# All Scandinavian languages: Hugga?



## chobalsim

"Hug" comes from the Scandinavian word _hugga_, "to comfort."

I heard the languages of Norway, Sweden, and Demark have closed related. The text says _hugga_ is a Scandinavian word. Then, how can I read it? Should I read "hu" as "*who*" and "gga" as "*ga*rden," or "hu" as "*hu*man" and "gga" as "*ga*rden?" Are both of them wrong?


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## maree

I would pronounce it as "who", but I'm not an expert in old Nordic, so this is just a guess.


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## chobalsim

Thank you, maree.
I hope your guess is right.


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## Lemminkäinen

I agree with maree. In addition, the stress is on the first syllable.


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## chobalsim

Thank you, Lemminkainen.


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## Hakro

I agree about the pronunciation, although there are small variations. I'd say that in Finland's Swedish it's pronounced like *who* but in Sweden's Swedish closer to *hu*man.

Besides, according to my dictionary (Swedish-Finnish), *to confort =* *hugna* and *hugga = to chop, to hack, to hew* etc.


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## Etcetera

My vote goes for "who". 
I don't know much about Scandinavian, but I used to take Old English classes, and Old English had close relations with Scandinavian.


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## Hakro

There are also variations in the pronunciation of "who". Some people pronounce the vowel like the French _ou_ but others pronounce it closer to English _you_.


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## Etcetera

Hakro said:


> There are also variations in the pronunciation of "who". Some people pronounce the vowel like the French _ou_ but others pronounce it closer to English _you_.


I pronounce it just the way it's indicated in Oxford dictionary. More like the French _ou_, I guess.


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## Lemminkäinen

Etcetera said:


> I pronounce it just the way it's indicated in Oxford dictionary. More like the French _ou_, I guess.



But then you wouldn't get the 'h' sound. 

As in Swedish, *hugge* means 'to chop' in Norwegian, interestingly enough.


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## Etcetera

Lemminkäinen said:


> But then you wouldn't get the 'h' sound.


I was speaking about the vowel only. Of course I pronounce this 'h'.


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## Lugubert

chobalsim said:


> "Hug" comes from the Scandinavian word _hugga_, "to comfort."
> 
> I heard the languages of Norway, Sweden, and Demark have closed related. The text says _hugga_ is a Scandinavian word. Then, how can I read it? Should I read "hu" as "*who*" and "gga" as "*ga*rden," or "hu" as "*hu*man" and "gga" as "*ga*rden?" Are both of them wrong?


The proposed _hugga_ must be pretty archaic. I know of no contemporary similar word with a similar meaning. Anyway, "hu" as "*hu*man" should be impossible. Judging from modern Norwegian and Swedish, the _u _might be a central vowel, not too dissimilar from an Indo-European schwa, probably not IPA  but perhaps somewhere around [u] to [œ].


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## Spectre scolaire

This discussion seems to have gone way beyond what _chobalsim_ asked for in the first place:




			
				 chobalsim  said:
			
		

> "Hug" comes from the Scandinavian word hugga, "to comfort."


If English _hug_ according to most dictionaries – with some reservation, however! – comes from Old Norse hugga, I’d say that Icelandic hugga necessarily is the same world. The term “Scandinavian”, by the way, is far too vague.

I found this poem on http://www.alwaysontherun.net/sigur.htm:


Bíum bíum bambaló,
Bambaló og dillidillidó
Vini mínum vagga ég í ró
En úti biður andlit á glugga​Þegar fjöllin fimbulhá
fylla brjóst þitt heitri þrá,
Leika skal ég langspil á –
Það mun þinn hugan hugga​--which ibidem is translated as:


Bíum bíum bambaló [nonsense words, sort of like 'rock-a-by baby' in English]
Bambaló og dillidillidó [nonsense words, sort of like 'rock-a-by baby' in English]
My little friend I lull to rest
But outside, a face looms at the window​When the mighty mountains
fill your chest with burning desire,
I will play the langspil [violin-fiddle-like instrument]
and soothe your mind​Nice, eh? The square brackets in the translation are _not_ mine!

With a smattering of Old English and Old Norse, it is not too difficult to make sense out of this.  Especially with a translation.


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## elipez

In danish "hugge" means to steal........
Maybe we need some context??


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## sigjak

Hugge (noun) and hugga (verb) are not any more in common use in Norway, they come from the Old Norwegian and I have found them in a Nynorsk diccionary (Nynorsk="New Norwegian", the second official language of Norway, mostly used on the west coast and in some inland areas of Southern Norway).
Hugge (noun) = comfort, consolation
Hugga or Hugge (verb) = calm down, pacify, but can also mean cheer, gladden.


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## Aleco

I think this "Hugga" of yours may be the "Hygge". "Å hygge seg", means to have a great time, actually 
But not a great time, as in fun, but more "cozy"


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## sigjak

In Nynorsk we also have the noun "hug" (=mind; heart, soul) and the verbs "huge" (=desire) and "hugse"/"komme i hug" (=bear in mind, remember).
I think the noun "hygge" and the verb "hygge seg" have the same origin. "Hugnad" in Nynorsk (=delight, pleasure)

Other expressions, but *not* in common use:
å være huga på noe = to feel like doing sth
å hugbere = to be in love with
å huglegge = to fall in love with
å hugta = to charm, to fascinate
hugteken (adj.) = enamored, fascinated, infatuated
hugbrann = interest, passion
hugdrag = desire, inclination, interest
hugleik = fancy, imagination, playfulness
huglynne = disposition, mood, temperament
hugsam (adj.) = agreeable, pleasant (emnet er ikkje hugsamt = it is a disagreeable topic)
et hugskott = an impulse, a bright idea
hugskremt (adj.) = frightened, terrified
ei hugsnikje = a coquette, a flirt
hugsott = melancholy, unhappiness; worry


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