Nynorsk

Nynorsk (lit. "New Norwegian") is one of the two official written standards of the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. Just above 10% of the Norwegian population use Nynorsk as their primary written language.Språkstatistikk – nokre nøkkeltal for norsk. Retrieved on 2007-09-12.

Nynorsk is based on Norwegian dialects and was created by Ivar Aasen during the 1800s to provide a Norwegian alternative to the Danish language (upon which Bokmål is based) which was commonly written in Norway at the time.

Writing and speech

Spoken Norwegian, Swedish and Danish form a continuum of mutually intelligible dialects and sociolects, linguistically speaking, forming a common continental Scandinavian language. Nynorsk is the smallest of the four major written standards within this broad speech community alongside Norwegian Bokmål, Swedish and Danish.

There is no codified standard for spoken Nynorsk, but it is used in broadcasting, on stage, and by a few individuals. This in contrast to Bokmål, which has a larger spoken basis in Standard Østnorsk. However, most Norwegians do not speak Standard Østnorsk, but other Norwegian dialects. Nynorsk supporters widely regard these dialects as the spoken basis for Nynorsk, even if the majority of dialect speakers use Bokmål in writing. As such, Nynorsk is not a minority language, though it shares many of the problems that minority languages face.

Each municipality can declare one of the two languages as its official language, or it can remain "language neutral". 27% of the municipalities making up 12% of the population have declared Nynorsk as their official language. The main language used in primary schools normally follows the official language of its municipality, and is decided by referendum within the local school district. There is a general trend over the years that the number of schools and pupils selecting Nynorsk decreases, even in Nynorsk municipalities. As of 2006, fewer than 14% of pupils in primary school are taught in Nynorsk.

The prevailing regions for Nynorsk are the western counties of Rogaland, Hordaland, Sogn og Fjordane and Møre og Romsdal, in addition to the western/northern parts of Oppland, Buskerud, Telemark, Aust- and Vest-Agder, where an estimated 50% of the population writes Nynorsk. The usage in the rest of Norway is scarce (< 1%), which also includes the major cities and urban areas - even in the above stated areas.

Controversy

By law, Norwegian pupils in primary school can choose freely whether to use Nynorsk or Bokmål as their main writing language starting at 8th grade.Lov om grunnskolen og den vidaregåande opplæringa (Opplæringslova). The student would still receive mandatory education and exams in the other. During the years 1940 to 1991, the percentage choosing Nynorsk declined nearly every year, starting at 31.5% and ending at 17.0%.Use of the official Norwegian languages "bokmål" and "nynorsk". Retrieved on 2008-01-29. In recent years, usage has dropped further and was at 14% in 2004.This is Norway. Retrieved on 2008-01-29. This has led many to call for the repeal of the laws that mandate the use of a secondary Norwegian language, characterizing it as a waste of resources.Høyre vil gjøre sidemålet valgfritt. Retrieved on 2008-01-29.Intoleransen mot nynorsk. Retrieved on 2008-01-29.Farvel, nynorsk!. Retrieved on 2008-01-29.

Much of the decline can be linked to demographic changes, social pressure to conform and little exposure to the language. Few international bestsellers are translated to nynorsk, and the national tabloids don\'t allow their journalists to use the language.Kjendisopprop for nynorsk i VG. Retrieved on 2008-02-02. No major cinema or dvd release has been subtitled or dubbed in nynorsk. The population grows faster in urban, bokmål-dominated areas, and immigrants are primarily taught bokmål, even in nynorsk-dominated areas.

Some of the agitators against nynorsk have been quite outspoken about their views. For instance, during the 2005 election, the Norwegian Young Conservatives made an advert that included a scene where a copy of the nynorsk dictionary was burned. After strong reactions to this book burning, they chose not to show it.[Immigrants are primarily trained in bokmål Brenner nynorsk-bok i tønne]. Retrieved on 2008-02-02. Others claim that nynorsk is unintelligible, despite that most Scandinavians use their own language when communicating with people from other Scandinavian nations.

See also

• Bokmål
• Norwegian language struggle

References

External links

• Noregs Mållag Noregs Mållag is the major organization promoting Nynorsk.

• Norsk Målungdom Norsk Målungdom is Noregs Mållag\'s youth organization.

• Ivar Aasen-tunet The Ivar Aasen Centre is a national centre for documenting and experiencing the Nynorsk written culture, and the only museum in the country devoted to Ivar Aasen\'s life and work.
• Norsk programvareblogg computer programmes in Nynorsk.

Nynorsk edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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