This essay comprises evidence and reasoned speculation of the nature of the stone crosses which a... more This essay comprises evidence and reasoned speculation of the nature of the stone crosses which are found on the western seaboard of Norway, including who was responsible for their erection, why they were erected, and what the potential social and political reasons could have been for them.
Dette korte essayet forsøker å utforske og oppsummere årsakene til den lutherske reformasjon som ... more Dette korte essayet forsøker å utforske og oppsummere årsakene til den lutherske reformasjon som fant sted på Island i 1500-tallet. Det diskuterer den danske kongens innflytelse og handler om aspekter av Islands avhengige status på dette tidspunktet i landets historie. Essayet omhandler også de økonomiske, sosiale og religiøse konsekvensene forårsaket av reformasjonen.
The Linguistic Treasures Buried in ‘Dialect’. An ethical exploration of dialects and a case study of regionalisation in the Norwegian dialect Vallemål, 2020
This essay raises ethical questions regarding the loss of dialects. The objective facts regarding... more This essay raises ethical questions regarding the loss of dialects. The objective facts regarding dialectal changes in Norway are well documented, but less often is emphasis put on the ethical considerations thereof. ‘Languages’ are protected and documented internationally, while ‘dialects’, despite being independent forms of language belonging to local cultures, seldom enjoy the same attention and consideration. With this in mind, I explore evidence of dialectal regionalisation from the regional centre of South Norway, Kristiansand, on the Norwegian dialect Vallemål, traditionally one of the most linguistically conservative dialects in Norway. This serves as an extreme example of dialect regionalisation, as Kristiansandsmål, the dialect of Kristiansand, is regarded as one of the most phonologically and morphologically simple dialects in Norway. Using the Nordic Dialect Corpus and previous literature, I investigate the effects of Kristiansandsmål‘s regiolectal spread on the lexis, phonology and morphology of Vallemål. The evidence suggests that regionalisation from Kristiansandsmål has had and is continuing to have a significant effect, evidenced by a generational loss of local dialect words, simplification of traditionally complex phonology and a reduction of marked morphological forms. Despite widespread documentation of such effects, the Norwegian state, while a signatory of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, appears to be taking little action to preserve the Norwegian dialect landscape. The current regiolectal trajectory points to a coming widespread loss of historic dialects of Norwegian. If linguistic diversity and its preservation are desirable, this widespread homogenisation acts as an opposing force to it.
This essay comprises evidence and reasoned speculation of the nature of the stone crosses which a... more This essay comprises evidence and reasoned speculation of the nature of the stone crosses which are found on the western seaboard of Norway, including who was responsible for their erection, why they were erected, and what the potential social and political reasons could have been for them.
Dette korte essayet forsøker å utforske og oppsummere årsakene til den lutherske reformasjon som ... more Dette korte essayet forsøker å utforske og oppsummere årsakene til den lutherske reformasjon som fant sted på Island i 1500-tallet. Det diskuterer den danske kongens innflytelse og handler om aspekter av Islands avhengige status på dette tidspunktet i landets historie. Essayet omhandler også de økonomiske, sosiale og religiøse konsekvensene forårsaket av reformasjonen.
The Linguistic Treasures Buried in ‘Dialect’. An ethical exploration of dialects and a case study of regionalisation in the Norwegian dialect Vallemål, 2020
This essay raises ethical questions regarding the loss of dialects. The objective facts regarding... more This essay raises ethical questions regarding the loss of dialects. The objective facts regarding dialectal changes in Norway are well documented, but less often is emphasis put on the ethical considerations thereof. ‘Languages’ are protected and documented internationally, while ‘dialects’, despite being independent forms of language belonging to local cultures, seldom enjoy the same attention and consideration. With this in mind, I explore evidence of dialectal regionalisation from the regional centre of South Norway, Kristiansand, on the Norwegian dialect Vallemål, traditionally one of the most linguistically conservative dialects in Norway. This serves as an extreme example of dialect regionalisation, as Kristiansandsmål, the dialect of Kristiansand, is regarded as one of the most phonologically and morphologically simple dialects in Norway. Using the Nordic Dialect Corpus and previous literature, I investigate the effects of Kristiansandsmål‘s regiolectal spread on the lexis, phonology and morphology of Vallemål. The evidence suggests that regionalisation from Kristiansandsmål has had and is continuing to have a significant effect, evidenced by a generational loss of local dialect words, simplification of traditionally complex phonology and a reduction of marked morphological forms. Despite widespread documentation of such effects, the Norwegian state, while a signatory of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, appears to be taking little action to preserve the Norwegian dialect landscape. The current regiolectal trajectory points to a coming widespread loss of historic dialects of Norwegian. If linguistic diversity and its preservation are desirable, this widespread homogenisation acts as an opposing force to it.
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