Norwegians primarily speak Norwegian, which is the official and most widely spoken language in Norway
. Norwegian is a North Germanic language closely related to Swedish and Danish, all descended from Old Norse
. There are two official written forms of Norwegian:
- Bokmål ("Book Language"): Derived from Danish-influenced written language during the Denmark-Norway union, it is the more commonly used written form, especially in urban areas and eastern Norway
- Nynorsk ("New Norwegian"): Developed in the 19th century based on rural Norwegian dialects, it is used mainly in western Norway and some rural areas
In addition to Norwegian, the Sámi languages have official status in Norway, spoken by the indigenous Sámi people mainly in northern regions
. Sámi is a Uralic language distinct from Norwegian. English is widely spoken as a second language by Norwegians, with a large majority able to converse in English, especially in cities and among younger generations
. In summary:
- Primary language: Norwegian (with two written standards: Bokmål and Nynorsk)
- Official minority language: Sámi
- Widely spoken second language: English
This linguistic situation reflects Norway's history and regional diversity.
