Nordic Language Policy

In the Nordic countries, there is a policy that you have the right to communicate in your own language in fellow Nordic countries. This covers Denmark (incl. Greenland and the Pharaoh Islands), Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland.
The Scandinavian languages are usually in the center of the attempts to support this policy, which is the reason why Icelandic people learn Danish or Norwegian and Finnish people learn Swedish in school. However, motivation is usually low - probably because it is easier to speak English for them.
Traditionally Swedes, Norwegians and Danes have been able to understand each other, but in the younger generations it is becoming harder. Especially the Swedes and Norwegians struggle to understand the Danes. I, like many Danes, find it embarrassing to speak English to other Scandinavians and have taken the consequence and taught myself Swedish (the bonus is that it sounds funny :-).

For articles in Danish on the topic, see:

Nordisk sprogpolitik – skandinavisk som fælles platform

Sproglige rettigheder i Grønland, Rigsfælleskabet og Norden