 will not need to rely much on the local language, but of course it is always helpful to learn some basic phrases regardless, and locals will appreciate the gesture and view it as a sign of respect.
Norwegian is closely related to English, so many words and pronunciations are not difficult to learn. A University of Oslo article reports that perhaps English was strongly influenced by Norwegian and other Scandinavian languages. That when Old Norse peoples settled in the British Isles during the 5th century, that Viking brought language with them, and even though Old English died out, Norwegian is still around today. Similarities between Norwegian and English are the same on a lexical level all the way to the syntactical level.
What Languages are Spoken in Norway?
Norwegian – Norwegian is the most widely spoken language in Norway. It is a North Germanic language that is shares links with Swedish and Danish, both descend from Old Norse. Norwegian is a primary language for 95% of the population. The language has two disctinct written standards: Nynorsk (New Norwegian) and Bokmål (Book Language).
Sami – Sami is a group of Uralic languages spoken by the Sami people in Northern Europe (in parts of northern Finland, Norway, Sweden, and extreme northwest Russia. There are ten or more Sami languages, depending on the definition and divisional terminology. Arguably Sami is closely related to Finnish because Finnish is also a Uralic language.
English – Most Norwegians speak English from birth. Due to the proximity of English speaking media, travelers, and international business, English is very common. Virtually everybody speaks English (at minimum a basic understanding, usually in regards to the elder population). Tourist information is usually printed in other languages with most Norwegians also speaking German, French, or Spanish.
Kven – The Kven language, spoken by the Kven people, is a Finnish language, and spoken by about seven thousand people in northeastern Norway. Kven is often considered a Finnish dialect, and has a high degree of mutual intelligibility.
Romani – The Romani are a historically migrant community with Indian roots, and they are now scattered throughout Europe. The Romani language is an Indo-European and Indo-Aryan language that is divided into several dialects. Two of these dialects Tavringer Romani and Vlax Romani are spoken in Norway.
Is English necessary in Norway?
As a tourist while travelling through Scandinavian countries, out of nine people that you stop on the street, eight of them should be able to speak English. In other words, English speaking tourists should have no problem while traveling around Norway. While in a restaurant, bar, or hotel, you should have no problem using English. At many other places throughout the country, you should have no trouble speaking English too. There should be nothing to worry about. English speaking tourists will most likely not experience any problems when traveling around Norway.
As a local, most Scandinavian people are competent English speakers more so than other European countries. Most Norwegians are immersed in English without even leaving their own country. English speaking media saturates Norwegian culture, whereas countries like Korea or Japan have their own culture industry formed around K-Pop and Anime. That means there is less saturation, and less chance for a local to be surrounded by English. Though to be fair, Norwegian and English are more closely related than Japanese and Korean are to English.
English Teaching in Norway
English is spoken throughout Norway, and the education system is very high-quality and rigorous, which means that Norway does not have a high demand for foreign English teachers. If you have experience, a good education, and speak Norwegian, then it is helpful and makes you a competitive prospect in the teaching market. It is possible to find jobs in kindergartens, public and private schools, and language training schools.
Most jobs are online through recruiters, and it might be possible to show up, and find a job upon arrival. If y