| Brief Description: | Book & 2 CDs. The smallest of the Scandinavian countries, Denmark is made up of a peninsula (Jutland) attached to northern Germany, and a collection of islands known as the Danish Archipelago. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are also crown territories of Denmark, though each has political home rule. Inhabited for over 12,000 years, Denmark is best known for the infamous period between the 8th and 10th century when Danish Vikings, together with Norwegians and Swedes, pillaged and plundered their way across Europe. Danes contributed much to the arts and sciences, however, through the work of writers such as Hans Christian Anderson and Isak Dineson, the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, and the scientist Niels Bohr, creator of the first working model of the atom. In the title character of Hamlet, William Shakespeare created perhaps the most famous Dane of all. Modern spoken Danish has gained a reputation as being exceptional and difficult for foreigners to understand and master. The nine Danish vowels represent sixteen different sounds and most of the consonants are unvoiced. A unique feature is the 'stød', the glottal stop, used to distinguish between several homonyms and words. The Danes also tend to drop inflectional endings, and this perceived mumbling, even in formal standard Danish, may present problems to those learning the language. The audio CDs emphasise pronunciation and address these issues in a series of engaging exercises on greetings, family, athletics, dining, illness, holidays and celebrations. Perfect for both classroom and independent students, the book also contains lessons on grammar, a glossary of vocabulary words, and a thorough introduction to Danish history and culture. |
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