# Norwegian name



## lembisico

Hi,

I'm translating a norwegian short (from the english script) and in the film there's a name that doesn't match the script. I listen something like "Voren" but I can't manage to find a norwegian name that sounds similar.
Does anyone have an idea?

Thanks,
Paska.


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## Huffameg

lembisico said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'm translating a norwegian short (from the english script) and in the film there's a name that doesn't match the script. I listen something like "Voren" but I can't manage to find a norwegian name that sounds similar.
> Does anyone have an idea?
> 
> Thanks,
> Paska.



I'm sorry, I don't quite get what you want.. 
You have a name (in English?) that sounds like "Voren" (in English?) and you need a Norwegian name that sounds familiar?


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## lembisico

Well, I have a norwegian name written in the script and in the film it's a different one that sounds like "Voren".
I'm working with the english version of the script, it doesn't matter as we don't translate the names, it was just to precise that I don't understand Norwegian and have no idea of the prononciation.

By the way, in another forum they suggested me "Vårin"...
Thanks for trying to help.

Ciao.


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## Huffameg

lembisico said:


> Well, I have a norwegian name written in the script and in the film it's a different one that sounds like "Voren".
> I'm working with the english version of the script, it doesn't matter as we don't translate the names, it was just to precise that I don't understand Norwegian and have no idea of the prononciation.
> 
> By the way, in another forum they suggested me "Vårin"...
> Thanks for trying to help.
> 
> Ciao.



I'm really sorry, I might be a bit slow here but I still do not understand what your question is. 
If you have the Norwegian name written in the script, you could just post it and we can tell you how to pronounce it...?


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## vestfoldlilja

It may be that the name in the film is the same as the script, just that is doesn't sound that way to someone who doesn't know the language. 

Maybe it will help us to know the name in the script.


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## lembisico

Huffameg said:


> If you have the Norwegian name written in the script, you could just post it and we can tell you how to pronounce it...?





vestfoldlilja said:


> It may be that the name in the film is the same as the script, just that is doesn't sound that way to someone who doesn't know the language.
> Maybe it will help us to know the name in the script.



In the script I have "  Kåre", and even if I don't know how to pronounce it, I imagine it's far from what I hear, that's why I thought it was a mistake, it often happens in the scripts.
Sorry for the mess...


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## missTK

Might be a mistake, but it could be that they're actually saying "Kåre" and for some reason (unclear pronunciation, bad sound?) the K sounds like V to you.
Vårin is a possibility, but as far as I know that's a female name, while Kåre is male. So if it's used for a man in the film, I think Vårin is very unlikely. I can't really think of any possible Norwegian male name that would fit with what you think you hear - which doesn't mean it couldn't exist, of course.


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## Grefsen

missTK said:


> Might be a mistake, but it could be that they're actually saying "Kåre" and for some reason (unclear pronunciation, bad sound?) the K sounds like V to you.


I have a Norwegian friend whose name is *Kaare*.  Shortly after meeting him I sent him an email spelling his name *Kåre* and he was quick to correct me letting me know that I had spelled his name wrong.  

What would be the correct Norwegian pronounciation of *Kåre *and how does it differ (if at all) from *Kaare?*  Right now I'm saying something close to "Core uh'," but I have heard other Americans call him "Corry."   (Sorry, but I have never been taught IPA  )

*På forhånd takk for hjelpen!*


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## missTK

Kaare is an old spelling from before the letter å was introduced, still used by some people. It doesn't affect pronunciation.

It's hard to be exact without IPA, but what you are saying sounds fairly close. If you're familiar with some Norwegian pronunciation, it's a long å sound, and the e is a regular Norwegian unstressed e, not an "ee" sound like Americans tend to use for e at the end of words. More like "Cora" than "Corry".

If you're able to hear and pronounce pitch accents/tones, it's tone 2. I wouldn't expect it from a foreigner - I'm used to English speakers saying my name with the wrong tone, and even introduce myself that way sometimes- but if you're learning Norwegian, it would be a nice touch to try to get it right.


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## vestfoldlilja

I’m not able to help with the pronunciation of Kåre/Kaare, but hopefully someone else will later on. 

Kåre and Kaare is the same name and are pronounced the same, they just differ slightly in spelling. 

Å and aa, is the same, it’s just different ways of saying the same thing. I think at one point it was written as two a’s above each other, and then one morphed info aa and another version morphed into a with a circle above it instead of a whole a.


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## Grefsen

missTK said:


> Kaare is an old spelling from before the letter å was introduced, still used by some people.



*Takk for det! * That is exactly the opposite what I would have assumed.  The first prominent Norwegian that comes to mind when I think of the name *Kåre* is the former Norwegian PM, *Kåre Willoch* who is actually quite a bit older than my friend *Kaare. *



missTK said:


> It doesn't affect pronunciation.
> It's hard to be exact without IPA, but what you are saying sounds fairly close. If you're familiar with some Norwegian pronunciation, it's a long å sound, and the e is a regular Norwegian unstressed e, not an "ee" sound like Americans tend to use for e at the end of words. More like "Cora" than "Corry".



I will actually have the opportunity to say the name *Kaare* many times this evening since I will be attending *Kaares* *bryllupp* (wedding.)    Fortunately I have made plans to meet up with one of his friend's from Norway just prior to the start of the wedding so I'll have a chance to work with her a bit on the pronounciation ahead of time.   



missTK said:


> I'm used to English speakers saying my name with the wrong tone, and even introduce myself that way sometimes- but if you're learning Norwegian, it would be a nice touch to try to get it right.



I agree that  "it would be a nice touch to try to get it right."  I think I have been given a "free pass" for many years because I'm not fluent *på norsk*, but since I'm now making a serious effort to learn the language I really want to improve on my pronunciation, especially when it comes to names.


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## Grefsen

vestfoldlilja said:


> Kåre and Kaare is the same name and are pronounced the same, they just differ slightly in spelling.
> 
> Å and aa, is the same, it’s just different ways of saying the same thing. I think at one point it was written as two a’s above each other, and then one morphed info aa and another version morphed into a with a circle above it instead of a whole a.



What I incorrectly assumed was that *"Kaare"* was just how my friend was chosing to spell his name here in the U.S., since most people in this country have difficulty with the *norskbokstaver.*   On a side note, the first Norwegian friend I had in the U.S., when I was working on my undergraduate degree, went by the name "Paul." When I saw him a few years later in Norway, his name had somehow transformed into *Pål.*


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## hanne

wikipedia of course has an entry on the letter å, including it's origin (it was never two a's above eachother by the way).

As it was already said, aa is the historical form of å, and is still retained in some names. So for example when you meet somebody called Vestergård you have to ask how they spell it (if you need to write it), because there's no other way of telling. Phone books etc. usually list Vestergaard and Vestergård mixed, treating aa and å as the same letter (it is incorrect to list the double-a (aa) in the beginning of the alphabet, at least in Danish).

Your friend Paul on the other hand, appears to have chosen to anglicise his name, and I'm certain he'd never use that spelling in Norway. Like I sometimes introduce myself as Hanna in English contexts, because that name is more familiar to people, so they find it easier to remember.

Finally, "norske bokstaver" is an adjective plus a noun, not some sort of compound .


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## oskhen

Grefsen said:


> What I incorrectly assumed was that *"Kaare"* was just how my friend was chosing to spell his name here in the U.S., since most people in this country have difficulty with the *norskbokstaver.*



That may be the case, of course (as far as I know)


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## basslop

About Paul and Pål.
As you may know Paul comes from the Roman name Paulus. The pronunciation of this name In Norwegian is much closer to the Roman pronunciation (with diphthong) than to the English one. Unfortunately I am not familiar with IPA, so I am not able to write how it sounds. Anybody else …? 

The name Pål is the Norse variant of Paulus and is pronounced almost exactly as Paul in English. No wonder why native English speakers get confused.


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## kirsitn

basslop said:


> Unfortunately I am not familiar with IPA, so I am not able to write how it sounds. Anybody else …?



Unfortunately not, but I would say that in the southeast of Norway people pronounce it as if it were written "pævl", whereas in the north we say "pøul". (And in Sogn they probably say "paol". )


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