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==Background==
==Background==
He was born in 1813 as Iver Andreas Aasen at Åsen in the parish of Ørsten (now [[Ørsta Municipality]]), in the district of [[Sunnmøre]], on the west coast of [[Norway]]. His father, a peasant with a small farm, Ivar Jonsson, died in 1826. The younger Ivar was brought up to farmwork, but he assiduously cultivated all his leisure in reading.<ref name=Gosse4 /> An early interest of his was [[botany]].<ref name=nie>{{harvnb|Gilman|Peck|Colby|1905|p=4}}</ref> When he was eighteen, he opened an elementary school in his native parish. In 1833 he entered the household of [[Hans Conrad Thoresen]], the husband of the eminent writer [[Magdalene Thoresen]], in the parish of Herø (now [[Herøy Municipality (Møre og Romsdal)|Herøy Municipality]]), where he picked up the elements of [[Latin language|Latin]]. Aasen gradually mastered several languages, and began the scientific study of their structure.<ref name=Gosse4>{{harvnb|Gosse|1911|p=4}}</ref> Ivar single-handedly created a new language for Norway to become the "literary" language.<ref name=Colliers>{{harvnb|Haugen|1997|p=4}}</ref>
Iver Andreas Aasen was born in 1813 in Åsen (at the time also spelled Aasen), in the parish of Ørsten (now [[Ørsta Municipality]]), in the district of [[Sunnmøre]], on the west coast of [[Norway]]. His father, Ivar Jonsson, a small-scale farmer, died in 1826. Iver was brought up doing farmwork, but spent all his leisure time reading.<ref name=Gosse4 /> An early interest of his was [[botany]].<ref name=nie>{{harvnb|Gilman|Peck|Colby|1905|p=4}}</ref> When he was eighteen, he opened an elementary school in his native parish. In 1833, he entered the household of [[Hans Conrad Thoresen]], the husband of the eminent writer [[Magdalene Thoresen]], in the parish of Herø (now [[Herøy Municipality (Møre og Romsdal)|Herøy Municipality]]), where he picked up the elements of [[Latin language|Latin]]. Aasen gradually mastered several languages and began the scientific study of their structure.<ref name=Gosse4>{{harvnb|Gosse|1911|p=4}}</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
When Aasen travelled to [[Bergen]] in 1841, he met bishop [[Jacob Neumann]], who was very impressed with his work, and had excerpts of it published in ''[[Bergens Stiftstidende]]'' ("Bergen Diocese Newspaper"). His contacts with Bishop Neumann became Aasen's entrance ticket to the [[Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters]] in [[Trondheim]], and generous financial support (an annual grant of 120-200 [[speciedaler]]), which made the extensive travel possible to study the Norwegian vernacular. It is said to have been the rector of Trondheim, Fredrik M. Bugge, who came across Neumann's articles while travelling in Bergen and persuaded the scientific society to grant the funding to Aasen.<ref name="Elster">{{Cite book|title=Illustreret norsk litteraturhistorie. 2 : Fra Wergelandstiden til vore dage|last=Elster|first=Kristian|publisher=Gyldendal|year=1924|isbn=|location=Kristiania}}</ref>
When Aasen travelled to [[Bergen]] in 1841, he met Bishop [[Jacob Neumann]], who was very impressed with his work and had excerpts of it published in ''[[Bergens Stiftstidende]]'' ("Bergen Diocese Newspaper"). His contacts with Bishop Neumann became Aasen's entrance ticket to the [[Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters]] in [[Trondheim]], who gave him generous financial support{{Clarify|reason=Remove this wording and add a more specific reference point for how generous their aid was|date=April 2026}} (an annual grant of 120-200 [[speciedaler]]) which made it possible for him to travel extensively and study the Norwegian vernacular. It is said{{By whom|date=April 2026}} to have been the rector of Trondheim, Fredrik M. Bugge, who came across Neumann's articles while travelling in Bergen and persuaded the scientific society to grant the funding to Aasen.<ref name="Elster">{{Cite book|title=Illustreret norsk litteraturhistorie. 2 : Fra Wergelandstiden til vore dage|last=Elster|first=Kristian|publisher=Gyldendal|year=1924|isbn=|location=Kristiania}}</ref> In 1842, Aasen began receiving a stipend enabling him to give his entire attention to his philological investigations;<ref name="Gosse5" /> by 1846, he had ceased farm work entirely.<ref name="Gosse4" />{{Failed verification|date=April 2026}}
[[File:Uthuslien Aasen 1891.jpg|thumb|Ivar Aasen (1891)]]
[[File:Uthuslien Aasen 1891.jpg|thumb|Ivar Aasen (1891)]]
Therefore, quite early in his career, in 1842, Aasen had begun to receive a grant to enable him to give his entire attention to his philological investigations;<ref name=Gosse5/> he had ceased doing any farmwork by 1846.<ref name=Gosse4 /> Aasen's first monograph in 1843 was a small collection of [[folk song]]s in the dialect of his native district, Sunnmøre, which attracted general attention.<ref name=Gosse4 /> His ''Grammar of the Norwegian Dialects'' ({{langx|da|Det Norske Folkesprogs Grammatik}}, 1848) was the result of long studies, and of journeys taken to every part of the country. Aasen's well-known ''Dictionary of the Norwegian Dialects'' ({{langx|da|Ordbog over det Norske Folkesprog}}) appeared in its original form in 1850, which became the basis of his construction of a popular language or definite ''folke-maal'' ({{lit|people's language}}) for Norway.<ref name=Gosse4 />
Aasen's first monograph, a small collection of [[folk song]]s in the dialect of his native Sunnmøre, was published in 1843 and attracted general attention.<ref name=Gosse4 />{{Vague|date=April 2026}} After travelling across every part of the country, Aasen published his ''Grammar of the Norwegian Dialects'' ({{langx|da|Det Norske Folkesprogs Grammatik}}) in 1848. Aasen's well-known ''Dictionary of the Norwegian Dialects'' ({{langx|da|Ordbog over det Norske Folkesprog}}) appeared in its original form in 1850 and became the basis of his construction of a popular language or definite ''folke-maal'' ({{lit|people's language}}) for Norway.<ref name=Gosse4 />


By 1853, he had created the norm for utilizing his new language, which he called [[Nynorsk|Landsmaal]], meaning "country language".<ref name=Colliers /> With certain modifications, the most important of which were introduced later by Aasen himself,<ref name=Gosse4 /> but also through a latter [[Norwegian language struggle|policy]] aiming to merge this Norwegian language with Dano-Norwegian, this language has become ''[[Nynorsk]]'' ({{lit|New Norwegian}}) (see [[#Nynorsk|Legacy § Nynorsk]]).
By 1853, he had created the norm for utilizing his new language, which he called Landsmål, meaning "country language".<ref name="Colliers">{{harvnb|Haugen|1997|p=4}}</ref> With certain modifications, the most important of which were introduced later by Aasen himself,<ref name=Gosse4 /> and through a policy that aimed to merge this language with [[Dano-Norwegian]], Landsmål eventually became [[Nynorsk]] ({{lit|New/Modern Norwegian}}).{{Citation needed|date=April 2026}}


Aasen composed poems and plays in the composite dialect to show [[Linguistic prescription|how it should be used]]. One of these dramas, ''The Heir'' (1855), was frequently acted, and may be considered as the pioneer of dialectal literature of the second half of the 19th century, from [[Aasmund Olavsson Vinje|Vinje]] to [[Arne Garborg|Garborg]].<ref name=Gosse5/> In 1856, he published ''Norske Ordsprog'', a treatise on Norwegian proverbs. Aasen continuously enlarged and improved his grammars and his dictionary. He lived very quietly in lodgings in [[Oslo]] (then Christiania), surrounded by his books and shrinking from publicity, but his name grew into wide political favour as his ideas about the language of the peasants became more and more the watch-word of the popular party.<ref name=Gosse5>{{harvnb|Gosse|1911|p=5}}</ref> In 1864, he published his definitive grammar of Nynorsk and in 1873 he published the definitive dictionary.<ref name=EB>{{harvnb|Hoiberg|2010|pp=5–6}}</ref>
Aasen composed poems and plays in Landsmål to show [[Linguistic prescription|how it should be used]]. One of these dramas, ''The Heir'' (1855), was frequently performed, and may be considered{{Weasel inline|date=April 2026}} as the pioneer of dialectal literature of the second half of the 19th century, inspiring writers from [[Aasmund Olavsson Vinje|Aasmund Vinje]] to [[Arne Garborg]].<ref name=Gosse5/> In 1856, he published ''Norske Ordsprog'', a treatise on Norwegian proverbs. Aasen continuously enlarged and improved his grammars and dictionary. He lived quietly in lodgings in [[Oslo]] (then Christiania), surrounded by his books and avoiding publicity, but his name came into political favour as his ideas about the language of the peasants became more and more the watchword of the popular party.<ref name=Gosse5>{{harvnb|Gosse|1911|p=5}}</ref>{{Clarify|date=April 2026}} In 1864 Aasen published his definitive grammar of Nynorsk, and in 1873 he published the final version{{Verify source|date=April 2026}} of his ''Dictionary''.<ref name=EB>{{harvnb|Hoiberg|2010|pp=5–6}}</ref>


The [[Storting]] (the Norwegian [[parliament]]), conscious of the national importance of his work, treated Aasen in this respect with more and more financial generosity as he advanced in years.<ref name=Gosse5/> He continued his investigations to the last, but it may be said that, after the 1873 edition of his ''Dictionary'' (with a new title:<ref name=nie/> {{langx|da|Norsk Ordbog}}), he added but little to his stores.<ref name=Gosse5/>
The [[Storting]] (the Norwegian [[parliament]]), conscious of the national importance of his work, increased its financial support to Aasen as he advanced in years.<ref name=Gosse5/>{{Clarify|date=April 2026}} He continued his investigations until his death, but wrote little after the 1873 edition of his ''Dictionary'' (with a new title:<ref name=nie/>{{Verify source|date=April 2026}} {{langx|da|Norsk Ordbog|4=Norwegian Dictionary}}).<ref name=Gosse5/>


He died in Christiania on 23 September 1896, and was buried with public honours.<ref name="Gosse5" /><ref>{{harvnb|Grepstad|2013}}</ref>
He died in Christiania on 23 September 1896, and was buried with public honours.<ref name="Gosse5" /><ref>{{harvnb|Grepstad|2013}}</ref>
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=== Nynorsk ===
=== Nynorsk ===
{{See also|Norwegian language conflict}}
{{See also|Norwegian language conflict}}
The language constructed by Aasen as ''Landsmaal'' would later become known as [[Nynorsk]] ({{lit|New Norwegian}}), and emerge as the second of Norway's two official languages (the other being ''[[Bokmål]]'', the Dano-Norwegian descendant of the [[Danish language]] used in Norway in Aasen's time). An unofficial variety of Norwegian closer to Aasen's language is still found in [[Høgnorsk]] ({{lit|High Norwegian}}). As of the early 2000s, some scholars considered Nynorsk on equal footing with Bokmål, as Bokmål tended to be used more in radio and television and most newspapers, whereas Nynorsk was used equally in government work,<ref name=kat>{{harvnb|Katzner|2002|p=78}}</ref> as well as approximately 17% of schools.<ref name=Hau1>{{harvnb|Haugen|2009|p=126}}</ref> Although it was not as common as its brother language, some scholars argued it needed to be looked upon as a viable language, as a large minority of Norwegians used it as their primary language, including many scholars and authors.<ref name=Hau1 /> Nynorsk is both a written and spoken language.<ref name=hau>{{harvnb|Haugen|2009|p=125}}</ref>
The language standardised by Aasen, Landsmål, was later renamed to [[Nynorsk]] ({{lit|New/Modern Norwegian}}), emerging as the second of Norway's two official languages (the other being [[Bokmål]], the Dano-Norwegian descendant of the [[Danish language]] used in Norway in Aasen's time). An unofficial variety of Norwegian closer to Aasen's language is still found in [[Høgnorsk]] ({{lit|High Norwegian}}). As of the early 2000s, some scholars{{Who|date=April 2026}} considered Nynorsk on equal footing with Bokmål, as Bokmål tended to be used more in radio and television and most newspapers, whereas Nynorsk was used equally in government work,<ref name=kat>{{harvnb|Katzner|2002|p=78}}</ref> as well as approximately 17% of schools.<ref name=Hau1>{{harvnb|Haugen|2009|p=126}}</ref> Although it was not as common as its brother language, some scholars{{Who|date=April 2026}} argued it needed to be looked upon as a viable language, as a large minority of Norwegians used it as their primary language, including many scholars and authors.<ref name=Hau1 />{{Clarify|reason=What does "look[ing] upon [it] as a viable language" mean?|date=April 2026}} Nynorsk is both a written and spoken language.<ref name=hau>{{harvnb|Haugen|2009|p=125}}</ref>


=== The Ivar Aasen Centre ===
=== The Ivar Aasen Centre ===
[[Ivar Aasen-tunet]], an institution devoted to the Nynorsk language, opened in June 2000. The building in [[Ørsta (village)|Ørsta]] was designed by Norwegian architect [[Sverre Fehn]]. Their web page includes most of Aasens' texts, numerous other examples of Nynorsk literature (in Nettbiblioteket, the Internet Library), and some articles, including some in English, about language history in Norway.
{{Interlanguage link|Ivar Aasen-tunet|no}}, an institution devoted to the Nynorsk language, opened in June 2000. The building in [[Ørsta (village)|Ørsta]] was designed by Norwegian architect [[Sverre Fehn]]. Their web page includes most of Aasen's texts, numerous{{Vague|date=April 2026}} other examples of Nynorsk literature (in Nettbiblioteket, the Internet Library), and some articles, including some in English, about language history in Norway.{{Citation needed|date=April 2026}}


=== 2013 Language year ===
=== The Language Year 2013 ===
{{main|Språkåret 2013}}
{{main|Språkåret 2013}}
''[[Språkåret 2013]]'' (The Language Year 2013) celebrated Ivar Aasen's 200 year anniversary,<ref>{{harvnb|Berglund|2013}}</ref> as well as the 100 year anniversary of [[Det Norske Teateret]]. The year's main focus was to celebrate linguistic diversity in Norway.<ref>{{harvnb|Anon|2013}}</ref> In a poll released in connection with the celebration, 56% of Norwegians said they held positive views of Aasen, while 7% held negative views.<ref>{{harvnb|Anon|2013a}}</ref> On Aasen's 200 anniversary, 5 August 2013, ''[[Bergens Tidende]]'', which is normally published mainly in Bokmål, published an edition fully in Nynorsk in memory of Aasen.<ref>{{harvnb|Steiro|2013}}</ref>
 
''[[Språkåret 2013]]'' (The Language Year 2013) celebrated Ivar Aasen's 200-year anniversary,<ref>{{harvnb|Berglund|2013}}</ref> as well as the 100-year anniversary of [[Det Norske Teateret]]. The year's main focus was to celebrate linguistic diversity in Norway.<ref>{{harvnb|Anon|2013}}</ref> In a poll released in connection with the celebration, 56% of Norwegians said they held positive views of Aasen, while 7% held negative views.<ref>{{harvnb|Anon|2013a}}</ref> On 5 August 2013, ''[[Bergens Tidende]]'', which is normally published mainly in Bokmål, published an edition fully in Nynorsk in memory of Aasen.<ref>{{harvnb|Steiro|2013}}</ref>
 
=== Nynorsk Day and Nynorsk Week ===
Nynorskdagen (Nynorsk Day) falls on the 12 of May. It commemorates the day of {{Interlanguage link|Jamstillingsvedtaket|nn}}, the law making Landsmål/Nynorsk an official language of Norway alongside Danish (later Bokmål). [[Noregs Mållag]], the main organisation for Nynorsk, encouraged people and organisations that do not usually use the language to write Nynorsk on this day. Several companies, notably [[Vipps]] and [[Ruter]], released Nynorsk language support for their mobile apps on the 12th of May. In 2025, Noregs Mållag announced Nynorsk Day has been expanded into a Nynorsk Week from the 6 to the 12 of May.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nynorskdagen |url=https://www.nm.no/lokallaga/nynorskdagen/ |access-date=2025-12-08 |website=Noregs Mållag |language=nn-NO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-12 |title=Noregs Mållag har markert Nynorskdagen i ei veke |url=https://framtidajunior.no/2025/05/12/noregs-mallag-har-markert-nynorskdagen-i-ei-veke/ |access-date=2025-12-08 |website=Framtidajunior.no |language=nn}}</ref>


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
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* {{cite web | last = Steiro | first = Gard | author-link = Gard Steiro | date = 5 September 2013 | url = http://www.bt.no/meninger/kommentar/Lenge-leve-spynorsken-2941734.html#.Uf9irG3N6ro | title = Lenge leve spynorsken. Gratulerer med dagen, Ivar Aasen. Her får du heile avisa vår i gåve. | trans-title = Long live Spynorsk. Happy Birthday, Ivar Aasen. Here's our entire newspaper in gift. | website = [[Bergens Tidende]] | access-date = 22 November 2013 | language = no | archive-date = 4 March 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051049/http://www.bt.no/meninger/kommentar/Lenge-leve-spynorsken-2941734.html#.Uf9irG3N6ro | url-status = dead }}
* {{cite web | last = Steiro | first = Gard | author-link = Gard Steiro | date = 5 September 2013 | url = http://www.bt.no/meninger/kommentar/Lenge-leve-spynorsken-2941734.html#.Uf9irG3N6ro | title = Lenge leve spynorsken. Gratulerer med dagen, Ivar Aasen. Her får du heile avisa vår i gåve. | trans-title = Long live Spynorsk. Happy Birthday, Ivar Aasen. Here's our entire newspaper in gift. | website = [[Bergens Tidende]] | access-date = 22 November 2013 | language = no | archive-date = 4 March 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051049/http://www.bt.no/meninger/kommentar/Lenge-leve-spynorsken-2941734.html#.Uf9irG3N6ro | url-status = dead }}
* {{EB1911 |last=Gosse |first=Edmund |author-link=Edmund Gosse |wstitle=Aasen, Ivar | volume=1 | pages=4–5}}
* {{EB1911 |last=Gosse |first=Edmund |author-link=Edmund Gosse |wstitle=Aasen, Ivar | volume=1 | pages=4–5}}
* Norwegian journal talks about the removal of Nynorsk https://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/sid/i/8mo5GW/du-kan-ikke-velge-bort-nynorsk-bare-fordi-det-er-vanskelig-ingrid-b


==External links==
==External links==
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[[Category:Norwegian philologists]]
[[Category:Norwegian philologists]]
[[Category:Norwegian lexicographers]]
[[Category:Norwegian lexicographers]]
[[Category:Norwegian language]]
[[Category:Norwegian-language writers]]
[[Category:Linguists from Norway]]
[[Category:Linguists from Norway]]
[[Category:People from Ørsta]]
[[Category:People from Ørsta Municipality]]
[[Category:Translators of the Bible into Norwegian]]
[[Category:Translators of the Bible into Norwegian]]
[[Category:19th-century Norwegian translators]]
[[Category:19th-century Norwegian translators]]
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[[Category:Language reformers]]
[[Category:Language reformers]]
[[Category:19th-century lexicographers]]
[[Category:19th-century lexicographers]]
[[Category:19th-century biblical scholars]]
[[Category:19th-century philologists]]

Latest revision as of 22:17, 21 May 2026

TemplateStyles' src attribute must not be empty.

Template:Infobox writer Ivar Andreas Aasen (no; 5 August 1813[1] – 23 September 1896) was a Norwegian philologist, lexicographer, playwright, and poet.[2] He is best known for having assembled one of the two official written versions of the Norwegian language, Nynorsk, from various dialects.[3]

Background

Iver Andreas Aasen was born in 1813 in Åsen (at the time also spelled Aasen), in the parish of Ørsten (now Ørsta Municipality), in the district of Sunnmøre, on the west coast of Norway. His father, Ivar Jonsson, a small-scale farmer, died in 1826. Iver was brought up doing farmwork, but spent all his leisure time reading.[4] An early interest of his was botany.[5] When he was eighteen, he opened an elementary school in his native parish. In 1833, he entered the household of Hans Conrad Thoresen, the husband of the eminent writer Magdalene Thoresen, in the parish of Herø (now Herøy Municipality), where he picked up the elements of Latin. Aasen gradually mastered several languages and began the scientific study of their structure.[4]

Career

When Aasen travelled to Bergen in 1841, he met Bishop Jacob Neumann, who was very impressed with his work and had excerpts of it published in Bergens Stiftstidende ("Bergen Diocese Newspaper"). His contacts with Bishop Neumann became Aasen's entrance ticket to the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters in Trondheim, who gave him generous financial support[clarification needed] (an annual grant of 120-200 speciedaler) which made it possible for him to travel extensively and study the Norwegian vernacular. It is said[by whom?] to have been the rector of Trondheim, Fredrik M. Bugge, who came across Neumann's articles while travelling in Bergen and persuaded the scientific society to grant the funding to Aasen.[6] In 1842, Aasen began receiving a stipend enabling him to give his entire attention to his philological investigations;[7] by 1846, he had ceased farm work entirely.[4][failed verification]

File:Uthuslien Aasen 1891.jpg
Ivar Aasen (1891)

Aasen's first monograph, a small collection of folk songs in the dialect of his native Sunnmøre, was published in 1843 and attracted general attention.[4][vague] After travelling across every part of the country, Aasen published his Grammar of the Norwegian Dialects (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) in 1848. Aasen's well-known Dictionary of the Norwegian Dialects (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) appeared in its original form in 1850 and became the basis of his construction of a popular language or definite folke-maal (Template:Lit) for Norway.[4]

By 1853, he had created the norm for utilizing his new language, which he called Landsmål, meaning "country language".[8] With certain modifications, the most important of which were introduced later by Aasen himself,[4] and through a policy that aimed to merge this language with Dano-Norwegian, Landsmål eventually became Nynorsk (Template:Lit).[citation needed]

Aasen composed poems and plays in Landsmål to show how it should be used. One of these dramas, The Heir (1855), was frequently performed, and may be considered[weasel words] as the pioneer of dialectal literature of the second half of the 19th century, inspiring writers from Aasmund Vinje to Arne Garborg.[7] In 1856, he published Norske Ordsprog, a treatise on Norwegian proverbs. Aasen continuously enlarged and improved his grammars and dictionary. He lived quietly in lodgings in Oslo (then Christiania), surrounded by his books and avoiding publicity, but his name came into political favour as his ideas about the language of the peasants became more and more the watchword of the popular party.[7][clarification needed] In 1864 Aasen published his definitive grammar of Nynorsk, and in 1873 he published the final version[verification needed] of his Dictionary.[9]

The Storting (the Norwegian parliament), conscious of the national importance of his work, increased its financial support to Aasen as he advanced in years.[7][clarification needed] He continued his investigations until his death, but wrote little after the 1873 edition of his Dictionary (with a new title:[5][verification needed] Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.).[7]

He died in Christiania on 23 September 1896, and was buried with public honours.[7][10]

Legacy

File:VFG IvarAasen01.JPG
Tomb of Ivar Aasen at Vår Frelsers gravlund, Oslo

Nynorsk

The language standardised by Aasen, Landsmål, was later renamed to Nynorsk (Template:Lit), emerging as the second of Norway's two official languages (the other being Bokmål, the Dano-Norwegian descendant of the Danish language used in Norway in Aasen's time). An unofficial variety of Norwegian closer to Aasen's language is still found in Høgnorsk (Template:Lit). As of the early 2000s, some scholars[who?] considered Nynorsk on equal footing with Bokmål, as Bokmål tended to be used more in radio and television and most newspapers, whereas Nynorsk was used equally in government work,[3] as well as approximately 17% of schools.[11] Although it was not as common as its brother language, some scholars[who?] argued it needed to be looked upon as a viable language, as a large minority of Norwegians used it as their primary language, including many scholars and authors.[11][clarification needed] Nynorsk is both a written and spoken language.[12]

The Ivar Aasen Centre

Ivar Aasen-tunet [no], an institution devoted to the Nynorsk language, opened in June 2000. The building in Ørsta was designed by Norwegian architect Sverre Fehn. Their web page includes most of Aasen's texts, numerous[vague] other examples of Nynorsk literature (in Nettbiblioteket, the Internet Library), and some articles, including some in English, about language history in Norway.[citation needed]

The Language Year 2013

Språkåret 2013 (The Language Year 2013) celebrated Ivar Aasen's 200-year anniversary,[13] as well as the 100-year anniversary of Det Norske Teateret. The year's main focus was to celebrate linguistic diversity in Norway.[14] In a poll released in connection with the celebration, 56% of Norwegians said they held positive views of Aasen, while 7% held negative views.[15] On 5 August 2013, Bergens Tidende, which is normally published mainly in Bokmål, published an edition fully in Nynorsk in memory of Aasen.[16]

Nynorsk Day and Nynorsk Week

Nynorskdagen (Nynorsk Day) falls on the 12 of May. It commemorates the day of Jamstillingsvedtaket [nn], the law making Landsmål/Nynorsk an official language of Norway alongside Danish (later Bokmål). Noregs Mållag, the main organisation for Nynorsk, encouraged people and organisations that do not usually use the language to write Nynorsk on this day. Several companies, notably Vipps and Ruter, released Nynorsk language support for their mobile apps on the 12th of May. In 2025, Noregs Mållag announced Nynorsk Day has been expanded into a Nynorsk Week from the 6 to the 12 of May.[17][18]

Bibliography

Aasen published a wide range of material, some of it released posthumously.

Title Translated title Publication date Type Notes
Det norske Folkesprogs Grammatik Grammar of the Norwegian Dialects 1848 Book [19]
Ordbog over det norske Folkesprog Dictionary of the Norwegian Dialects 1850 Dictionary [19] On Google Books
Symra Symra 1863 Poetry [19] Includes the poem Nordmannen.
I Marknaden In the Market 1854 Play [19]
Ervingen The Heir 1855 Play [19]
Reise-Erindringer og Reise-Indberetninger Traveling Memories and Travel Reports 1842–1847 Prose Edited by H. Koht (1917)[19]
Skrifter i Samling Writings in the Collection 1912 Prose 3 volumes[19]
Dikting Poetry 1946 Prose [19]

Footnotes

  1. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nynorsk.no bio
  2. McGovern 2002, p. 1
  3. 3.0 3.1 Katzner 2002, p. 78
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Gosse 1911, p. 4
  5. 5.0 5.1 Gilman, Peck & Colby 1905, p. 4
  6. Elster, Kristian (1924). Illustreret norsk litteraturhistorie. 2 : Fra Wergelandstiden til vore dage. Kristiania: Gyldendal.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Gosse 1911, p. 5
  8. Haugen 1997, p. 4
  9. Hoiberg 2010, pp. 5–6
  10. Grepstad 2013
  11. 11.0 11.1 Haugen 2009, p. 126
  12. Haugen 2009, p. 125
  13. Berglund 2013
  14. Anon 2013
  15. Anon 2013a
  16. Steiro 2013
  17. "Nynorskdagen". Noregs Mållag (in Norwegian Nynorsk). Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  18. "Noregs Mållag har markert Nynorskdagen i ei veke". Framtidajunior.no (in Norwegian Nynorsk). 12 May 2025. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  19. 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 19.4 19.5 19.6 19.7 Bredsdorff 1954, p. 575

References