Bokmål and Nynorsk

Basically, it is important to distinguish between written and spoken Norwegian. It is widely accepted that everyone speaks their local dialect (even on the television). There is no “standard” like the British “RP” or German “Hochdeutsch”. Dialects may differ greatly, even though many villages are located just a few kilometers apart.

In writing however, there are standards; in fact there are two official forms of written Norwegian. This is mainly due to historical reasons, dating back to the time when Norway was in a Union with Denmark, 1380 – 1814. Over time, Danish became the standard written language among the Norwegian literate class, and the urban elite quickly picked up Danish as a more “high class” spoken language as well.

When the Union with Denmark came to an end, and Norway was drafting their constitution, the development of an independent Norwegian language became essential. There were several options. One possibility was to keep the “Danish-Norwegian” written language, another option was to simple “Norwegianize” it a little to please the nationalist movement. The last option consisted in construction an “entirely new” Norwegian language, based on the rural dialects which were more or less untouched by the Danish influence.

The two main characters playing a part in this development were Ivar Aasen and Knud Knudsen. Knud Knudsen planned to use the Norwegian-Danish variety which was spoken in the cities and simply substitute some of the typical Danish words into typical Norwegian ones. Ivar Aasen, a rural man, favored the option of creating a whole new language, based on rural dialects.

Knud Knudsens Danish-Norwegian language became known as “Rigsmål” (meaning “state language”), later (in 1929) changing its name to “Bokmål” (literally “book language”, reflecting the fact that it’s based on the language of the educated urban upper class).

Ivar Aasen named his written language “Landsmål” (meaning “national language” – or “rural language”). This variety was later (1929) changed into “Nynorsk” (“new Norwegian”).

There are no great differences between the two written varieties. “Bokmål” and “Nynorsk” differ a little bit in terms of grammar and vocabulary, but most of the time they are fully mutually intelligible. Over time, a number of reforms have tried to bring the language varieties closer together, with the aim of finally merge them into one written language. In 2002, the plan to merge “Bokmål” and “Nynorsk” into “Samnorsk” (“common Norwegian”) was finally abandoned.

Today, both varieties are taught in Norwegian schools and official documents and correspondence is available in both “Bokmål” and “Nynorsk”. The majority (about 90%) are using “Bokmål” as their “main written language”, only 10% write “Nynorsk” in everyday life. Broadly speaking, “Bokmål” is strongest in the cities, while “Nynorsk” is used in rural areas, especially in Western Norway. Funnily enough, most dialects spoken by the people are closer related to “Nynorsk” than to “Bokmål”…