Norwegian

Norwegian is a Germanic Language that originated as Old Norse after the 11th century. Modern Norwegian has two forms: Bokmål and Nynorsk. Both are written using the Roman alphabet.

Bokmål (aka Riksmål "book language") is based on the tongue developed when Norway and Finland were united as a single kingdom (1380-1840). This unity prevented the development of truly Norwegian literature. Nyornsk ("new Norwegian", aka Landsmål) was developed in the 19th century by Ivar Aasen who wanted the language to be more like Old Norse than the Finnish-influenced Bokmål.

See Also

• Middle Norwegian alternate titles

Reference

• David Crystal, An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Language and Languages, ISBN 0-14-051234-9