there are two Norwegian languages? Why, and which one is the main one?

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there are two Norwegian languages? Why, and which one is the main one?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

If you are referring to the two [official languages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Norway) of Norway, Norwegian and Sámi, well, then it’s worth mentioning that the [Sámi language(s)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A1mi_languages) is/are spoken not just in Norway, but also in Sweden, Finland, and Russia, among the Sámi people.

However! If you’re talking instead about the [Norwegian language conflict](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_language_conflict): it is essentially not a dispute about language, but spelling, with the two systems being Nynorsk and Bokmål. As per that source:

>Nynorsk and Bokmål provide standards for how to write Norwegian, but not for how to speak the language. No standard of spoken Norwegian is officially sanctioned, and most Norwegians speak their own dialects in all circumstances.

Essentially, to summarize it: Bokmål is the written standard that evolved under the historical influence of Danish, especially in the cities of Norway, back when the two were under the same monarchy; Nynorsk is the written standard that evolved from the work of Ivar Aasen, to try and create a spelling that more-closely matched the spoken Norwegian of the time.

More Norwegians use Bokmål than Nynorsk.

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