Norway Languages

Norway Wiki Topics
Beginning Research
Guided Research Research Strategies Record Finder Finding Town of Origin Online Learning
Record Types
Books Bygdelag Cemeteries Census Church Records Civil Registration Court Records Death Notices Emigration & Immigration Farm Books Genealogies Guardianship Land & Property Latter-day Saint Records	Matrikkel Military Newspapers Nobility Occupations Online Records Periodicals Probate Records Religious Records Schools and Education Records Taxation Vital Records Websites
Norway Background
Biographies Cultural Groups Currency Dates & Calendars Encyclopedias & Dictionaries Feast Days Gazetteers Geography Handwriting History Jurisdictions Languages	Maps Naming Customs Norwegian Word List Online Records Parish List Place Names Priest Histories Research Guide Social Life & Customs Weight and Measurement For Further Reading
Local Research Resources
Archives & Libraries Societies FamilySearch Centers
Moderator
The FamilySearch moderator for Norway is SteuartRC

Norway

Languages

Description

Most of the people in Norway speak Norwegian, a North Germanic language closely related to Danish and Swedish. There are two official variants of the language, Bokmål (also called Riksmål) strongly influenced by Danish; and a more rural version, Nynorsk, based Ivar Aasen's work to develop a standard Norwegian language (Landsmål) based on local dialects. There are also many regional dialects which may be encountered when researching in printed materials. In addition to the two versions of Norwegian, Norway has several recognized regional or minority languages, Sámi (Northern, Lule, and Southern dialects), Kven, Romani, Scandoromani and Norwegian Sign Language.

Most materials used in Norwegian research are written in Danish or Norwegian. Although you do not need to speak or read these languages to do research, you do need some knowledge of the language to understand the records. You may also find some Latin words in Norwegian records. A list of words in various local dialects found in local histories can be found at Norwegian Dialect Word List.

Word Lists

• Norwegian Genealogical Word List
• Norwegian Dialect Word List
• Norwegian Medical Terms
• Latin Genealogical Word List

Alphabet and Pronunciation

Norwegian Alphabet

Letter Pronunciation A [ a ] as in car B [ b ] as in buy C before i,e,y [ s ] as in circus before a,o,u [ k ] as in camping D [ d ] as in dog E [ e ] as in get F [ f ] as in fine G [ g ] as in girl H [ h ] as in hat I [ i ] as in ski J [ y ] as in yes K [ k ] as in kite L [ l ] as in live M [ m ] as in map N [ n ] as in now O [ o ] as in school P [ p ] as in pen Q [ kv ] as in quiz R [ ɽ ] like a Scottish r S [ s ] as in see T [ t ] as in tea U [ u ] as in flu V [ v ] as in violin W [ v ] as in violin X [ ks ] as in tax Y [ y ] as in syrup Z [ z ] as in zoom

Other Letters Letter Pronunciation Æ [ a ] as in sad Ø [ u ] as in burn Å [ aw ] as in saw

Language Aids and Dictionaries

• Cambridge Dictionary English-Norwegian
• bab.la Norwegian-English Dictioanry
• Norwegian Class 101.com Norwegian Dictionary
• Det Norske Akademis Ordbok - online Norwegian dictionary

Additional Resources

• Bråtveit, Kari, Norwegian dictionary : Norwegian-English, English-Norwegian, London : Routledge, [2015?], available at Worldcat.org
• Holland, J Gill, Norwegian dictionary & phrasebook : Norwegian-English, English-Norwegian, New York : Hippocrene Books, ©2003., available at Worldcat.orgv
• Žiūkaitė-Hansen, Laura, Norwegian practical dictionary : Norwegian-English, English-Norwegian, New York : Hippocrene Books, ©2011., available at Worldcat.org
• Omniglot: Norwegian language, alphabet and pronounciation, Norwegian language learning material
• Norgesskolen: Norwegian Summer School - two week school in language in culture
• Concordia Language Villages: Norwegian