Preface
- The English-speaker will not find it difficult to acquire a working knowledge of Swedish. The grammar and vocabulary are easily grasped, English and Swedish having developed along similar lines.
- This book offers a comprehensive and practical course in modern Swedish for those studying privately, at evening class or at university.
- Pronunciation, grammar and syntax are fully explained, and a basic vocabulary is introduced.
- Each chapter contains exercises, a key to which is given at the back of the book, and the text also includes a two-way vocabulary and an alphabetical list of contents.
Preface
- The present volume has been written primarily for those who wish to acquire a knowledge of Swedish by private study. This has made it necessary to be rather more explicit on minor points than would otherwise have been the case, and to devote special attention to pronunciation. In Part I every endeavour has been made to describe the sounds of Swedish as clearly and simply as possible. It should be carefully studied before any of Part II is attempted, and constantly revised, so that when the student hears Swedish spoken, he may know what to listen for and how to correct his own pronunciation. Since Swedish is a tone language1, students will do well to avail themselves of every opportunity to hear it spoken. Students living in or near the large ports will almost certainly be able to get in touch with Swedish seamen, either through the local Swedish Seamen’s Church or the nearest Swedish Consulate.
- The phonetic script adopted in Part I is much the same as that found in French and German books used in English schools, with the addition of a few symbols to represent those sounds that are peculiar to Swedish. Students who have never met with phonetic script before are urged not to be deterred by it, but to take the little trouble needed to understand it. Once it has been mastered, it will prove an invaluable aid to correct pronunciation.
- Little need be said of the way in which the remainder of the book should be used. Obviously, the grammar in each chapter should be learned before the vocabulary, and the vocabulary must be memorized before the exercises are attempted. Constant revision is strongly recommended, and too rapid progress should not be attempted, as it only leads to disappointment. Anyone who masters the contents of this book in six months has every reason to be satisfied with his achievement.
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… [snip] …
In-Page Footnotes ("McClean (R.J.) - Swedish: A Grammar of the Modern Language")
Footnote 1:
- Is this ‘tonal’ in the same sense as Mandarin Chinese or Thai?
Book Comment
Teach Yourself Books, London, Third Edition (1969), Fifth Impression (1975)
Text Colour Conventions (see disclaimer)- Blue: Text by me; © Theo Todman, 2025
- Mauve: Text by correspondent(s) or other author(s); © the author(s)