A study of my Languaculture

by Vera Wilhelmsen, July 23^rd 2003

CanIL 1 Summer 2003

Ling 204 Language and Society

My Languaculture identifies my idiolect and the areas that determine my individual culture. In this paper I will identify how various areas of my life have shaped my culture and world view, and how it is reflected in my use of language. I will look at my family history, formality, idiosyncrasies, my religious influences and my education, as well as my cross-cultural experiences. These areas overlap in many instances but I will address each one of them separately as far as possible.

Let’s start with the beginning: My name is Vera Wilhelmsen. I was born in Elverum, Norway in 1976. My mother is from Oslo, from an upper middle-class home. She is a teacher in High School, and has a Master Degree in Christian Studies. My father is from Bergen, where I lived from I was 7 years old. He is from an upper middle-class family also, and he is a physician and has a Ph. D. in Gastroenterology (ulcer).

Even though my parents come from upper middle-class families, I do not think we were snobbish or formal in our style. My parents married and had me in their early twenties, and they were involved with the Jesus movement at the time. I think they were a part of a late hippie-inspired culture who resented their parent’s capitalism and formality. My parents weren’t very wealthy when I grew up, we rented an old house form the hospital where my dad worked, and my parents lived a sensible, moderate life. Doctors do not make as much in Norway as they do in the States, but it is still a prestigious occupation, and most of my parents friends were (and are) ministers, doctors, teachers and other academics. That probably set us apart from the working class, but I never sensed an attitude of snobbery. They all belonged to the hippie-inspired culture of the 70’s.

In our extended family, especially my dad’s, the atmosphere is usually casual and informal. His father was the Executive of a bus company and made a good living, but their home was always open and relaxed. My mother’s family was a bit more formal in their style, her father being one of Norway’s leading Orthodontists. Also they were from the Westside of Oslo, known to be snobbish and upper class. My parents moved away from that, though, and it has significance to my Languaculture as I find myself being less comfortable in formal settings. A quote from my aunt may illustrate how formality is reflected in my use of language:” I have not noticed any particular phrases you use more often. What I have noticed, however, is that you are a very extrovert person. You are very open-minded and I think that most people find you easy to get to know. At least this goes for my new husband, (…). He finds you fun to be with and easy to talk to (this goes for me as well.) In other words, you are acting quite informal in a family setting, but I have also noticed you at work. In the bank you acted formal, but in a friendly and efficient way. You managed to balance both the formal side and the "wanting to be near" the customer side.”

I have some training in formal speech in Norwegian, but I still find myself struggling to keep my language formal for occasions that require it. Professional experience like working in a bank for 6 months helped with that. In high school I was Student President and learned about leading meetings and giving speeches. I once gave a speech to an audience of High School Principals from the city, and it went pretty well. I also was the valedictorian for my class, and although this is not as formal in Norway, it was a big responsibility. I would preach for big groups even when I was 15, and I have no problem speaking in or for big crowds, as long as I know what to say. I do like, however, to keep the atmosphere informal and casual if I can. My father is a great speaker and his strong point is humor. I would like to think I have received from him the gift of articulation and also an ability to make people relax and feel comfortable. I know that is what I prefer myself.

We moved around a bit my first few years, but I mostly lived in Elverum until I was 7 years old. It is a small town near Sweden, and a very good place to live for a little girl. Towards the very end of first grade we moved to Bergen, because my dad got a job there. My sister and I were talking the Eastern dialect, very similar to our mum’s. We did however not have very broad dialects, like many in Elverum have. We had more of a standard dialect, very close to Bokmål (the most widespread standard in Norway). And we made a conscious choice not to change our dialect when we moved. I don’t know how smart that was, considering that we would be teased for our dialect. But being Eastern was very much a part of our identity. Even now, after 19 years in Bergen, we still speak the Eastern dialect. At some point is just became too late to change, and I never wanted to, anyway. My dialect is the one feature of my language that singles me out among my friends in Bergen. Many are quite surprised and somewhat shocked when they hear that I have lived there since age 7. Being Eastern makes me stand out and represent something different, and is an important part of my idiolect.

My Christian upbringing and background is probably the one area that has had the strongest influence on my Languaculture. I was very active in the church most of my life. I grew up in the Lutheran State Church. In Bergen I joined a choir, the girl scouts, and Christian Union (at school). I had a strong faith ever since my dad first took me to the Sunday school he was teaching when I was two or three years old. I have had mostly Christian friends, and taken part in Christian activities. I was very clear about my faith in school, and as a result I was not very popular, and had few friends in school. We were two Christians in my class, so at least we had each other. Also, especially in grade 7-9, we were a group from the Church Choir who did many things together, most of us being involved in the choir, the Christian union and other Christian Organizations. We stood apart from the other youth in the way we talked, behaved and partied (or rather did not party). We were different, and did not make an effort to become like the others. It was a strange double life for me, where I had no friends at school, but was one of the more popular girls with my friends in Church and at camp. It was like two different worlds, with two different cultures and two different languages.

My parents took me to different camps form an early age, and there I met a more Charismatic Christianity. I enjoyed it immensely and from age 15 I went to different churches to find something like I had experienced at camp. I was always very independent, I didn’t follow the crowd. It can be a good trait but it can also be lonely. At 15 I attended the Pentecostal Church for a year, but didn’t make any friends. I was used to doing things by myself so it didn’t really bother me if I went places alone. But it got lonely in the end. I went to several different churches but I could not find a church I really liked, though. I struggled with that balance all through High School and probably still do. I was different from my Christian friends in that I was more charismatic oriented and sought more Charismatic churches, and I was definitely very different from my non-Christian classmates in many ways.

 I went back to the Lutheran Church and got involved in many activities and Leadership Training through YMCA. By this time I was in High School, and it was easier for me to make friends with people who were not Christian. Many of my Christian friends went to the private Christian High School but I did not want to do that. I thought if was more important to be a witness among the non-Christians, and not hide away in a Christian ghetto. It was hard at times, but I was very determined and it worked out well. I learned more about relating to “normal” (i.e. non-Christian) teenagers and I still kept my faith and my standards up. It was an important time of socialization and personal growth.

Late in high school I started dating a certain guy, and for a couple of years I spent a lot of time with him and his friends. He was a Christian, but his friends were not. During that time I also learned more about relating to non-Christians, and to understand their humor and jokes. I was frustrated in my search for a church and didn’t go to any church for a while. I did however work in a Christian organization during those two years, as a Children and Youth worker. So I was still part of a Christian community, and the “Christian Languaculture”.

Towards the end of my two-year commitment I found a church I liked and felt very at home in. It was charismatic and non-denominational and I also liked the international atmosphere. They have many Africans and other Internationals in the church and every service in interpreted to English and Amharic (!). I joined their Bible School the next fall and became very active in the church, as I have been ever since. When I meet other Christians I realize how much the church I go to has formed the way I pray and worship. The worship is loud and flowing, and the prayer is intense and personal in the church. It is still casual, though, and there is a relaxed atmosphere in the meetings. Thanks to my varied background I am able to worship in different styles, fortunately, even the ones I am most comfortable with. It does take extra effort, however, especially if I find it without life or spirit and too similar to the Lutheran State Church with hymns and the organ. I can appreciate the old hymns, but it’s not my preferred style of worship.

Evidently my academic background is very important for my use of language today. I already mentioned my parents and their friends, who were mostly academics. When we lived in Elverum, a couple of the girls who lived next door were one or two years older than me. And when they started school, they would come home and teach me everything they had learned. So I could read and do some math by age 5.   I loved to read and read very much the following years. School was rather boring the first few years because I knew so much before I even started. The Norwegian school system focuses on helping the slower students, not facilitating for the ones who learn faster. I sometimes resent that but realize I still am fortunate and I did well in school all the way through school.  

I went into University at age 22, and I didn’t know what to study except English, so I did that for a year and a half. It was very interesting and I enjoyed getting back into literature. I had not read much during high school so it was refreshing and fun. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at University, I got to study in my home town and it was really good.  Many of my friends from Church also go to University and I as was now more familiar with the non-Christian Languaculture I went made quite a few friends.  I thrive in academic situations and enjoy a good discussion.  I realize many of my friends are academics, as is my parent’s friends. My language, the way I think and behave clearly is shaped by my education and academic background, even though my style tend to be informal. While at University I discovered linguistics and during my introductory course in Linguistics and Phonetics I received a calling to become a Bible Translator. I had heard about Wycliffe so I contacted them, and I made plans to join them at a later stage. My love for language and linguistics kept growing through my studies and I went on to study Linguistics, Teaching Norwegian as a Second Language and Theology for my Bachelors Degree. It was all in preparation to work with Wycliffe, and do the MLE at Trinity Western.

I did take a year off from my studies to something I dreamed of for a long time: I joined a dance-team with YWAM for nine months, traveling the world and preaching the gospel. We were based in the US (Kansas City) and toured Kansas twice, but we also went to Brazil and India, for about a month each place. I especially enjoyed the time in Brazil where I made many friends and learned conversational Portuguese. My team was an international team, but most people were from North America.

Cross-cultural experience was only one aspect of the time with YWAM. I got to develop a hobby I had for many years, dancing, and explore my limits as a performer and as a Christian. It was very hard at times, as I had to work really hard to make the dance team before every show. I also had a hard time relating to some of the people on the team, and to find close friends. There were many personal and cultural differences, but God used it to challenge me and teach me valuable lessons about myself and about community living. I trust this will be useful in the future, as I am going into long-term mission.

On our team we also had many skaters, i.e. skateboarders and rollerbladers, and some BMX’ers too. They introduced me to a new culture and a new repertoire. Their influence on me is still evident in my style of clothing and use of slang. The months I spent with the team shaped my English vocabulary and language use and I moved away from the more academic language I learned at University doing my English Major.

I have to point out an important distinction here: my Norwegian Languaculture and my English Languaculture. I have touched upon this area in my identification of Education and Cross-cultural experience, but it is an area that needs to be expanded on. The word English refers to the English language here, not the country.  In actuality it’s probably more American than anything. In Norway we start learning English at an early age. I started learning it in grade 3 or four, but I knew the basics before that. My parents had some international friends and I would hear English at Christian conferences. The biggest English influence is the media, though, with movies, TV and music. There is a strong American influence in Norway, and some say that we speak English with a Southern Californian accent, because of Hollywood. So when people complement us on our English proficiency, I say ‘It’s just too much TV.’ Norway is as Americanized at the next country.

I cannot remember learning English, as a matter of fact; it feels like I always knew it. I remember when I was at a big conference in Spain when I was about 15. The speakers would speak English and then I would translate simultaneously to my Norwegian friends who didn’t speak English. I was always internationally oriented and intrigued by foreign cultures and languages. I felt comfortable in international settings and enjoyed speaking English. When I was 16 my family spent a month in the States, and as a result my English became more fluent and I had an understanding of the American culture. I realized USA is so much more than whet we see on TV and that the country is so big it’s hard to generalize anything about it.

English studies at University level in Norway included British and American language, literature and culture. I did three full terms of that, and all the classes were in English. We read a lot of the classics and discussed many aspects of English and American culture. In Phonetics we had to choose between British RP and American pronunciation. Most people chose British, since it is considered the most prestigious variant, but I chose American since it was closer to my pronunciation. All the others in the American group had spent a year there before but my English was as American as theirs. I just knew I could never say "fada" (father) like the British did. My English studies at University provided me with a formal and academic vocabulary and language. My spoken English has always been informal in style though, much like my Norwegian.

The two languages English and Norwegian seem to be working side by side. I continued to do simultaneous interpretation into English in church and the fluency of it suggests that they are parallel. Even while in Norway I occasionally think in English, and sometimes I can not remember the Norwegian word, only the English one. After having spent a year in the States following my English studies at University I dare say I reached a level of bilingualism, shifting freely back and forth between the languages. But I think I also learned to shift back and forth between to two cultures the languages represent, and feeling quite comfortable in both of them. I can identify with both, even though I am Norwegian, first of all. I have similar level of formality (or should I say informality) in both languages, and they both feel natural for me to communicate in, be it with people or with God.

The organization I worked with after High School was a mission organization. Even though I was working in Norway I was constantly surrounded by missionaries and stories from the mission field. During this time I felt a strong calling to mission. I had been involved in short-term missions before, and I always felt comfortable in International settings. During that time I also got to travel to Ethiopia, Brazil, Thailand and China with my dad. It confirmed my calling for missions and my international orientation in life.

Another element of my cross-cultural experience and bilingual and bicultural identity is that my father just married a woman from Kenya. She has been living in Norway for many years and speaks Norwegian well, but in their house there is always a mixture of English and Norwegian. She often speaks English to her children and to my sister and me. We change back and forth and she would be an interesting subject for a study of code-shifting, but that’s another paper. She does however bring a second foreign language and culture into our family, and it adds to my international identity as a world citizen.

Looking back at my life I realize how much I am influenced by the different Languacultures I belong to, and my experiences in life. My family has evidently shaped me a lot, and influenced my personality, culture and language. I stressed the formality and informality of my family, because it seems to be an important past of my personal idiolect and personality. I have pointed out how my idiosyncrasies also are being formed by my dialect and the fact that we moved from the east to the west of Norway. My religious influences are manifold and involve several different Languacultures. I still can identify the one that has influenced me the strongest, namely the church I go to. My education and cross-cultural experiences also has had a strong influence of my life, to the point where I have an international identity as well as a Norwegian one. All of the areas I have mentioned overlap, and there are a few others I could mention, but I think it is fair to say that they together make up my Languaculture and defines who I am: I am Vera Wilhelmsen. Norwegian World Citizen.