|
|
|
|
|
|
Resources |
|
|
|
New Old Words: The Struggle for Norway's Nynorsk Language
| Article
# : |
20824 |
|
|
Section : |
CULTURE
|
| Issue
Date : |
11 / 2000 |
2,432 Words |
| Author
: |
Eirik Helleve
Eirik Helleve is an assistant curator at the Ivar Aasen Center
for Culture and Language in Norway. |
The two are closely related--if you know one, you're able to read the other--and equal, according to the law. In reality, this latter point is often neglected. Official forms should be available in both languages, but it can be difficult to find some documents in Nynorsk. Nynorsk users feel they are being treated disrespectfully.
With a largely homogeneous population of 4.5 million, Norway is hardly a multicultural society. Thus, it may be hard to make sense of this dispute. Even more puzzling is the fact that Norwegians have been wrangling over language for the past 150 years.
Several organizations identify with the politics of Norwegian language. The two biggest are Noregs M†llag and Riksm†lsforbundet. Formed in 1906, Noregs M†llag supports Nynorsk and has around 11,000 members. Riksm†lsforbundet was formed the following year. Although this organization has only half as many members, it offers the counterargument that Bokm†l speakers are being treated unreasonably. "There is a huge majority of Bokm†l users in Norway," says Tor Guttu, the group's vice chairman. "We have no need for these regulations saying that everything has to be available in both languages."
Guttu accepts the fact that Norway has two official languages, as does Oddmund L¿kensgard Hoel, leader of Noregs M†llag. But Hoel stresses that things are wrong: "Our aim is not that Bokm†l should disappear. All we ask is that the two languages get equal treatment."
Birth of Nynorsk
The roots of this
... (1997 of 15529 Characters)
Read Full Article
|
|
