study reveals.
In the course where the students switched to Danish during group work, there were a number of international students from the same country, and they would sometimes also swtich to their own mother tongue, Lotte explains.
Read: No point in learning Danish.
Could affect Denmark's reputation
Lotte stresses that the case study may not be representative of students at the University of Copenhagen. But her Master's thesis raises a number of interesting questions.
»It would be interesting to investigate how international students perceive this kind of behaviour. Do the Danish students seem stand-offish or unwilling to cooperate with international students? And what reputation do we have among out partner universities abroad?« she wonders.
»Do students end up going back home and saying 'Don't go to Denmark'?«
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Are you left out of group work by your Danish-speaking peers?
17 comments
I spent my first trip outside of the USA as an exchange student in Odense, Denmark in 2007-2008. DK inspired me to continue traveling because of the amazing experience I had there. I have since lived in Europe (Paris), Asia (South Korea) and Australia (Various locations). I have also traveled through South East Asia. In all of these locations, I would never expect someone to cease speaking their native language in their own country. Do visitors come to America and expect Americans to speak something other than English? I think more native English students should attempt to learn the language of the country they are living/visiting/studying. I can say that I am surely not fluent in any language outside English, but my attempts to take taxis, order food, shop, etc. in the mother tongue of the country I visit, is always appreciated. Until native English speakers make as much effort to learn another language as many others have to learn English, I do not consider "code switching" rude. Everyone feels more comfortable and confident in their native language, correct? However, we should all strive for proficiency in another language. We can use these intercultural opportunities (working with foreign/exchange students, eating dinners together, going out) to better ourselves culturally and linguistically. In conclusion, if you are feeling left out, study the language (and, as mentioned above, social cues) to better 'fit' yourself into the new context/culture in which you find yourself. I promise you "please speak English" is annoying - I was asked by an institution where I taught ESL to use this phrase daily with Korean children. I digress... So once you meet people half way, I am sure that they will be friendlier and more inclusive. Finally, Danes don't leave you out of the conversation, you leave yourself out.
I am still very close with the majority of the students I studied abroad with. Some Danes, Europeans, and Americans that I met on my first study abroad have been the support base I use when traveling the world because many of them understand my love for international exploration, unlike my high school or college friends. I now work for a midwesten American university in the Center for International Studies and Programs.
I studied at a school in Århus, and I was very lucky to be in a very small class of which a third were Danish students. Many of them had travelled and they chose to be in a class with foreign students, so they were extremely welcoming, friendly and spent a lot of time with us. I keep in close contact with several of them now and have made an effort to do the same with the foreign students who come to my school.
However, I found it was quite a bit harder on my floor, where I lived with ten Danes. They weren't as friendly as I expected initially, but I worked very hard to spend a lot of time with them and be involved, eating dinners with them most nights and hanging out on weekends. Although I didn't learn Danish I didn't expect everyone to speak English around me.
The harder part came when I had been there for more than four months, and my efforts were not 'paying off.' I had become friends with several of them and we would talk every day, but when the larger group got together it was hard to be involved. Conversations were always in Danish, and I would miss movie nights or dinners because the invitation hadn't been extended in English, although I was there for the discussion. I still had to initiate most conversations, even a simple, 'hello, how are you'. New Danes moved in, and they were included immediately. I felt like there were social codes I couldn't follow, as when room mates complained (in Danish) that there were often too many 'foreigners' in the kitchen, never mind that many of our friends were Danes.
I think one of the things that is most frustrating for foreigners in Denmark is sometimes, they feel that their effort and work to make friends and integrate do not seem to show concrete results as soon as they expect. I know the level of 'friendliness' I feel is normal in my home is not typical for Denmark, so persistence is key. And I never took my room mate's actions personally. But I think it's more an issue of Danes not realizing what they're doing, and it's impolite for a foreigner to protest. Danes who had lived abroad, as well as Swedes and other foreigners, were markedly more friendly to me and often did the translating into english in a group, simply because they knew how it felt. If Denmark wants to be friendlier to foreigners, they should encourage their own citizens to spend more time abroad.
Alright, after reading through the comments, I felt like contributing with my point of view on this.
I am not attending university at this time, and currently a 1st grade college student, in Fredericia in the southern Jutland. I am born and raised in Denmark (though with partly american roots), and do also experience the lingual divide when foreign students are present.
Even, on a one week trip to New York, which I enjoyed with my aunt and sister, I noticed how they, in the presence of a whole group attending the tour, preferred to speak Danish, even though everyone else referred to English.
Therefore, I now tend to make my fellow Danes aware of the barrier they create when they switch to their mother-tongue, thus excluding many internationals.
Another thing I have yet to follow, is the fact that Danish university students actually claim that it's hard to keep a friendship with an international? Excuse me. I do not believe it'd be possible today, to find ONE student who has not heard of either Skype, Windows Live Messenger, Gmail, Hotmail, Google Voice or AIM.
I believe the problem is not the distance, but simply that most of us Danes feel uncomfortable in English, and often under-estimate our "skill" when speaking a different language.
But let me ask you, Denmark - Is English really that hard? And why doesn't that guy from London mean as much as that guy from Aarhus?
Just a comment. Have worked and studied in England, Germany and Italy. Its all the same. When you arrive as a new-comer you are alone. You feel alone and are alone. No friends and so on. In England you go to the local pub for a couple of weeks, and then they start talking to you. In Italy hardly any one speak English so not until you learn Italian you can interact (I gave up on that since I'm not good with latin). But if you study the local culture, learn how they get friends, and use the same tricks - then you also get friends. I have a few good friends from my stays abroad, but I still have most here in Denmark. And - again - when I invite new foreign collegaues home for dinner (after some months) cause I like them I expect them invite back at some point - when they dont I read "ok thansk but no thanks". Friendships are not a shop, but a give-and-take - just like Love.
So its not about being polite, its about understading the culture you are in - here Denmark. And yes its rude to talk Danish when you group-mate don't understand it, but say the word - "english please" and after a week most group will remember it all the time. And group work is extremely important in Denmark - remember that as well.
Just a lot of comments to the comments above.
I found this article very interesting as I find myself switching to Danish unnintentionally when in the presence of non danish speakers. This is quite surprising considering the fact that I am a foreigner myself, having english as 2nd language and danish as 3rd.
I have lived in Denmark for a few years now, studied in english, and found annoying when danish students switched to danish in my presence. After acquiring a certain level of proficiency in danish, i find myself switching to danish in conversations - sometimes totally ignoring the other internationals without being aware of it. Of course I switch back to english when I realise it and appologise to the person(s) in question, but I wonder what makes me switch language.
First I tought that somebody would switch to danish and I would automatically follow up, but often it is not the case. I realised that many times I start speaking danish while others are speaking english.
I believe it can have something to do with the fact that I am becoming better skilled in danish than in english. Moreover sometimes I cant translate danish expressions into english - and there seem to be many situations where translation is not possible, as the given sentence wouldnt have the same meaning.
I wonder if this switching of language can have something to do with the way danish language is structured, and the nuances that cannot be translated into english.
I am a MSc Student and I have always felt comfortable working in groups, or at class or in breaks. I don't mind that sometimes danes speak danish when they want, even if sometimes I fall a part of the coversation. As I am form Barcelona, I have done the same sometimes with people who can't speak catalan. If one goes abroad it has to assume some language troubles. That's the point, isn't it?
The difference with my homecountry is that Danes rarely include internationals with its own friends. Internationals are classmates and friends are friends, no mixing. I think that this problem comes because there's a lack of empahy. Maybe because there are not many danish students studying abroad, so they don't know how it feels when you are new and alone in a place.
I was an international student for one year in copenhagen and in my experience group work normally always start in English but as time go by one ore to student will start introducing comment in danish and then at some point the whole table will speak danish until, you the international or a other student bring English back. I can speak 4 languages and yes some unintentional switch happen but only for a couple of words and your realize it. It is a false assumption that somebody can totally switch into a other of is language without knowing it. So the reason why people switch, is just because you are always more comfortable in your mother tongue.
finally, to reply to the first comment by anonymous, there is this false conception in some danish student that it is not wort hit to meet international student because they are leaving at the end of the years. This is for me ridiculous, since if you look at your opportunity cost of making new friends witch is a easy going process you will gain way more benefit then cost. You will be expose to a new culture, you can improve your language skill but most of all yes we are leaving but we are not disappearing from the map. What i mean is that if a friend from abroad (danish for example) come visit my country, he will benefit of free accommodation, a free guide that know the city and can show him the best location and free transportation around. This is priceless. There's also the fact that in the academic world, nobody really know who will become who. If your friend become the owner of a really big company or occupied a good job, he can help you get in.
Life is about contact. therefor this mentality should change.
I completed a Masters Course in Copenhagen University, going mostly to the courses run in Danish. I spoke my reasonable danish as much as possible and sometimes had to switch into English to explain something complicated and offer a contribution. It was very hard to try to come across as a competent student when I was communicating through Danish. Despite my efforts I was hardly ever included in social gatherings even when I would make a lot of effort and did get on well with students sitting near me in class. I came to the conclusion that most Danish students did not want international friends. The only lasting friendships I made over the three year course was one Dane who had lived in England 12 years, and of course other internationals who were in the same position as me.
As I spoke Danish, I did not expect people to speak English to me, but I was often left out simply because I could not follow the speed or the Danish slang. I have come to accept that the Danes for the most part will stick to their own.
Whether it is rude or not, i can see why Danes don't bother switching. I mean, why would Danes care for internationals, when they'll probably end up going home after a semester or two anyway. It is natural for them to speak their mother tongue. And most importantly, it depends on the internationals, if they are positive and are not afraid to express themselves in class and be active, eventually Danes will be interested to know you. Danish classmates are not your parents, stop whining and start being worth of noticing.
Sorry, but it all depends on the person
This comment summarizes the Danish attitude towards foreigners so well. "Why bother getting to know this person?, he/she is a foreigner and has nothing to offer me."
Regarding the "...eventually Danes will be interested to know you", how long do you mean by "eventually"? is seven years long enough?
"being worth of noticing"... Hmmm how come you speak to your ultra-shy Danish classmate (which is the rule more than the exception) and you totally ignore the friendly 'perker'?
The comment in whinning is very general for social interaction in Denmark. We interact on long term winternight basis. We dont go to pubs and talk for 5 min and then become friends. Danes unlike other nations have few but very good friends. So this is not about bothering or not, its all a very cultural and social behavoir deep routed in the Danish society. And this was surely missed in the article.
And to answer the question. Two years might be enough to become friends, if you as the foreigner also care about inviting people into your private home and life. Thats one of the major pitfalls for foreign people. If a dane invites you home, you invite back, and not "just" to a pub/restaurant. Thats not the way we work in Denmark, unlike many other European countries.
Except, no one's whining? On top of that, you're missing the point of the article, which isn't that Danes aren't engaging and interacting with internationals, it's that in situations where internationals are *already* involved, they're switching to danish and leaving out the internationals. I've seen this happen in group work like they're talking about here, but also when international students are invited to dinner or lunch with danish friends or hall mates, but then switch into danish and leave the international students out of the conversation.
I am myself an international student and I think Danes would never leave you out if you were "active". They already speak perfect English (and are actually better than most international students) and in my experience, they keep it in english as long as you are actively part of the conversation; and it is up to you to be part of the conversation by bringing up ideas and interesting stories.
As for the breaks, I think Danes should use Danish as much as they want. After all it is their mother tongue.
I have experienced this when I started the masters course in economics, I found that during the breaks many switched back to Danish, after all most have Danish friends so why not? Of course this made me feel lonely but it was a week or so later that someone approached me (to offer me cake) and it was only then that the class realised I wasn't Danish, they had simply thought I was a shy Dane.
So basically what I'm trying to say is.. while yes sometimes we do get ignored when our classmates switch back to Danish, but it is their right and maybe us internationals should make more of an effort to join in the conversations even if it is as simple as asking a classmate to translate if you don't understand.
I have to defend many of my Danish friends who are currently studying for their Bachelor in Economics - in the international program. As they study with so many international students, they hardly speak Danish, except if it's Danes only. Not even in the breaks. They usually stick to English and even speak English with each other. And of course the classes are also all in English including group work.
I can understand it's comforting to return to your native language when in an international situation; it's a habit as well.
When sitting in an English taught class here at KU, some teachers simply 'forget' or revert to their mother tongue, sometimes right in the middle of a lecture. I see no harm in asking students during class for the 'right' word when mentally translating from Danish to English, but part of the academic nature of this university is to concentrate and demonstrate learned knowledge within the current environment, whether that be prepared in Danish or English.
It's also important to remember that many international students may feel worried when a group of Nordic students suddenly switch from one language to the other in their presence. How can the international be sure it isn't being done so they can be spoken of negatively? Call me paranoid, but it can be seen as unsettling too, even if its just easier to speak in the first language plainly in a group setting.
Whether Danes feel comfortable with foreigner classmates around is not the issue but how the majority of internationals are perceiving the 'switch to danish' phenomenon. Taking into account that foreigners come to Denmark with high expectations of interacting with the culture and making friends and what they get is a 'sorry we don't want to include you in our circle' attitude, this in Denmark or in any place in the world it is simply not nice and even rude sometimes. Honestly, some people need to learn that a little bit of politeness doesn't harm you in any way. A simple research around can tell with numbers that most of internationals are not happy with this behaviour, is the fact that we are just temporarily in the country an excuse?
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