there are two Norwegian languages? Why, and which one is the main one?
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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.
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.
There’s only one Norwegian language, it just has two writing systems. To use a rather clunky analogy, think of Serbo-Croatian: it is a single spoken language, but can be written in either the Latin or Cyrillic alphabets. The two varieties of written Norwegian are similar except that they are written in the same alphabet, but with different spelling standards.
From the 16th to the 19th century Norway and Denmark were a single country, and during this time virtually all writing was done in Danish instead of Norwegian. People continued to speak Norwegian and the language continued to evolve, as all languages do, and of course at this time in history most people were illiterate anyway. By the time Norway became independent and its people wanted to write in their own language again, a new writing system had to be created. Ultimately the Norwegians couldn’t agree on one so the government declared two to be officially equal: Bokmål, which is more reflective of Danish spelling; and Nynorsk, which is closer to how Norwegian is spoken. For many years a long-term goal was to merge the two into a single writing standard called Samnorsk, but this has been abandoned. Today, all Norwegians are educated in both writing standards but Bokmål is much more common as the “primary” written language, and tends to be favored by large cities in the east and north while Nynorsk is more popular in the west.
Norwegian has two written standards, Bokmål and Nynorsk, which are both recognized as official languages in Norway.
Bokmål, meaning “book language”, is based on the Danish language and is the most widely used written language in Norway. It is used by around 85-90% of the population and is the standard language of business, government, and education in Norway.
Nynorsk, meaning “new Norwegian”, is a written standard based on Norwegian dialects and was created in the 19th century as a way to promote a distinct Norwegian identity separate from Danish influence. It is used by around 10-15% of the population and is more prevalent in rural areas and in western and central Norway.
Both Bokmål and Nynorsk are considered equal in status and are used in official documents, government publications, and in education. Norwegian speakers are generally able to understand both written standards, although there are some differences in vocabulary, grammar, and spelling.
Norwegian has two written standards, Bokmål and Nynorsk, which are both recognized as official languages in Norway.
Bokmål, meaning “book language”, is based on the Danish language and is the most widely used written language in Norway. It is used by around 85-90% of the population and is the standard language of business, government, and education in Norway.
Nynorsk, meaning “new Norwegian”, is a written standard based on Norwegian dialects and was created in the 19th century as a way to promote a distinct Norwegian identity separate from Danish influence. It is used by around 10-15% of the population and is more prevalent in rural areas and in western and central Norway.
Both Bokmål and Nynorsk are considered equal in status and are used in official documents, government publications, and in education. Norwegian speakers are generally able to understand both written standards, although there are some differences in vocabulary, grammar, and spelling.
There’s only one Norwegian language, it just has two writing systems. To use a rather clunky analogy, think of Serbo-Croatian: it is a single spoken language, but can be written in either the Latin or Cyrillic alphabets. The two varieties of written Norwegian are similar except that they are written in the same alphabet, but with different spelling standards.
From the 16th to the 19th century Norway and Denmark were a single country, and during this time virtually all writing was done in Danish instead of Norwegian. People continued to speak Norwegian and the language continued to evolve, as all languages do, and of course at this time in history most people were illiterate anyway. By the time Norway became independent and its people wanted to write in their own language again, a new writing system had to be created. Ultimately the Norwegians couldn’t agree on one so the government declared two to be officially equal: Bokmål, which is more reflective of Danish spelling; and Nynorsk, which is closer to how Norwegian is spoken. For many years a long-term goal was to merge the two into a single writing standard called Samnorsk, but this has been abandoned. Today, all Norwegians are educated in both writing standards but Bokmål is much more common as the “primary” written language, and tends to be favored by large cities in the east and north while Nynorsk is more popular in the west.
Norwegian has two written standards, Bokmål and Nynorsk, which are both recognized as official languages in Norway.
Bokmål, meaning “book language”, is based on the Danish language and is the most widely used written language in Norway. It is used by around 85-90% of the population and is the standard language of business, government, and education in Norway.
Nynorsk, meaning “new Norwegian”, is a written standard based on Norwegian dialects and was created in the 19th century as a way to promote a distinct Norwegian identity separate from Danish influence. It is used by around 10-15% of the population and is more prevalent in rural areas and in western and central Norway.
Both Bokmål and Nynorsk are considered equal in status and are used in official documents, government publications, and in education. Norwegian speakers are generally able to understand both written standards, although there are some differences in vocabulary, grammar, and spelling.
There’s only one Norwegian language, it just has two writing systems. To use a rather clunky analogy, think of Serbo-Croatian: it is a single spoken language, but can be written in either the Latin or Cyrillic alphabets. The two varieties of written Norwegian are similar except that they are written in the same alphabet, but with different spelling standards.
From the 16th to the 19th century Norway and Denmark were a single country, and during this time virtually all writing was done in Danish instead of Norwegian. People continued to speak Norwegian and the language continued to evolve, as all languages do, and of course at this time in history most people were illiterate anyway. By the time Norway became independent and its people wanted to write in their own language again, a new writing system had to be created. Ultimately the Norwegians couldn’t agree on one so the government declared two to be officially equal: Bokmål, which is more reflective of Danish spelling; and Nynorsk, which is closer to how Norwegian is spoken. For many years a long-term goal was to merge the two into a single writing standard called Samnorsk, but this has been abandoned. Today, all Norwegians are educated in both writing standards but Bokmål is much more common as the “primary” written language, and tends to be favored by large cities in the east and north while Nynorsk is more popular in the west.
While we have the two written versions, one challenge for people learning (apart from Norwegians easily conversing in English), is our spoken dialects. The easterners (the ones closest to speaking pure bokmål), have trouble understanding people from other places in Norway. And a lot of us write in our dialects as well, when speaking informally with people in writing. So if you have learned a bunch of bokmål, and then visit the west coast, you might struggle to understand what people are saying unless they speak bokmål back.
Examples can be how to say “I”. I, e, eg, jeg, æ, æi, from the top of my head. Or “how”, hvordan, kordan, kossn, åssn, etc.
Norwegian is a mess hehe. But I love our different dialects. It’s cool!
While we have the two written versions, one challenge for people learning (apart from Norwegians easily conversing in English), is our spoken dialects. The easterners (the ones closest to speaking pure bokmål), have trouble understanding people from other places in Norway. And a lot of us write in our dialects as well, when speaking informally with people in writing. So if you have learned a bunch of bokmål, and then visit the west coast, you might struggle to understand what people are saying unless they speak bokmål back.
Examples can be how to say “I”. I, e, eg, jeg, æ, æi, from the top of my head. Or “how”, hvordan, kordan, kossn, åssn, etc.
Norwegian is a mess hehe. But I love our different dialects. It’s cool!
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