{"id":177907,"date":"2025-06-10T13:57:51","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T11:57:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/?p=177907"},"modified":"2025-06-11T08:35:49","modified_gmt":"2025-06-11T06:35:49","slug":"non-native-english-speaker-here-is-what-gives-you-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/non-native-english-speaker-here-is-what-gives-you-away\/","title":{"rendered":"Non-native English speaker? Here is what gives you away"},"content":{"rendered":"

Danes are famously fluent in English, but every now and then, they\u2019ll pair words in ways that make native speakers do a double-take \u2013 and then chuckle (the same goes for many other non-native English speakers, by the way).<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a native English speaker and have ever worked, studied, or shared a beer with a Dane speaking English, you\u2019ve likely encountered a delightful phenomenon: the\u00a0collocation conundrum<\/em>.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> Academics lose status when they\u00a0teach\u00a0Danish\u00a0with\u00a0an\u00a0accent<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\n

OPINION on The University Post<\/p>\n

This is a featured comment\/opinion piece. It expresses the author\u2019s own opinion.<\/p>\n

We encourage everyone to read the whole piece before commenting on social media, so that we only get constructive contributions.<\/p>\n

Disagreement is good, but remember to uphold a civil and respectful tone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Collocations can be defined as frequently occurring two-to-three-word combinations like \u2018bitterly cold\u2019, \u2018make a mistake\u2019, \u2018perform an operation\u2019, and so on. You can call them word buddies if you like.\u00a0 They tend to be conventionalized combinations that co-occur \u00bbwith a mutual expectancy greater than chance\u00ab, as two linguists once put it<\/secret>.<\/p>\n

In the past, such collocations were considered to be more or less random, but in fact there is very often meaning embedded in collocational pairings. Take \u2018heavy rain\u2019 versus \u2018strong wind\u2019. Why can\u2019t you say \u2018strong rain\u2019: after all, in Danish you talk about \u2018kraftig regn\u2019<\/em>, which literally translates as \u2018strong\u2019 or \u2018powerful rain\u2019. The logic behind this in English is that rain is made up of water which can have weight and therefore be \u2018heavy\u2019. Wind, on the other hand, has no weight but exerts a force, hence it is perfectly reasonably that it can be \u2018strong\u2019.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s steal\u2026 one beer!<\/h3>\n

Native English speakers have strong and widely shared intuitions about such collocations. And if non-collocational combinations are used, they just sound \u2018wrong\u2019.<\/p>\n

So if a Dane says \u2013 as they very often do \u2013 \u00bbI\u2019m sorry I haven\u2019t made my homework\u00ab, a native English speaker will understand what they mean, but it sounds, well, \u2018not quite right\u2019 \u2013 unless, of course, they\u2019re taking a course in origami, in which case \u00bbmaking your (paper animal) homework\u00ab might conceivably make sense.<\/p>\n

Then take the phrase \u00bblet\u2019s take a beer together!\u00ab This one sounds like you (and a friend) are planning the great beer heist \u2013 breaking into a pub to steal\u2026 one beer. That\u2019s because in Danish you can \u2018tage en \u00f8l\u2019<\/em> which translates literally to \u2018take a beer\u2019, but in English, you would \u2018have\u2019 or, more informally, \u2018grab\u2019 a beer.<\/p>\n

Many Danes take an English language course believing that it will \u2018strengthen\u2019 their English vocabulary. This is probably because in Danish you can \u2018styrke\u2019<\/em> (strengthen) almost anything: ‘styrke sine kompetencer\u2019<\/em> (skills), \u2019styrke sin udtale\u2019<\/em> (pronunciation), \u2019styrke sin grammatik\u2019<\/em> (grammar), and so on. In English, all these different nouns would want to go together with their own unique set of verb collocations \u2013 \u2019upgrade your skills\u2019, \u2019improve your pronunciation\u2019 or \u2019enhance your grammar skills\u2019.<\/p>\n

Therefore, rather than merely \u2018improving\u2019 your vocabulary, maybe such a language course should focus on \u2018developing your instinct\u2019 for which collocation is right in which context. That would really \u2018sharpen your English skills\u2019!<\/p>\n

Little, linguistic hugs<\/h3>\n

Similarly, one of the most charming missteps is ‘to hold a party’. Danes don\u2019t just throw parties, they hold them. It\u2019s a beautiful thought, really. Why throw something when you can lovingly hold it and maybe give it a little hug?<\/p>\n

In the end, these quirky collocations are part of what makes Danish English so endearing. They\u2019re not mistakes \u2013 they\u2019re linguistic hugs from the country that gave us \u2018hygge\u2019<\/em>, Lego, and the world\u2019s happiest people.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO:<\/strong> The UCPH language requirements are just nationalist gesture politics<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to learn more about the phenomenon that is English collocations, come along to our workshop: \u2018Word Buddies: Mastering the Art of Perfect Pairings\u2019<\/a> on 20 June 2025, 9:00-11:00 in room 23.4.39 on the South Campus.<\/p>\n

The deadline for registration is Monday 16 June 2025 at noon.<\/p>\n

A splendid time is guaranteed for all!<\/em>
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you \u2018hold a party\u2019 or \u2018take a beer\u2019 \u2013 then you\u2019re probably a non-native English speaker who isn\u2019t aware of the \u2018collocation conundrum\u2019, write two language experts. At their workshop you will learn how to sound more like a pro!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":100,"featured_media":177897,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[6090,1472,8071,8072,8073,8074,1933,8075,8031],"class_list":["post-177907","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-engelsk-en","tag-fest-en","tag-forbedre-en","tag-kollokationer-en","tag-modersmaal-en","tag-ordvenner-en","tag-sprog-en","tag-sprogkursus-en","tag-oel-en","expression-opinion"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nNon-native English speaker? 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Or some other non-native English speaker who isn\u2019t aware of the \u2018collocation conundrum\u2019. Join our workshop and learn how to sound more like a pro!","use_post_excerpt":false},{"acf_fc_layout":"Content","content":"<p>Danes are famously fluent in English, but every now and then, they\u2019ll pair words in ways that make native speakers do a double-take \u2013 and then chuckle (the same goes for many other non-native English speakers, by the way).<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re a native English speaker and have ever worked, studied, or shared a beer with a Dane speaking English, you\u2019ve likely encountered a delightful phenomenon: the\u00a0<em>collocation conundrum<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/academics-lose-status-when-they-teach-with-an-accent\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Academics lose status when they\u00a0teach\u00a0Danish\u00a0with\u00a0an\u00a0accent<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox\">\n<p class=\"factbox-header feature-color\">OPINION on The University Post<\/p>\n<p>This is a featured comment\/opinion piece. It expresses the author\u2019s own opinion.<\/p>\n<p>We encourage everyone to read the whole piece before commenting on social media, so that we only get constructive contributions.<\/p>\n<p>Disagreement is good, but remember to uphold a civil and respectful tone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Collocations can be defined as frequently occurring two-to-three-word combinations like \u2018bitterly cold\u2019, \u2018make a mistake\u2019, \u2018perform an operation\u2019, and so on. You can call them word buddies if you like.\u00a0 They tend to be conventionalized combinations that co-occur \u00bbwith a mutual expectancy greater than chance\u00ab, as <secret text=\"Nattinger and DeCarrico (1992, p. 36). Nattinger, J. R. & DeCarrico, J. S. (1992). Lexical phrases and language teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.\">two linguists once put it<\/secret>.<\/p>\n<p>In the past, such collocations were considered to be more or less random, but in fact there is very often meaning embedded in collocational pairings. Take \u2018heavy rain\u2019 versus \u2018strong wind\u2019. Why can\u2019t you say \u2018strong rain\u2019: after all, in Danish you talk about <em>\u2018kraftig regn\u2019<\/em>, which literally translates as \u2018strong\u2019 or \u2018powerful rain\u2019. The logic behind this in English is that rain is made up of water which can have weight and therefore be \u2018heavy\u2019. Wind, on the other hand, has no weight but exerts a force, hence it is perfectly reasonably that it can be \u2018strong\u2019.<\/p>\n<h3>Let\u2019s steal\u2026 one beer!<\/h3>\n<p>Native English speakers have strong and widely shared intuitions about such collocations. And if non-collocational combinations are used, they just sound \u2018wrong\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>So if a Dane says \u2013 as they very often do \u2013 \u00bbI\u2019m sorry I haven\u2019t made my homework\u00ab, a native English speaker will understand what they mean, but it sounds, well, \u2018not quite right\u2019 \u2013 unless, of course, they\u2019re taking a course in origami, in which case \u00bbmaking your (paper animal) homework\u00ab might conceivably make sense.<\/p>\n<p>Then take the phrase \u00bblet\u2019s take a beer together!\u00ab This one sounds like you (and a friend) are planning the great beer heist \u2013 breaking into a pub to steal\u2026 one beer. That\u2019s because in Danish you can <em>\u2018tage en \u00f8l\u2019<\/em> which translates literally to \u2018take a beer\u2019, but in English, you would \u2018have\u2019 or, more informally, \u2018grab\u2019 a beer.<\/p>\n<p>Many Danes take an English language course believing that it will \u2018strengthen\u2019 their English vocabulary. This is probably because in Danish you can <em>\u2018styrke\u2019<\/em> (strengthen) almost anything: ‘<em>styrke sine kompetencer\u2019<\/em> (skills), <em>\u2019styrke sin udtale\u2019<\/em> (pronunciation), <em>\u2019styrke sin grammatik\u2019<\/em> (grammar), and so on. In English, all these different nouns would want to go together with their own unique set of verb collocations \u2013 \u2019upgrade your skills\u2019, \u2019improve your pronunciation\u2019 or \u2019enhance your grammar skills\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>Therefore, rather than merely \u2018improving\u2019 your vocabulary, maybe such a language course should focus on \u2018developing your instinct\u2019 for which collocation is right in which context. That would really \u2018sharpen your English skills\u2019!<\/p>\n<h3>Little, linguistic hugs<\/h3>\n<p>Similarly, one of the most charming missteps is ‘to hold a party’. Danes don\u2019t just throw parties, they hold them. It\u2019s a beautiful thought, really. Why throw something when you can lovingly hold it and maybe give it a little hug?<\/p>\n<p>In the end, these quirky collocations are part of what makes Danish English so endearing. They\u2019re not mistakes \u2013 they\u2019re linguistic hugs from the country that gave us <em>\u2018hygge\u2019<\/em>, Lego, and the world\u2019s happiest people.<\/p>\n<p><strong>READ ALSO:<\/strong> <em><a href=\"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/the-ucph-language-requirements-are-just-nationalist-gesture-politics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The UCPH language requirements are just nationalist gesture politics<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019d like to learn more about the phenomenon that is English collocations, come along to our workshop: <a href=\"https:\/\/cip.ku.dk\/english\/events\/coming_events\/free-workshop-englishcollocations-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u2018Word Buddies: Mastering the Art of Perfect Pairings\u2019<\/a> on 20 June 2025, 9:00-11:00 in room 23.4.39 on the South Campus.<\/p>\n<p>The deadline for registration is Monday 16 June 2025 at noon.<\/p>\n<p><em>A splendid time is guaranteed for all!<\/em><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"ArticleEnd"},{"acf_fc_layout":"Newsletter","lang_select":"en","identifier":"Newsletter","headline":"Get an email with upcoming events and top University of Copenhagen stories","button_text":"Sign up here","class":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"OtherStories","headline":"","hand_picked_posts":false,"references":false,"category":false,"theme":false,"number_of_posts":"4","style":"default"}]},"taxonomyData":{"category":[{"term_id":47,"name":"Opinion","slug":"opinion","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":47,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":333,"filter":"raw"}],"post_tag":[{"term_id":6090,"name":"Engelsk","slug":"engelsk-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":6090,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":1472,"name":"Fest","slug":"fest-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1472,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":8071,"name":"forbedre","slug":"forbedre-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":8071,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":8072,"name":"kollokationer","slug":"kollokationer-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":8072,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":8073,"name":"modersm\u00e5l","slug":"modersmaal-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":8073,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":8074,"name":"ordvenner","slug":"ordvenner-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":8074,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":1933,"name":"sprog","slug":"sprog-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1933,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":8075,"name":"sprogkursus","slug":"sprogkursus-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":8075,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":8031,"name":"\u00f8l","slug":"oel-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":8031,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"}],"post_format":[],"expression":[{"term_id":16,"name":"Opinion","slug":"opinion","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":16,"taxonomy":"expression","description":"","parent":0,"count":2040,"filter":"raw"}],"translation_priority":[{"term_id":5468,"name":"Optional","slug":"optional-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":5468,"taxonomy":"translation_priority","description":"","parent":0,"count":671,"filter":"raw"}]},"featured_media_url":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/petewestbrook_jeanrasmussencopy-1280x876.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177907","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/100"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177907"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177907\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":177955,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177907\/revisions\/177955"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177907"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177907"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uniavisen.dk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177907"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}