Variant subtag proposal: Høgnorsk variety of Norwegian

Leif Halvard Silli xn--mlform-iua at xn--mlform-iua.no
Wed Jan 6 16:36:41 CET 2010


John Cowan, Tue, 5 Jan 2010 21:44:51 -0500:
> CE Whitehead scripsit:
> 
>> I personally would be fine with a comment that 'hognorsk' is closer
>> to [nn] than to bokmal. and with info. about what dialects are most
>> prevalent in 'hognorsk', in [nn], versus in 'bokmal'--in the comments
>> on the 'hognorsk' variant--if that does not violate any tradition
>> (obviously hognorsk is closer to [nn] since we chose the [nn] prefix).
> 
> We don't normally use such comments; in any case, 'hognorsk' is close 
> to every Norwegian dialect in its non-Danicized form.

+1

I'm sure that we would resist repeating cliches about dialect links in 
the registry - whether about Nynorsk or about the Høgnorsk variant.

Nynorsk _usage_ has its strongholds in certain (generally speaking 
rural) areas of Norway and within certain (generally speaking national 
- and often located in the cities/centers) structures/institutions of 
the Norwegian society. Many of the intellectual resources of Nynorsk 
are also headquartered in Oslo. The New Norwegian language was captured 
in a form that was meant to serve as a common denominator for all 
Norwegian dialects - and the "Nynorsk projeect" was from the start 
founded by the parliament. The Høgnorsk proponents are found within 
these same walks of Nynorsk life.

Due to several issues, Bokmål is often /associated/ with Oslo and 
Eastern Norway. While Nynorsk is often /associated/ with Western 
Norway. These perceptions aren't correct, even if they capture a 
certain [over-valued] tendency w.r.t the which municipalities and 
counties that have Nynorsk as its official Norwegian language. 
Linguistically it is even more problematic. But these perceptions pose 
a real [internal and external] problem for anyone who tries to present 
Nynorsk/Høgnorsk as the New Norwegian language. Høgnorsk Nynorsk 
insists - stronger than the Official Nynorsk does - on the need of 
recognizing traditional Nynorsk as an all-dialects-encompassing 
Norwegian language - and therefore resists that is being made less 
all-encompassing by seeking closeness to Bokmål.
-- 
leif halvard silli


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