# Norwegian: sang, syngestykke, låta



## Xander2024

Hei,

when I looked up the word "song" in my Russian-Norwegian dictionary, I saw the following three options: "_chanson_", "_sang_" and "_syngestykke_". And to top it all, I saw "_låta_" on the an Internet forum yesterday. Well, as for the "chanson", it's more or less clear: I guess this word refers to a chanson song. But what about the other three? 

Is it a regional or stylistic difference?

Mange takk.


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## NorwegianNYC

Honestly - I have never seen "chanson" used as a Norwegian word, and "låta" is not Norwegian at all! If anything, 'song' = sang


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## Xander2024

As for "låta", here is the whole sentence that was said on the forum: "Elsker denne låta. Himmelske danser er hentet fra en av mine favoritt album." ("Himmelske danser" is the name of a song). Is it not Norwegian? 

And what about "syngestykke"?

Takk.


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## basslop

Aha - Ei låt - låta - låter - låtene eventually - en låt - låten - låter - låtene. This word originally corresponds to "a sound" in English, but is widely used for for a song too. My guess is that jazz/early rock musicians started to use "låt" this way. Still it's not a word you use for like classical music.


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## Xander2024

Takk for hjelpen, basslop. Ja, du sier noe, det er tale om en sang av Morten Harket.


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## basslop

I would also like to mention the synonym "En lyd" is not for songs.


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## Xander2024

What about "syngestykke", basslop?

Takk.


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## basslop

I don't think I have heard "syngestykke". It should be understood by quite many though. Maybe it could be a new genuine Norwegian word.


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## Xander2024

Hmm.. Where do dictionaries dig up those words that are unknown to native speakers, I wonder?

Takk ihvertfall.


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## Xander2024

Jeg har just funnet i min Stor Norsk Russisk Ordbok slike betydninger av "syngestykke": "an aria", "a love song", "a romance". Kan dette være sant?

Takk.

PS Your corrections are most welcome.


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## NorwegianNYC

Hi! I cannot find the word "syngestykke" in my books, but a quick google search reveals that it refers to Eng. singspiel (which is again is a German word)(I noticed you are Russian: Зингшпиль according to Wikipedia). It is a kind of opera, usually - especially a lighter version with spoken dialog and romantic or comic in nature. It is sometimes referred to as a 'ballad opera'. It also turns out that Norw. "syngestykke" and "syngespill" are synonyms.


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## Xander2024

Hi Norwegian, takk for forskningen.


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## utmarker

Could "syngestykke" possibly be "svorsk"? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svorsk

 "sångstycke" in Swedish is a word recognized by the Swedish Academy in its dictionary of Swedish words SAOL. http://sok.saol.se/pages/P943_M.jpg

The Swedish word could mean simply a song, a tune or any kind of (short)vocal music.
Literally in both Norwegian and Swedish it means "a piece of music".


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## timtfj

NorwegianNYC said:


> Hi! I cannot find the word "syngestykke" in my books, but a quick google search reveals that it refers to Eng. singspiel (which is again is a German word)


If _singspiel_ is an English word then it's a technical term in musicology---not a remotely common one. I'd only expect to encounter it if someone were writing about German music.

As it happens I know someone who specialises in performing Grieg's music and who knows Norwegian, so I'll ask her about _syngestykke_ and see if she can shed any light on it. (My thought is that someone who's performed one will know what it was).

*Edit:* I've since asked a Danish musicologist, and got the reply





> _Syngestykke_ is also a Danish term. It's the same as _Singspiel_, as far as I know: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singspiel


which confirms what NorwegianNYC said.


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## bicontinental

'Syngestykke' is used in Danish, :http://ordnet.dk/ddo/ordbog?query=syngestykke.


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## aprendiendo argento

According to both Nynorsk and Bokmaal normative dictionaries, the noun is masculine:_ *ein *låt, låten, låtar, låtane.
_Even after the new reform of Nynorsk (which happened three months ago), it is incorrect to write it as feminine,
on the other hand _dialekt _has been given a green light: _ei dialekt - dialekta - dialekter - dialektene.

http://www.nob-ordbok.uio.no/perl/ordbok.cgi?OPP=l%E5t&begge=+&ordbok=bokmaal
http://www.nob-ordbok.uio.no/perl/ordbok.cgi?OPP=dialekt&begge=+&ordbok=begge
_


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## Ben Jamin

basslop said:


> Aha - Ei låt - låta - låter - låtene eventually - en låt - låten - låter - låtene. This word originally corresponds to "a sound" in English, but is widely used for for a song too. My guess is that jazz/early rock musicians started to use "låt" this way. Still it's not a word you use for like classical music.



It must be a generation gap. If you listen to young people you will almost never hear the word 'sang'. It's 'låta' in 99%.


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## NorwegianNYC

"Låt" is _a tune_ in English. It is a term used in jazz and popular music (you would not use it about classical music), but you often hear "sang" as well.


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## lairthenair

I have never heard the french _chanson _used as a Norwegian word. As far as the word _låt_ goes, it's an accepted synonym to _sang_. I don't think that _syngestykke_ exists in the Norwegian vocabulary (I've never heard it being used and I can't find it in any popular dictonaries), but _sangstykke_ does. Sangstykke litteraly means "a piece of a song", though it is used as a synonym to sang.


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## NorwegianNYC

Since this thread resurfaced, I make a quick inquiry to my friend, who is an opera singer. She confirmed that "syngestykke" and "syngespill" indeed are used in Norwegian. They are limited to the music/singing business, and the German term "singspiel" is also used among insiders. It is a light opera with spoken dialog, and is romantic or comic in nature. It is sometimes referred to as a 'ballad opera'.


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## Xander2024

Tusen takk for hjelpen/ Thanks a lot everyone for making this thread a most informative one.


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