# Norwegian: sølvgutter



## Lilla My

Hei !

What's a "sølvgutt" ? I guess by the context I have that it's a boy singing Christmas songs, but are they linked by some ways to the church or is it just cultural traditions ?
Does it have a translation to English ? (or French ?)

Thanks 

Lilla My


----------



## Grefsen

Lilla My said:


> Hei !
> 
> What's a "sølvgutt" ? I guess by the context I have that it's a boy singing Christmas songs, but are they linked by some ways to the church or is it just cultural traditions ?
> Does it have a translation to English ? (or French ?)
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Lilla My



A "sølvgutt" could also be a male athlete who wins a silver medal in competition.  When I was in Norway in June 2005, the Norwegian Women's National 'Fotball' Team earned a silver medal in the European Championships with a dramatic overtime victory over their archrival neighbors Sweden.    After the tournament was over most of the newspapers I saw started referring to the players on Norway's squad as "sølvjentene" or "silver girls."


----------



## Grefsen

Grefsen said:


> After the tournament was over most of the newspapers I saw started referring to the players on Norway's squad as "sølvjentene" or "silver girls."



Here are the links to a couple of Norwegian articles from June 2005:

*Lover penger til sølvjentene*

http://fotball.aftenposten.no/kvinner/article3406.ece

*Sølvjentene svarte flittig*

http://fotball.adressa.no/aa/article3296.ece


----------



## Lilla My

Thank you, but I'm sure it's about christmas songs


----------



## Grefsen

Lilla My said:


> Thank you, but I'm sure it's about christmas songs



So what exactly is the context that "sølvgutt" is used in?


----------



## Lilla My

"Sølvguttenes julekonsert"


----------



## Nander

I think it might be what we in Sweden call a "star-boy" (_stjärngosse). _It's what the male participants during the Lucia celebrations are called.

But let's wait for someone who actually speaks Norwegian. 

EDIT: After a quick search with Google is seems like I'm wrong. The search results seem to suggest that it's some kind of choir that sings in Norwegian television every Christmas.


----------



## Lemminkäinen

Nander said:


> I think it might be what we in Sweden call a "star-boy" (_stjärngosse). _It's what the male participants during the Lucia celebrations are called.



No, they're called the same thing in Norwegian - *stjernegutter*.



> EDIT: After a quick search with Google is seems like I'm wrong. The search results seem to suggest that it's some kind of choir that sings in Norwegian television every Christmas.



Correct  *Sølvguttene* is the name of a boy's choir who are mostly known for their Christmas concert televised on Christmas Eve.

Grefsen's suggestion is a possibility too (not in this context, though) - *sølvgutta* is what a team of men who got the second place would be called.


----------



## Spectre scolaire

I think you have to put the word in definite form plural: Sølvguttene. Here is the adequate link: http://www.solvguttene.net/.

According to the English version of this link, 



> Sølvguttene got its name primarily because of the shiny, silvery uniforms that were acquired in the beginning [in 1940!] (for lack of other, more subtle materials). Later the name has been attributed to the special sound and clarity of boys voices, voices of silver.


_S__ølvguttene_ are well known in Scandinavia and far beyond. Their conductor, Torstein Grythe, has been a leading figure in Norwegian cultural life. If he hasn’t passed away, he must be a very old man by now. I once heard the choir in Copenhagen some 30 years ago. It was very impressive.
 ​


----------



## Lilla My

Takk til alle ! Lemminkaïnen, du var kjempe hjelpsom, som vanlig, tusen takk !


----------

