The Norwegian language is part of the Germanic language family. Norwegian is similar to Danish and Swedish, and it is not difficult for Norwegians to make themselves understood in Denmark and Sweden. Norwegian is spoken by 4.5 million Norwegians, with a number of regional dialects, making it easy to determine the origin of the different speakers.
The Norwegian language has its roots in Old Norse, the language used by the Vikings in the Scandinavian countries in the Middle Ages. It is this old Norse that gave birth to Danish and Swedish and that also greatly influenced Anglo-Saxon, which became English.
Since Norway was under Danish rule for a long time, the language spoken in Norway was Dano-Norwegian. In 1814, the union with Denmark was broken off in favor of a new union with Sweden. During the 19th century, several writers in Norway tried to customize Danish and adapt it to Norwegian culture. The result is a dialect called Bokmål (“language of books”). In parallel with this development, linguist Ivar Aasen worked to establish another dialect, closer to the various dialects spoken in the country’s different regions. It was Nynorsk (“new Norwegian”). These two languages are both used in Norway. Both dialects are taught in schools. Bokmål, however, clearly dominates the daily lives of Norwegians. Major newspapers are published in Bokmål.
ITC Translations has experienced linguists to complete Norwegian translations in both dialects.