Jens Haugan
Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, NORWAY; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9708-2038
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36534/erlj.2022.02.02
Bibliographic citation: (ISSN 2657-9774) Educational Role of Language Journal. Volume 2022-2(8). LINGUISTIC CONTEXTS AND DIVERSITY IN EDUCATION, pp. 22-40
Abstract
From a 21st century perspective, one would typically expect that linguistic diversity in education would refer to the multiethnic and multilinguistic diversity found in most classrooms of today. During the last decades, L2 research has grown into a huge research field and teaching a country’s official language(s) as second language(s) has become an integrated part of teacher education. Diversity within the first language, on the other hand, usually does not receive that much focus. In this paper, attention will be drawn to the development of the Norwegian written language(s) and its place in society and education. Furthermore, some of the paragraphs of the recent Norwegian language act of 2022 will be discussed. The present paper focuses on the formal development of the written language(s) during the last 100 – 150 years on the background of linguistic input/exposure and tries to show that despite the official (state) view that the two Norwegian written languages, Bokmål and Nynorsk, are equal and can be used in all parts of society the actual unequal use constitutes a mismatch in input/exposure which challenges the status of Nynorsk and leads to less linguistic diversity. Furthermore, the actual use of Bokmål, and thereby the exposure to Bokmål, leads to more homogeneity/conformity within Bokmål and, hence, less linguistic diversity despite an official standard that officially allows optionality and linguistic diversity.
Keywords: linguistic diversity, L1 learning, L1 teaching, L1 diversity, language planning, language policy
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