Only 11 percent of Norwegian children’s books and 1.8 percent of children’s literature translated into Norwegian from other languages are published in nynorsk, one of Norway’s two official languages. The low level is prompting political reaction.
“We can’t be well-served with so few books for children being published in nynorsk,” Hege Liadal, a spokesman for the Labour Party on cultural issues, told newspaper Dagsavisen. According to the paper, only 53 of 892 children’s books published in 2013 came out in nynorsk, the language compiled by researcher Ivar Aasen in an effort to rid Norwegian of its centuries of Danish influence. Nynorsk is largely based on local dialects around the country.
Liadal claimed it was clear that children who have nynorsk as their main language are badly treated by the lack of nynorsk books. She called on libraries to purchase more nynorsk books and for more emphasis to be placed on translations to nynorsk.
newsinenglish.no staff