Ivar Aasen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ivar Aasen
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Ivar Aasen (1881)
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| Born | Iver Andreas Aasen 5 August 1813 Ørsta, Norway |
| Died | 23 September 1896 (aged 83) Christiania, Norway |
| Occupation | Philologist, lexicographer, playwright, poet |
| Language | Norse dialects |
| Nationality | Norwegian |
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Ivar Aasen was a very important Norwegian person. He was born on August 5, 1813, and passed away on September 23, 1896. Ivar was a philologist, which means he studied languages. He also wrote plays and poems. He is most famous for creating one of Norway's two official written languages, called Nynorsk. He built this language using many different Norwegian dialects.
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Early Life and Learning
Ivar Aasen was born as Iver Andreas Aasen in a place called Åsen in Ørsta, Norway. This was on the west coast of the country. His father was a farmer and passed away in 1826. Young Ivar grew up helping with farm work.
Even with farm duties, he spent all his free time reading. He loved to learn. When he was 18, he started an elementary school in his home area. In 1833, he began working for Hans Conrad Thoresen. There, he learned the basics of Latin.
Ivar was very patient and focused. He taught himself many languages. He also started to study how languages are built. Ivar worked hard to create a new language for Norway. This language would become a "literary" language.
Creating a New Language
Around 1846, Ivar stopped doing manual labor. This allowed him to focus on the dialects of his home area, Sunnmøre. His first published work was a small collection of folk songs. These songs were written in the Sunnmøre dialect in 1843.
People noticed his amazing skills. He received help to continue his studies without interruption. His book, Grammar of the Norwegian Dialects (1848), was a big achievement. He traveled all over Norway to gather information for it.
Aasen's famous Dictionary of the Norwegian Dialects came out in 1850. This book was very important. It helped spread the use of the common language in Norway. Aasen truly built a popular language for Norway. He called this language Landsmaal, which means "country language."
By 1853, he had set the rules for using his new language. Today, with some changes, this language is called Nynorsk ("New Norwegian"). It is one of Norway's two official languages. The other is Bokmål. Bokmål comes from the Danish language used in Norway during Aasen's time.
An unofficial version of Norwegian, closer to Aasen's original language, is called Høgnorsk ("High Norwegian"). Today, Nynorsk is just as important as Bokmål. Bokmål is often used more on TV and in newspapers. However, Nynorsk is used equally in government work. About 17% of schools also use it. Many scholars and authors use Nynorsk as their main language. It is both a written and spoken language.
Later Works and Legacy
Aasen wrote poems and plays in his new language. He wanted to show people how to use it. One of his plays, The Heir (1855), was performed often. It was a pioneer for many dialect-based writings in the late 1800s. In 1856, he published Norske Ordsprog, a book about Norwegian proverbs.
Aasen kept improving his grammar books and dictionary. He lived a quiet life in Oslo, surrounded by his books. He did not seek fame. But his ideas about the language of the common people became very popular. In 1864, he published the final grammar for Nynorsk. In 1873, he published the final dictionary.
Early in his career, in 1842, he started receiving money from the government. This allowed him to focus completely on his language studies. The Storting (Norway's parliament) knew his work was important for the country. They gave him more and more support as he got older. He continued his studies until the end of his life.
Ivar Aasen is unique in history. He created a language that thousands of Norwegians loved. They accepted it for their schools, religious services, and songs. He passed away in Christiania (now Oslo) on September 23, 1896. He was buried with public honors.
The Ivar Aasen Centre
Ivar Aasen-tunet is a special place dedicated to the Nynorsk language. It opened in June 2000. The building is in Ørsta and was designed by a Norwegian architect named Sverre Fehn. Their website has most of Aasen's writings. It also has many other examples of Nynorsk literature. You can find articles about Norway's language history there too.
Language Year 2013
Språkåret 2013 (The Language Year 2013) celebrated Ivar Aasen's 200th birthday. It also marked 100 years of Det Norske Teateret (The Norwegian Theater). The main goal of this year was to celebrate Norway's many different languages.
A survey done for the celebration showed that 56% of Norwegians liked Aasen. Only 7% had negative views. On Aasen's 200th birthday, August 5, 2013, a newspaper called Bergens Tidende did something special. This newspaper usually prints mostly in Bokmål. But on that day, it published an entire edition in Nynorsk to honor Aasen.
See also
In Spanish: Ivar Aasen para niños
