Norway has a wide range of dialects that are related to each other. This is mainly due to the mountainous terrain which isolated different communities and led to each developing their own version of the same language. As you move around the country you will encounter many different languages in the different regions. Some differences are subtle but in some cases the languages are totally different. It may be a bit confusing at first, but if you manage to learn some Norwegian, you will be able to make out what is being said in most of the regional dialects after some time.

The main languages in Norway are Nynorsk, Bokmål and Sami. These are the official Norwegian languages and you will find literature written in each one of them. Bokmål has Danish relations and dates back to the period when Norway was under Danish rule. This period lasted hundreds of years and during this time, Danish was the official language in Norway. When Denmark left Norway, the language stayed and evolved into the present form.

Nynorsk on the other hand is a mixture of many regional dialects found in Norway. The official version was compiled in the mid 19^th Century by a Norwegian linguist called Ivar Aasen. He combined the dialects of the different regions to come up with a balance that could be understood by most people.

People who speak either one of these languages can understand what is being said in the other language without much trouble. Bokmål is the more popular of the two languages. It is widely used in the capital, Oslo, and the other urban areas. However, Nynorsk is not to be ignored. There are many publications and documents that will be written in Nynorsk.

The third language, Sami, is less widely used than the other two. It is the mother tongue of the Sami people in Norway. They make up about 0.005% of the population. It is however also equal to the other languages in terms of official status. Sami is mainly used in a region in the north of Norway called Finmark.

This should not alarm you. Most Norwegians can conduct a good conversation in English. English is taught in schools from a very early age. Other European languages like German and French are also widely spoken. With the large immigrant population in Norway, you most probably will be able to find some people from your country to introduce you to the languages. Whether you are just visiting for a holiday or staying in Norway for a long time to work or study, you will have little trouble communicating in this country.

Norwegian Language Links

Comments (1)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Klar Tale
written by Elusive Moose, February 15, 2010

Klar Tale is an excellent resource for anyone learning Norwegian. Check out their website here www.klartale.no
You'll find more info about Klar Tale here too http://www.elusivemoose.eu/2009/09/klartale/

• 
• +1
• 
•