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Across the Fence:  Any one translate Swedish to English?  |
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melody
True Blue Farmgirl
3319 Posts
Melody
The Great North Woods in the Land of Hiawatha
USA
3319 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 12 2011 : 09:40:25 AM
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The other day DH and I happened to be discussing his grandfather who was affectionately known as "Hu-Tu-Tu" and always called that instead of grandpa and just this morning I ran across a sentence in a book called The Children's Blizzard" and came across the same words once again.....here is the quote "This is what they called coffee, " wrote Osten "but 'hu-tu-tu' what coffee!"
I'm thinking "hu-tu-tu" is not DH's grandpa's given name but some kind of endearment so I googled it and found nothing anyone know what that term means? It's driving me crazy...
Melody
Farmgirl #525 |
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forgetmenot
True Blue Farmgirl
3602 Posts
Judith
Nora Springs
IA
USA
3602 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2011 : 11:02:28 AM
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Wow! Now, this is driving me crazy also. I couldn't find a translation either. Did you see that this is the name of a childrens' game like rugby? Do you have a swedish museum you could e-mail?
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the belief that something is more important than fear." Ambrose Red Moon |
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edlund33
True Blue Farmgirl
1501 Posts
Marilyn
Renton
WA
USA
1501 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2011 : 12:49:45 PM
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Melody, do you have any idea how your DH's grandfather's family might have spelled the nickname if they were to write it on paper in Swedish?
Hu and Tu are more than likely English spoken phonetic mis-spellings of the actual Swedish words. (For instance "Hu" could really be "Sjö" or another word that starts with Sj or J in Swedish. "Tu" might be a Swedish word that begins with letters D or T.)
We too have a saying in our family that was started by my great grandmother who came to America and learned to speak English as her second language. "Ingen ting im uppen tuppen" meant to Farmor someone is crazy in the head. But it can't be properly translated because it is a blend of English and Swedish that none of my relatives in Sweden can translate. We know what it means to us but to an outsider it is jibberish.
I hope you are far luckier than I and can figure out what Hu Tu Tu really means! Good luck!
Cheers! ~ Marilyn
Farm Girl No. 1100
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2011 : 3:00:42 PM
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The fact that you saw the phrase in a book is definitely a sign that it means something. I agree with Marilyn that it's probably an Angicized version of something that the author heard older Swedish-Americans say but never saw written down.
And a museum would be a great place to ask. Not necessarily an actual Swedish museum, but perhaps a local Swedish American cultural center or other place devoted to earlier times when Swedish immigration was such an influence in your part of the country. A good place to start might be newspapers that were published in grandfather's youth in towns that had a strong Swedish background--if your DH's family was saying it, chances are other people used the expression also, especially in chatty or humorous columns.
Good luck! |
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melody
True Blue Farmgirl
3319 Posts
Melody
The Great North Woods in the Land of Hiawatha
USA
3319 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2011 : 6:35:33 PM
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I almost fell out of my chair when I read it in The Children's Blizzard book...and it was spelled exactly like that. That is a great point Marilyn that Hu-Tu-Tu could be the phonetic sound of his name or "endearment" but then the book verified Hu-Tu-Tu in another context other than an endearment. In the books context it kind of reminded me of maybe an "Oy vey" kind of meaning?
I still have no clue what it means and it's making me crazy!
We come from a very long line of Swedes...in fact my maiden name is Hoijer with the umlaut over the O in Hoijer...so it's pronounce "heuww-er" No one ever gets the pronunciation right! I'll keep digging though and see if my MIL can shed some light on Grandpa Hu-Tu-Tu when we go up to see her at Christmas.
Thanks for all the great suggestions and taking the time to respond---
Mel |
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melody
True Blue Farmgirl
3319 Posts
Melody
The Great North Woods in the Land of Hiawatha
USA
3319 Posts |
Posted - Dec 12 2011 : 7:03:31 PM
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Oh!!! I just found this on line where a group of people were translating Tolkien; specifically the book The Hobbit and this is what I came across...
"Danne,
I'm not sure to be honest. But an old exclamation/phrase ("Huttetu!" ) is sometimes used by people to scare someone or to express their fear for an object."
Maybe gramps was a scary looking dude??
Melody
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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melody
True Blue Farmgirl
3319 Posts
Melody
The Great North Woods in the Land of Hiawatha
USA
3319 Posts |
Posted - Dec 13 2011 : 07:34:48 AM
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Ladies!
I posted the same question on my face book page and received this reply from the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis---You are going to laugh!
10 hours agoRoy Sandy Sandström
from a friend in Sweden; 'The Swedish word for hat is "hatt" and it is pronounced like Hut. Children sometimes call a horse for a "toto" pronounced Tu Tu. This is probably not was your grandfather was called but it can certainly have something to do with "hatt".'
and my response
Oh no!
I am sitting here laughing out loud. So what you are saying is that gramps was affectionately called " horse hat?" I'm so confused....
No, you are right he probably was not called that unless he was out of the room at the time, but thank you so much for contacting me. I really appreciate it!
It's been stuck in my head for days now since my husband and I discussed grampa and what he was affectionately called (apparently out of ear shot) so I thought I would post it and see if someone could come up with an interpretation. Thanks again Roy and take care.
Isn't that funny? It's like when you were kids and would talk on a home-made string telephone with the cans--Interpretation of what was heard or remembered can certainly get distorted. Poor gramps...
Mel
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FebruaryViolet
True Blue Farmgirl
4810 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4810 Posts |
Posted - Dec 13 2011 : 07:46:44 AM
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That's funny, Melody--on one of the sites I came across yesterday while googling, I saw that Tu was associated with horse, or "giddyup" but I wasn't quite sure that would be in context. This was in some really DRY academic paper regarding origins of Swedish/American language and how it changed once upon American soil.
"Hey, I've got nothing to do today but smile..."
The Only Living Boy in New York, Paul Simon |
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melody
True Blue Farmgirl
3319 Posts
Melody
The Great North Woods in the Land of Hiawatha
USA
3319 Posts |
Posted - Dec 13 2011 : 08:05:58 AM
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It's so typical! My husbands family as well as my own have that "kind" of sense of humor Jonni....So it's no surprise to me calling gramps-"old horse hat" I never met the old man,he died long ago, but Bruce said when Hu-Tu-Tu knew he was ill he wanted to go back home to die in Sweden. They took him home and that's where he died and is buried.
When I was little I remember my grandmother had a saying she would use on occasion and it took me years of digging to try to find out what she meant by it. Apparently, there is "high" German and "low" German dialect and her saying was how shall we say "colorful?" something about "kissing the kaiser..." well you get the drift of it! It is pretty amazing how language in America has morphed. I guess it will always continue to be that way with different cultures coming in and blending America truly is a melting pot.
Mel |
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texdane
Farmgirl Legend Chapter Leader Chapter Guru
4658 Posts
Nicole
Sandy Hook
CT
USA
4658 Posts |
Posted - Dec 15 2011 : 05:28:55 AM
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Melody, My husband is from Denmark and his family all live there. Swedish is one of the languages they all can speak. Danish and Swedish are very similar languages. "Grandpa" would be "Bestefar". (My spelling may not be right). DH says it IS an affectionate term, but what it specifically means he wasn't sure. Am emailing my FIL in Denmark. Will post his answer when I hear from him.
Now I'm dying of curiosity!
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE
Chapter Leader, Connecticut Simpler Life Sisters
Suburban Farmgirl Blogger
http://sfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org/ |
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melody
True Blue Farmgirl
3319 Posts
Melody
The Great North Woods in the Land of Hiawatha
USA
3319 Posts |
Posted - Dec 15 2011 : 06:37:27 AM
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Thank you Nicole----I just had to put that "bug" in my farmgirl sisters ears to see if they could come up with what it meant-I never dreamt you all would go to such lengths to find out!
Melody |
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edlund33
True Blue Farmgirl
1501 Posts
Marilyn
Renton
WA
USA
1501 Posts |
Posted - Dec 15 2011 : 07:27:27 AM
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Melody, I also asked four of my relatives in Sweden (North and South) but none of them can come up with any ideas of what hu tu tu means. Nor could they make any sense of Sandy Sandströms suggestion of hat and horse. But Lennart suggested you might try posting your question on Ancestry, Genealogy, Rötter (the Swedish equivalent to Ancestry) or another genealogy site where Swedish and Swedish American people are connected to see if someone there knows. Eva is a language linguistics professor and she agrees that it is probably an English mispronounciation of something Swedish. She thought perhaps even checking with cultural or genealogical groups in the community where your husbands grandfather lived might helpful as it could well be a regional dialect.
I really hope someone will be able to figure it out for you!
Cheers! ~ Marilyn
Farm Girl No. 1100
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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acairnsmom
True Blue Farmgirl
1319 Posts
audrey
cheyenne
wy
1319 Posts |
Posted - Dec 15 2011 : 10:58:32 AM
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Who knows Melody, maybe there was a story of grandpa putting his hat on his horses head and a knick-name was born? This is a great discussion though. I have a new friend who's grandchildren call her Farmor (spelling?). Found out that is the Swedish term for Grandmother. Love the different names we can come up with.
Audrey
.jpg) Good boy Hobbs! I love and miss you. |
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texdane
Farmgirl Legend Chapter Leader Chapter Guru
4658 Posts
Nicole
Sandy Hook
CT
USA
4658 Posts |
Posted - Dec 15 2011 : 3:49:53 PM
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Audrey,
You spelled "FarMor", or "Far-Mor"correctly. It translates to "Father's Mother". There is also "Mor-Mor" (Mother's mother) "Far-Far", father's father, and "Mor-Far" (Mother's father). And when you are a great-granny, it's "OlleMor" - "Old Mother", LOL!
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE
Chapter Leader, Connecticut Simpler Life Sisters
Suburban Farmgirl Blogger
http://sfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org/ |
Edited by - texdane on Dec 15 2011 3:50:53 PM |
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texdane
Farmgirl Legend Chapter Leader Chapter Guru
4658 Posts
Nicole
Sandy Hook
CT
USA
4658 Posts |
Posted - Dec 20 2011 : 05:46:24 AM
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Melody,
FIL came up with one idea, but he doesn't it is the right one. Asked me to send him this link. So, he is still working on it...
Hugs,
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE
Chapter Leader, Connecticut Simpler Life Sisters
Suburban Farmgirl Blogger
http://sfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org/ |
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jpbluesky
True Blue Farmgirl
6066 Posts
Jeannie
Florida
USA
6066 Posts |
Posted - Dec 26 2011 : 09:42:36 AM
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My grands call me Nana, but it does not mean anything if someone was trying to translate it. Maybe it was an endearment like we use here, like Mimaw and pop pop, etc. And in regards to expressing their thoughts about the coffee, it could be like saying "man", like we use that word to express ourselves....in any meaning, it is a neat word, and your grand dad must have been a neat guy.
Farmgirl Sister # 31
www.blueskyjeannie.blogspot.com
Psalm 51: 10-13 |
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Across the Fence: Any one translate Swedish to English? |
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Any one translate Swedish to English?
