Norwegian: the language of change

Are you interested in studying the origin of languages? Would you like to be able to watch the development of a language in real time? If that is the case then you are in luck. Due to a unique convergence of history and geography the Norwegian language is actually evolving so fast that even a casual language learner is able to see the development of the language within his/her own lifetime.
Due to a failed union between the Scandinavian countries in the middle ages and complications caused by the Bubonic Plague (Svartedauen) virtually killing off all the nobility, Norway was ruled by Denmark for over 500 years. During this time all writing in Norway had to be done in Danish. However the common people continued to speak their local language. Since there was no written language to keep the language from developing differently in different parts of the country, and due to Norway's unique geography with rocky craggy mountains and long narrow fjords, the isolated communities throughout Norway did develop many different and unique dialects. In fact, there are some dialects of Norwegian which are completely unintelligeable to each other.
Once Norway achieved a hope for independence in 1814, linguists and folklorists sought to preserve and codify the language and folklore of Norway in order to develop a uniquely Norwegian language and culture. Even though Norway immediately fell under Swedish rule until achieving independence in 1905, artists and musicians followed suit causing a great surge of interest in all things cultural in Norway which is still very much a part of modern Norwegian life. For example Norwegian Black Metal music harks back to a viking past to become a uniquely Norwegian art form. Other forms of music in Norway today also harken back to Norwegian culture. Pop music often includes musical forms unheard of in other countries, such as the use of the Hardanger fiddles in some of Norway's recent contributions to the Eurovision Song Contest.
Now with the influx of immigrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East, plus with the thousands of dialects within Norway, the Norwegian language continues to develop at a rapid rate. New words and pronunciations are added to the language on a regular basis. For example just last year the Norwegian Språksråd (language council) added several reforms including making the use the feminine gender of nouns completely optional. Certain sounds, such as the soft K which are unique to Norwegian are vanishing from the language. The letter R has taken on three different pronunciations over the last 20 years based on region.
During the late 19th Century linguists tried to create a Norwegian language to unify all of the Norwegian dialects. This resulted in the creation of two distinct languages, Riksmål, which was a Norwegianization of the Danish written form, and Landsmål, which was an attempt at creating a written language which was uniquely Norwegian and as far away from Danish as possible. The goal was that these forms would replace the thousands of dialects and eventually meld together to become Samnnorsk, or a unified Norwegian language. Over the years Riksmål was reformed and further Norwegianized to become modern Bokmål and Landsmål developed into modern Nynorsk. Neither language has become a spoken language as the people in their pride for their country have retained their own dialects. Differences between the dialects are often exagerated in an attempt to retain the uniqueness of local cultures. However with people moving about the country, the dialects are getting mixed up and it is almost to the point that there are as many dialects as there are speakers of the language(s).
However this unique history has also given Norwegians an advantage in Scandinavia. While most Swedes and Danes cannot communicate with each other in their own languages, Norwegians can understand and be understood to both Danes and Swedes simply by speaking Norwegian to them. If one were to learn only one Scandinavian language Norwegian is the logical choice, giving the learner access to not only Norwegian in all of its varieties, but also to Danish and Swedish and even Færoese.
Come and learn about a vibrant and every changing language through our Norwegian class at Language Door. While we concentrate on Bokmål in class, we often study the other forms of Norwegian as well using grammar, literature, and even music to give language learners a full taste of how intersting learning a language can be. Come check it out!!!

(article written by Mark Nielsen, Norwegian instructor at Language Door Encino and Language Door Los Angeles)