Dialects

   |  Dan

One of the more challenging aspects of learning Norwegian is the varying dialects. While Norway has two written standards, bokmål and nynorsk, there is no spoken standard. For Norwegian learners, this can sometimes make listening comprehension a difficult thing to master. For the more advanced learner, they may want to pick a dialect to learn and use, so they sound more “natural” when speaking Norwegian.

Today, we will look at some of the more common dialects in Norwegian and how they differentiate. This is just a very general overview; keep in mind there are many more dialects than what is covered in this lesson, and that some of the bigger dialects have dialects of their own (e.g. Trøndersk spoken in the cities is different than the Trøndersk spoken in more rural areas).

Some Basic Info

There are four to six main categories of dialects in Norwegian (depends on who you ask). These groups are:

Category

Region

Some Examples of Dialects within the Category

Nordnorsk

Northern Norway

Bodø dialect

Helgeland dialect

Trøndersk

Central Norway

Fosen dialect

Meldal dialect

Vestlandsk

Western Norway

Bergen dialect

Stavanger dialect

Østnorsk / Østlandsk

Eastern Norway

Oslo dialect

Østerdal dialect

*Midlandsmål

Midland Norway

Bø dialect

Gudbrandsdal dialect

*Sørlandsk

Southern Norway

Arendal dialect

Valle-Setesdalsk dialect

  • Midlandsmål & Sørlandsk are not counted as their own categories by some people.

image

The categories can also be organized in this manner, (according to some):

image

The dialects can vary in accent, grammar, syntax, and even vocabulary. The geography of Norway has played a large role in why the dialects vary so much. Until the early 20th century, small communities were largely isolated from one another, which often led to them developing idiosyncrasies of their own. However, over the decades, as Norwegians began moving around more, and interacting with people from different areas, over time this influenced the different dialects. Smaller dialect traits have been lost and many rural dialects have begun to merge with the nearest larger dialects. This is called “regionalization.” There are some people that are trying to preserve smaller, more rural dialects.

In the early 20th century, if one hoped to have upward social mobility, conforming one’s dialect to riksmål was common. People from smaller rural areas would also, often, change how they spoke if they were in more formal types of settings. Even today, some Norwegians will alter how they speak, switching to a form of Norwegian that is closer to the written standards, if they are speaking to people from other parts of the country.

It used to be that if someone spoke a dialect from northern Norway, they might be discriminated against. For example, in Oslo, ads for places to rent and for jobs sometimes said “Nordlendinger uønsket” (Northern Norwegians unwanted). Nowadays, many see it as rude if you put someone down for their dialect (not in a joking manner between friends), as it is seen as criticizing someone’s identity. However, you will still hear people sometimes criticize the Trøndersk dialect in general, saying it is “ugly.”

Some Traits Among (some of) the Different Dialects

There are some things that can clue a listener in as to what dialect is being used. Please note that any written examples are not “standard” as there are no written dialect standards. Some people may write in dialect, informally, but how they choose to spell things can vary. Also note that these are not exhaustive lists of traits and some traits are found in multiple dialects.

Nordnorsk

  • Hv- is usually replaced by a k-.

  • The front vowels - i, y, e - are lower and are pronounced more like e, ø, and æ respectively. (This is also found in Trøndersk).

  • Nordnorsk dialects tend to have a very varied and colorful way of insulting or swearing. They range from the very mild to the more intense.

    Nordnorsk English Usage Nordnorsk English Usage

    Næpa / Næpaskrell

    Turnip /

    Turnip peel

    Refers to someone stupid

    Kuklæst

    Cock sock

    Refers to someone who is rude or an arse.

    Pong

    Ballsack

    Refers to someone who is rude or an arse
    (less intense than the other 2)

    Hæstkuk

    Horse cock

    Refers to someone who is rude or an arse. (Sometimes used jokingly with friends).

  • The word “fette” / “fett” / “fetta” (pussy) can be used as an emphasizer; an insult; or just a swear word when you injure yourself or something.

    Nordnorsk Usage Nordnorsk Usage

    Fettkaldt / Fette kaldt

    Extremely cold

    Fettsygt / Fette sygt

    Very sick

    Fettondt / Fette ondt

    Very painful

    Ei fetta

    A pussy (used as an insult).

    Fetta!

    Exclamation when you hurt yourself, etc.

    ise-hakke-fette-kaldt

    “Ice - chattering - pussy - cold”…​

    used as a description when it is extremely cold (because it is the Arctic Circle).
    Side note: “Hakke-tenner” is when your teeth chatter when you shiver.

  • If you want to hear some more nordnorsk (with swearing), listen to this video.

  • There are a number of ways to say “drunk” in the nordnorsk dialects:

    • Full

    • Dritings

    • Drita

    • Maurings (used ironically or for emphasis; not common among younger Norwegians).

    • Kanon (rarely used)

  • Infinitive verbs without a vowel ending are common in Nordland, a county in northern Norway. Other counties use the -e ending for infinitive verbs.

  • Northern Norwegian dialects begin their sentences with a higher pitch on the first word and then the tone decreases.

  • Northern Norway uses gendered pronouns, “ho” / “han”, when referring to inanimate objects, and it is as valid as using the (gender neutral) inanimate pronoun “den”.

    Bokmål Dialekt English

    Boken du leser, ble du ferdig med den?

    Den boka du læs, blei du færdi me ho?

    The book you’re reading, did you finish it?

    Person 1: Hvor kjøpte du bilen?

    Person 2: Jeg fant den i Hammarfæst.

    Person 1: Kor kjøpte du biln?
    Person 2: Eg fant han i Hammarfæst

    Person 1: Where did you buy the car?

    Person 2: I found it in Hammerfæst.

  • It is more common to use all three grammatical genders (ei, en, et) in nordnorsk dialects.

  • People speaking in a northern dialect will place the gendered pronoun before a person’s name when talking about them. (This is also found in Trøndersk and Østnorsk).

    Bokmål Dialekt English

    Vet du hvor Oda bor?

    Veit du kor ho Oda bor?

    Do you know where Oda lives?

    Har du hørt noe fra Karl?

    Har du hørt nakka fra han Karl?

    Have you heard anything from Karl?

  • In the Tromsø dialect, sometimes a V3 rule is applied in questions. (This is also found in many Trøndersk dialects).

    Bokmål

    Tromsø

    English

    Hvor bor du?

    Kor du bor?

    Where do you live?

    Hva sa faren din?

    Ka faren din sa?

    What did your father say?

Trøndersk

  • Trøndersk has many traits that make it distinguishable from other Norwegian dialects.

  • Hv- words are replaced with either k- or kv-.

    Ex: Hverandre Kvarainner

    Each other

  • “Leveling” - where a vowel in the middle of the word and the vowel at the end of the word become the same or very similar - is found in areas around Trondheim. Not all Trønders do this, however.

    Bokmål

    Inntrøndersk

    Uttrøndersk

    English

    Uke

    Vukku

    Vækka

    Week

    Vite

    Våttå / Vatta

    Vætte

    (to) Know

    Være

    Vårrå

    Vårrå

    (to) Be

  • Stress is always on the first syllable of the word, even with loanwords.

    Ex: Banan ['ban:an] instead of [bana:n]

  • Palatalization of “n” and “l” is common in Trøndersk.

    Bokmål

    Trøndersk

    English

    Vann

    Vannj

    Water

    Han

    Hanj

    He

    Ball

    Baill

    Ball

  • Trøndersk has 5 different L sounds:

    • Voiced lateral alveolar approximant /l/ - often referred to as the light L

    • Voiced retroflex lateral approximant /ɭ/ - retroflex rl sound

    • Voiced palatal lateral approximant /ʎ/ - palatal l / llj

    • Voiced alveolar lateral fricative /ɬ/ - the / tl / sl sound (rare)

    • Voiced retroflex flap /ɽ/ - the tjukk l

  • Has a low-tone, where the sentence intonation is more even.

  • If a verb is “short” in nynorsk in present tense, it is often shortened in Trøndersk also.

    Bokmål

    Nynorsk

    Trøndersk

    English

    Jeg trenger

    Eg treng

    Æ træng

    I need

  • There are three groups of verbs (this is also found in Østnorsk):

    1. Infinitive verbs ending in -a

    2. Infinitive verbs ending in -e

    3. Infinitive verbs that drop the ending

    Bokmål

    Trøndersk

    English

    Å kunne

    Å kunna

    To know

    Å like

    Å like

    To like

    Å vite

    Å vit

    To know

    Å være

    Å vær

    To be

  • Some interesting vocab:

    Trøndersk Meaning Eksempel English

    Klar

    Exhausted

    No e æ bætterdø klar, ja

    I am dead-exhausted now.

    Læne / Læna

    Expression meaning something was fun

    Det va døds-læna.

    It was fun.

    Foten

    Refers to the whole leg, not just the foot

    Æ har vondt i foten min.

    I hurt my leg.

    Fær

    (to) Go

    No fær æ.

    I’m leaving now.

  • To listen to some Trøndersk, check out this video.

Vestlandsk

  • Bergensk has the “skarre-r” (aka the French R)

  • Bergensk only uses two grammatical genders for nouns: en / et

  • Some forms of Bergensk use “sin” genitive, aka “garpegenitiv.” (This trait is found in other areas of Norway as well, including in some parts of Trøndelag).

    Bokmål

    Bergensk

    English

    Guttens bil

    Gutten sin bil

    The boy’s car

    Kvinnens frakk

    Kvinnen sin frakk

    The woman’s coat

  • Bergensk tends to compound modals + ikkje. Here are some examples:

    Bokmål

    Bergensk

    English

    Er ikke

    E’kkje / E’kke

    Is not

    Har ikke

    Ha’kkje / Ha’kke

    Has not

    Skal ikke

    Ska’kkje / Ska’kke

    Shall not

  • Nynorsk is often used in writing, so they tend to use “ikkje” and “nokon” (noen) in speech, in some Vestlandsk dialects.

  • Some interesting Bergensk vocab:

    Bergensk

    English

    Bergensk

    English

    Slitan

    Congrats on something new

    Å ha peiling

    To know

    Tidi

    Funny

    Ondt

    Pain / hurt

  • Some interesting Stavanger vocab:

    Stavangersk

    English

    Stavangersk

    English

    Løye

    Weirdly funny

    Vattn

    Water

    Gysla

    Very

    Slikkepinne

    Lollypop

    Bås

    Garbage

    Jaffal

    Certainly; at least

    Håve

    Head

    No fær æ

    I’m leaving now.

  • The infinitive verb ending is with an -a in Stavanger and areas around Bergen (but not in Bergen).

  • Sentences begin with a high tone on the first word and then decreases, like with northern Norwegian dialects.

  • Stavanger often uses “stein” as a way to emphasize how good something is.

    Ex: Det er en steinfin bil.

    That is a very nice car.

  • Stavanger dialect often replaces the “k” in a middle of a word with a “g.”

    Bokmål

    Stavanger

    English

    Kake

    Kaga

    Cake

    Bake

    Baga

    (to) Bake

    Like

    Lige

    (to) Like

Østnorsk

  • Vowels are more open in østnorsk dialects.

  • Speakers of østnorsk dialects tend to speak fast

  • Split infinitive verbs, that is some infinitive verbs (typically short verbs) end with -a and others end with -e, are common in eastern Norway.

  • Some østnorsk dialects are close to bokmål (but there is no dialect that is exactly spoken bokmål).

  • Østnorsk dialects don’t replace hv- with k- , unlike many other dialects.

  • Østnorsk dialects typically pronounce the final -r and final -t in verbs, whereas they are often dropped in many other dialects.

  • The feminine “ei” is often replaced with “en,” however in the definitive form, the noun will still take the -a ending.

    Indefinte

    Definite

    Bokmål

    Østnorsk

    English

    Bokmål

    Østnork

    English

    Ei jente

    En jente

    A girl

    Jenta

    Jenta

    The girl

    Ei bok

    En bok

    A book

    Boka

    Boka

    The book

Comparisons of some Common Words

Let us look at some comparisons of common words, such as pronouns, question words, and the word for “not.”

Pronouns

Some of the most frequently used words in any language are pronouns - how we talk about ourselves and those around us. There are many variations of the pronouns throughout the numerous dialects in Norway.

Bokmål

Nynorsk

Southeastern Norway

Most of Western and Southern Norway

Trøndelag and most of Northern Norway

I

Jeg

Eg

Jé, jè, jei

Eg, e, æ, æg, æi, æig, jeg, ej, i

Æ, æg, i, eig, jæ, e, eg

You

Du

Du

Du, ru, u

Du, dø, døø, døh

Du, dæ, dø, u, dæ’æ

He

Han

Han

Hæn, hænnom (dative)

Han, an, ha’an

Han,Hanj, hin, hån, n

She

Hun

Ho

Hun, ho, hu, ha, a, henner

Hun, ho, hu, hau, hon, u

Hun, hu, ho, a

It

Det

Det

Det

Det, da, d'

Det, da, dæ, e, denj, ta

We

Vi

Vi, me

Vi, oss, øss, æss, vårs

Vi, me, mi, mø

Vi, åss, oss, åkke, me, mi

You (plural)

Dere

De; dykk; dokker

Dere, ere, døkk, dø

Dere, då(k)ke, dåkkar, dåkk, de, derr, dåkki, dikko(n), deke, deko,

Dåkk, dåkke, dåkker, dåkkæ, dere, ere, dykk, di

They

De; dem

Dei

Dem, rem, 'rdem, em, døm, dom

De, dei, dæ, di, di’i

Dei, dem, dæm, 'em, di, r’ej

Possessive Pronouns

Another common type of word we use in languages are possessive pronouns - how we refer to the relationship between people and items. In Norwegian, you will see there are many ways these are said, depending on the dialect.

Bokmål

Nynorsk

Southeastern Norway

Most of Western and Southern Norway

Trøndelag and most of Northern Norway

My

Min, mi, mitt

Min, mi, mitt

Min, mi, mitt, mø

Min, mi, mitt

Min, mi, mitt, mæjn, mett

Your

Din, di, ditt

Din, di, ditt

Din, di, ditt

Din, di, ditt

Din, di, ditt, dij, dej’j

His

Hans

Hans

Hans, hannes, hanns, hass

Hans, hannes, hannas, høns, hønnes

Hans, hannjes, hanses, hannes, hanner, hånner

Hers

Hennes

Hennar

Hennes, henners, hun sin, hos, hinnes

Hennes, hons, hos, høvs, haus, hennar, hen(n)as

Hennes, hennjes, hunnes, henna, huns

Its

dens, dets

Rarely used. When used: dess

Dets, det sitt

Nonexistent or dens, dets

Dets, det sitt

Our

Vår

Vår

Vårs, vørs, vår, 'år, våres

Vår, 'år, våres, våras, åkkas, åkka, aokan(s)

Vår, våkke, vår', våres, vårres

Your (plural)

Deres

Dykkar

Deres, døres,

Deres, dokkars, dokkar, dåkas, dekan, dekans

Deres, dokkers, dokkes, 'eras

Their

Deres

Deira

Dems, demmes, demma, demses, dem sitt, dommes

Demmes, dies, dis, deisa, deis, daus, døvs, deira, deira(n)s

Dems, demma, dæres, dæmmes, dæmmers

Interrogative Words

Interrogative words, also known as “question words,” are how we find out information. In many dialects in Norwegian, the hv- words are said with a k- instead.

Bokmål

Nynorsk

Southeastern Norway

Most of Western Norway

Trøndelag and most of Northern Norway

Who

Hvem

Kven

Hvem, åkke, åkkjen, høkken, håkke

Kven, ken, kin, kem, kim

Kæm, kem, kånn, kenn

What

Hva

Kva

Hva, å da, å, hø da, hå, hæ

Kva, ka, ke, kæ, kå

Ka, ke, kve, ker

Where

Hvor

Kor, kvar

Hvor, hvorhen, å hen, å henner, hen, hørt, hærre

Kor, kest, korhen / korhenne, hen

Kor, korhæn / korhænne, ker, karre, kehænn

Which

Hvilken, hvilket, hvilke

Kva for ein / ei / eit

Hvilken, åkken, åssen, hvem, hø slags, hæsse, håssen. håleis, hådan

Kva, ka, kvaslags, kaslags, kasla, kallas, kalla, kass, kvafor, kafor, kaforein, keslags, kæslags, koffø en

Kolles, koss, korsn, kossn, kasla, kass, kafor, kafør, kåfår, kersn, kess, kafla

How

Hvordan

Korleis

Hvordan, åssen, høssen, hæsse

Kordan, korsn, korleis, Karleis, koss, koss(e)n

Kolles, koss, kess, korsn, kossn, kordan, korran, kelles

Why

Hvorfor

Kvifor, korfor

Hvorfor, åffer, å for, høffer, hæffer

Korfor, koffor, kvifor, kafor, keffår, koffø

Korfor, kafor, kafør, koffer, koffør, koffår, kåffår, keffer

When

Når

Kor tid

Ti, å ti, når, hærnér

Når, ti, kati, korti, koti, kå ti

Når, ner, nå, når ti, ka ti, katti, kåtti

Not

This single word can be pronounced a number of different ways throughout Norway. Just look…​

Pronunciation Areas

Ikke

Oslo, Kristiansand, Bergen, Ålesund, most of Finnmark, Vestfold and low-land parts of Telemark, and some cities in Nordland.

Ikkje

Most of Southern, Northern, Western Norway and high-land parts of Telemark; also used in the Troms area.

Ittj

Trøndelag

Ikkj

Parts of Salten District, Nordland

Itte / ittje

Areas north of Oslo, along the Swedish border

Inte / ente / ette

Mostly along the Swedish border south of Oslo in Østfold

Kje / e’kje

Often used in the Troms area. (“e’kje” is a shortening of “er ikke”).

Isje / itsje

Used in Bergensk

Let’s look at one sentence, written in a few different dialects.

Dialekt

Eksempel

Bokmål

English

Bergensk

Eg e’kkje trøtt

Eg e’tsje trøtt.

Jeg er ikke trøtt.

I’m not tired.

Trondersk

Æ e ittj trøtt
Æ e’kke trøtt..

Østnorsk

Jeg er ikke trøtt.
Jæj ekke trøtt.

Nordnorsk

Eg e ikkje trøtt
Eg e’kje trøtt..
Æ e ikkje slitn.

A HUGE THANK YOU goes to the Norwegians that looked over this lesson in advance and gave their feedback:

Arthemax, Henbruas, Mango, Sab3r, Simen, Veg, Vinter

I appreciate it greatly!!!!

**If the lesson was beneficial, please consider buying me a virtual coffee. Thanks.**

Resources

Exercise: Try to translate these into Bokmål and English.

Nordnorsk:

  1. Kæm va på fest i går?

  2. Eg hørte ikkje ka ho sa

  3. Dokker e flink som lære dialekta!

Trøndersk:

  1. Ho vart klar ætter at a laga læms

  2. Dæmm ha førre fra by’n å innj te bøgda

  3. Æ e i a, æ å

Bergensk

  1. Eg ha’kkje ti te å skrive setningar

  2. Kan’kje du skrive de sjøl?

  3. Koffor må dokkar plage meg no?