Nynorsk

Nynorsk, also known as New Norwegian, is one of the two official written standards of the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. It is used in education, government, media, and everyday writing in various parts of Norway, and has a stronger presence in rural and western regions.

Nynorsk was created in the 19th century by the philologist Ivar Aasen. He collected and studied rural Norwegian dialects to develop a written standard that reflected Norwegian speech and distance from Danish influence, which had dominated Norwegian writing during the union with Denmark. The project aimed to provide a national written form based on native dialects rather than urban or Danish models.

Originally named Landsmål, the language reform was instrumental in shaping a distinct Norwegian orthography and grammar. In 1929, Landsmål was renamed Nynorsk, and it has since been one of Norway’s official written standards alongside Bokmål.

In contemporary Norway, both Nynorsk and Bokmål have official status. Local municipalities and counties may prefer one standard for administration and education, and schools can offer instruction in either standard. The Norwegian Language Council, Språkrådet, oversees both standards, promoting their use and development, and providing guidance on spelling, grammar, and terminology.

Linguistically, Nynorsk preserves many features drawn from rural dialects, including certain inflectional endings and vocabulary choices that differ from Bokmål. It remains a symbol of regional identity for some communities while serving as a practical written standard for the nation as a whole.