Lars Vikør
Encyclopedia
Biography
Lars Vikør is a graduate of the University of OsloUniversity of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
and the University of Leiden. He is a professor of Scandinavian languages and linguistics and specialist in Nynorsk
Nynorsk
Nynorsk or New Norwegian is one of two official written standards for the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. The standard language was created by Ivar Aasen during the mid-19th century, to provide a Norwegian alternative to the Danish language which was commonly written in Norway at the...
lexicography at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
. He is the main editor of the Norwegian Dictionary (Norsk Ordbok
Norsk Ordbok (Nynorsk)
Norsk Ordbok is a comprehensive dictionary of written New Norwegian and the Norwegian dialects, planned to twelve volumes and with seven volumes published. The work will be completed in 2014. It is edited at the University of Oslo, published by the Norwegian publishing house Det Norske Samlaget,...
). He has also engaged in the National Association for Language Collection (Landslaget for språklig samling).
Vikør has written books and articles on sociolinguistics, language politics
Language politics
Language politics is a term used to describe political consequences of linguistic differences between people, or on occasion the political consequences of the way a language is spoken and what words are used. It means language can express some authority. Examples include:*Recognition of a...
, and modern language history, notably The New Norse Language Movement. He has devoted himself for Samnorsk—towards language equality between Norway's two competing written language forms, Nynorsk
Nynorsk
Nynorsk or New Norwegian is one of two official written standards for the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. The standard language was created by Ivar Aasen during the mid-19th century, to provide a Norwegian alternative to the Danish language which was commonly written in Norway at the...
and Bokmål
Bokmål
Bokmål is one of two official Norwegian written standard languages, the other being Nynorsk. Bokmål is used by 85–90% of the population in Norway, and is the standard most commonly taught to foreign students of the Norwegian language....
, and has been a representative of the Norwegian Language Council
Norwegian Language Council
The Norwegian Language Council was the regulation authority for the Norwegian language. It has been superseded by The Language Council of Norway .The council had 38 members, and created lists of acceptable word forms...
.
Selected works
- The New Norse language movement (1975)
- Sprakpolitikk pa fem kontinent: Eit oversyn og ei jamføring (1977)
- Perfecting spelling: Spelling discussions and reforms in Indonesia and Malaysia, 1900-1972 (1988)
- The Nordic languages: Their status and interrelations (1993)
- Aust-Timor, ein nasjon under jernhælen (1994)