Tragedy struck a young Norwegian university student who was staying in Copenhagen when he was severely injured in a bar fight and was misunderstood at a local hospital. The resulting communication error ended up costing the 25 year-old man his life.
The Norwegian was smashed over the head with a glass at a bar in Copenhagen. After making his way to the city’s Rigshospitalet, the student tried to explain to hospital staff that he was a haemophiliac, according to the JP news agency. Unfortunately, the staff thought he said he was a homosexual, and sent him home without the specialist treatment he desperately needed.
The Danish word for haemophilia is ‘haemofili’, while the word for homosexual is the very similar ‘homofil’. Copenhagen police found the man dead from a brain hemorrhage at his apartment in Sydhavn less than 24 hours after being discharged from the hospital.
Police are still deciding how to handle the case. They are currently looking for the assailant who smashed the man over the head with a beer glass, but they have not yet contacted the health inspector of Rigshospitalet to press charges against the hospital.
I don´t think we should speculate to much on this tragedy. A friend that followed him tells that they said “bløder” many times. I doubt this is an language issue. Those who understand Norwegian can read more here.
http://www.dagbladet.no/2009/05/14/nyheter/utenriks/helse/6219462/
I wonder, how does author (By K. Mar Hauksson) know what exactly happened in the hospital? Was he with the Norwegian student all the time and heard what he was trying to explain? Who heard it? Why didn’t that “who” help to explain the hospital staff that the student has haemophilia? Or the student left a letter before he died, what exactly happened? Or is all the conversations recorded in Danish hospitals?
Seems like a fairy tale to me.
The young Norwegian guy would have said “Jeg er hæmofil” opposed to “Jeg er homofil” (“I’m a haemophiliac” opposed to “I’m a homosexual”). As everybody can see the two Danish words “hæmofil” and “homofil” are very similar – and if spoken with a melodic Norwegian accent it’s easy to see why the aweful misunderstanding took place.
I feel so sorry for the referring nurse – not the least the tragic outcome for the Norwegian youngster.
Radek – English isn’t just from Danish, exactly. It may have developed as a sort of trade language between the Germanic tribes that had settled in Britain after the Romans left, and the Scandinavian settlers that came somewhat later. The languages were quite similar, even today a substantial portion of the modern languages (English/German/Dutch/Icelandic/Swedish/and the assorted versions spoken by Norwegians/etc.) are comprised of common words (though, spelling varies – the spoken words can often still be recognized, though probably less so when the speakers are drunk).
Google Folkspraak for fun, if you wish.
Christian – I must disagree with the first point:
Norwegian and Danish are not the same languages. First – there is no “Norwegian” – there is bokmål, nynorsk and other forms of “norwegian”.
Bokmål- which has got its background in Danish and in fact the written form is very similar to Danish – but spoken form is much more similar to Swedish. Yes – this language originates from Danish – however also English originates from Danish (and I doubt you would convince average Englishman that he speaks actually Danish and he should be able to understand all people in Copenhagen)….there is just a few more hundreds years difference.
Nynorsk and other forms of “Norwegian” are not too much similar to Danish (their backgrounds are in old Norse…by the way-also mother of Icelandic language).
These are basic information about Norwegian language which are known by average Czech….so they should be twice known by person living in Scandinavia. We would never say that Slovak is the same language like Czech and that it was created just by nationalistic reasons.
However I must agree with all other points…just maybe when anybody is drunk and says fast and unclearly “jeg har”, it could sound slightly similar like “jeg er”…..but probably just to foreigner:-)
Very sad story.
some caveats:
1. Norwegian and Danish are the same language. It’s only for nationalistic reasons that “Norwegian” was created. So the misunderstanding could equally well have happened to a Dane.
2. Don’t EVER rely on hospital staff for such. Carry a dogtag with essential info. (you might not be able to speak any language.)
3. The guy might have died anyway – we can’t be sure.
4. The assailant smashed a beer glass on him. This is fairly routine there. Danes don’t die of it because they have evolved thicker skulls.
5. Anyway the trick is in the verb. I HAVE hemophilia but I AM homosexual. (Jeg har vs. Jeg er…)
6. Consider that all the involved were likely drunk (“fulde”). Danish is easier to speak when drunk, but even harder to understand.
7. The event is tragic per se, but the language factor is probably blown out of proportion.
perhaps the staff wasn’t 100% Danish…..
Just to add – Danish wikipedia says:
Tidligere har været benyttet betegnelsen homofil, af græsk phile? “elske”, men denne betegnelse er ikke længere almindeligt anvendt på dansk.
Translated:
Previously there has been used description homofil – name of Greek phile? “love” but that word is no longer commonly used in current Danish.
Danish of these days is using word homoseksuel.
So – it looks like the staff in that hospital was somebody older, not very tolerant (if first on his/her mind was homosexuality)…and I would also say not very qualified (and happy to help).
I just hope they will catch the guy who injured him (we cannot say kill him because if he would get adequate treatment, he would be alive) – and mainly that they will make redundant that hospital staff – otherwise next time can again somebody die because of unadequate treatment.
Russian language is more cute in this way:
?????, ?????, ?????. Three words [zapor], [zabor], [sobor].
Sobor means “cathedral”
Zabor means “fence”
Zapor means “coprostasis”
Though, “gemofilia” sounds in a quite the same way.
English?
I doubt very much. Have you listen to any British coach or player lately? They don’t bother even to open mouth…
From the sample above all three phrases would sound exactly same – “ka- ya sa-” :-)
Also “funny” to see the effect of “tolerance” – medics heard “I’m a gay” when person were saying “I have a disease”.
Plus Norwegian and Danes talking English – this is potentially deadly combination indeed.
But for sure – police must catch the bastard who killed the lad.
English probably would have saved him!
I myself – even just as a vet – would be thinking about haemophilia when anybody bleeding in first instance…..however as foreigner person living in Denmark I can say that Danish languague is one of the most difficult and unclear languages of the world.
Example for beginners:
can you see – kan du se
can you say – kan du sige
can you sing – kan du synge
All three – when pronounced by native Dane in “normal speed of speech” and “clearly” sound very similar.
Example for advanced:
Stå på bussen – with glottal stop (stress on å in stå..then little gap)means stand on the top of the bus.
Stå på bussen – without glottal stop (no clear gap btw. stå and på…stress on u in bussen) means get on the bus.
I do not want to be nasty – but maybe now Danes will finally realize that their language is really horrible – especially when it costs a life.
And if not – maybe at least they could stop to believe in government’s fairy tales that they are given “the best free medical health care in the world” for their 50% taxes.
How does medical personnel NOT understand haemophilia??
I find it hard to believe that they would not even think of the possibility of haemophilia when a bleeding person is desperately trying to communicate his condition.
If that is the level of Danish medical staff, I never want to get sick in Denmark! They might try to solve my broken leg with aspirin.