- Norwegian:
- Norsk
Norwegian language
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What is the Norwegian language?
The Norwegian language, a North Germanic language, is part of the West Scandinavian branch and has two distinct forms: BokmÄl (Dano-Norwegian, or RiksmÄl) and Nynorsk (New Norwegian). After Norway's union with Denmark, Old Norwegian writing traditions declined in the 15th century.
In 1814, Norway gained independence, but Danish linguistic influence remained. This led to the development of a national standard language. Ivar Aasen created New Norwegian in 1853, drawing from rural dialects. It was officially recognized in 1885. Today, all Norwegians learn to read and write Nynorsk, but only 20% use it as their primary written language.
Knud Knudsen promoted gradual reform, and the language form that resulted was called RiksmÄl, later officially BokmÄl. Efforts to merge Dano-Norwegian and New Norwegian into one language, Samnorsk, were abandoned in 2002.
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Where is Norwegian spoken?
Norwegian is the official language of Norway. Modern Norwegian has many dialects, all of which are understood throughout Scandinavia. There are two distinct written norms, BokmÄl and Nynorsk, both used in government and education. BokmÄl is predominant around Oslo and the eastern Norwegian lowland, while Nynorsk is widely spoken in the mountainous interior and along the west coast. All Norwegians learn to read and write Nynorsk, but only about 20 percent use it as their primary written language. More than 4.6 million people in Norway speak Dano-Norwegian, except for the Sami minority in the north and in western Norway.
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What are the main dialects or forms of Norwegian?
Norwegian has two distinct written forms: BokmÄl (the "book language") and Nynorsk ("new Norwegian"). BokmÄl evolved from written Danish during Norway's union with Denmark, undergoing reforms to incorporate Norwegian pronunciation and grammar. Nynorsk, constructed by Ivar Aasen, is based on dialects from rural western and central districts, aiming to continue Old Norwegian traditions.
While all Norwegians learn both forms, BokmÄl is more widely used, especially in commerce, communications, and eastern Norway. Nynorsk is commonly spoken in the mountainous interior and along the west coast. Local dialects are prevalent throughout Norway, divided into East, TrÞnder, North, and West regions.
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What is the difference between BokmÄl and Nynorsk?
Norwegian has two distinct forms: BokmÄl and Nynorsk.
BokmĂ„l, derived from written Danish during Norway's union with Denmark (1380â1814), underwent reforms in 1907, 1917, and 1938, adopting native pronunciation and grammar. It is the predominant language in Norway, used in national newspapers, most literature, government, education, commerce, and communications.
Nynorsk, constructed by Ivar Aasen in 1853 from rural dialects, aimed to continue the Old Norwegian tradition and replace Danish. Officially recognized in 1885, it is learned by all Norwegians, but only about 20% use it as their primary written language. Nynorsk is widely spoken in the mountainous interior and along the west coast.
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How is Norwegian related to other Scandinavian languages?
Norwegian, a North Germanic language, shares close ties with other Scandinavian languages. It is considered part of the West Scandinavian group, along with Icelandic and Faroese. Modern standard Norwegian has two distinct forms: BokmÄl and Nynorsk.
Danish and Norwegian are mutually intelligible, especially in writing. Also, Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian languages are understood throughout Scandinavia. These languages evolved from Old Norse, exhibiting similarities in grammar and vocabulary. However, differences have emerged because of separate development and external influences.
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What is unique about the Norwegian writing system and pronunciation?
Norwegian stands out due to its two distinct written standards, BokmÄl and Nynorsk, a result of historical linguistic developments following Norway's union with Denmark.
In pronunciation, Norwegian, like Swedish and some Danish dialects, features a unique word tone where old monosyllables contrast in pitch with old polysyllables. The Norwegian alphabet also includes three letters beyond the Latin alphabet: ĂŠ, Ăž, and Ă„. Furthermore, local dialects are more widely used in Norway compared to other Scandinavian and European countries.
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Norwegian language, North Germanic language of the West Scandinavian branch, existing in two distinct and rival normsâBokmĂ„l (also called Dano-Norwegian, or RiksmĂ„l) and New Norwegian (Nynorsk).
Old Norwegian writing traditions gradually died out in the 15th century after the union of Norway with Denmark and the removal of the central government to Copenhagen. Dano-Norwegian stems from the written Danish introduced during the union of Denmark and Norway (1380â1814). When in 1814 Norway achieved independence, the linguistic union with Danish persisted, but educational problems due to the linguistic distance between Danish and spoken Norwegian and to sociopolitical considerations, as well as the ideology of ânational Romanticism,â stimulated a search for a national standard language. In 1853 a young self-taught linguist of rural stock, Ivar Aasen, constructed a language norm primarily from the dialects of the western and central rural districts. This standard continued the Old Norwegian tradition and was meant to eventually replace Danish. After long research and experimentation, he presented this New Norwegian norm (called LandsmĂ„l, but now officially Nynorsk) in a grammar, a dictionary, and numerous literary texts. New Norwegian was officially recognized as a second national language in 1885.
Today, all Norwegians learn to read and write New Norwegian, but only about 20 percent use it as their primary written language. It has been cultivated by many excellent authors and has a quality of poetic earthiness that appeals even to nonusers. Its norm has changed considerably since Aasenâs time in the direction of spoken East Norwegian or written Dano-Norwegian.
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In the 19th century, most Norwegian literature was written in a superficially Danish norm, but it was given Norwegian pronunciation and had many un-Danish words and constructions. The spoken norm was a compromise Dano-Norwegian that had grown up in the urban bourgeois environment. In the 1840s Knud Knudsen formulated a policy of gradual reform that would bring the written norm closer to that spoken norm and thereby create a distinctively Norwegian language without the radical disruption envisaged by the supporters of Aasenâs New Norwegian. This solution was supported by most of the new writers in the powerful literary movement of the late 19th century.
The official reforms of 1907, 1917, and 1938 broke with the Danish writing tradition and adopted native pronunciation and grammar as its normative base; the resultant language form was called RiksmĂ„l, later officially BokmĂ„l. An official effort aimed at amalgamating Dano-Norwegian and New Norwegian into one language (Samnorsk) was abandoned in 2002. In its current form Dano-Norwegian is the predominant language of Norwayâs population of more than 4.6 million, except in western Norway and among the Sami minority in the north. Dano-Norwegian is used in all national newspapers and in most of the literature. Both of these mutually intelligible languages are used in government and education. It might be added that local dialects are used much more widely in Norway than in the other Scandinavianâand other Europeanâcountries. Boundaries between dialect areas are gradual, but in Norway the divisions are usually given as East (Lowland, Midland), Trönder (around Trondheim), North, and West.
Like the other Scandinavian languages, Norwegian has lost the old case system and the person and number inflection in verbs, and it has a postposed definite article. New Norwegian has three genders, while Dano-Norwegian vacillates between the Danish two-gender system and the Norwegian three-gender system. Standard Norwegian and most dialects have distinctive word tones.