What is Ivar Aasen?
[[File:Aasen Wischmann 1871.jpg|thumb|right|180px|Aasen in 1871]] '''Ivar Andreas Aasen '''(5 August 1813 – 23 September 1896) was a [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[philologist]] and [[lexicographer]].<ref>Rubén Chacón Beltrán, ''An Introduction to Sociolinguistics'' (Madrid: Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, 2013), p. 134</ref> He is best known for creating a new variant of the [[Norwegian language]] based on the way people in Norway [[Spoken language|spoke]].<ref>Oskar Bandle; et al., ''The Nordic Languages : an International Handbook of the History of the North Germanic Languages'' (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2005), p. 1829</ref> His aim was to replace [[Danish language|Danish]] as the official [[written language]] in [[Norway]]. He wanted a new written language that sounded more like the spoken Norwegian of ordinary [[people]]. Danish had become the official written language during Norway's union with [[Denmark]] (1400s-1814).<ref>''The Languages and Linguistics of Europe: A Comprehensive Guide'', eds. Bernd Kortmann; Johan van der Auwera (Berlin; New York: De Gruyter Mouton, 2011), p. 370</ref> It was only [[wikt:master|master]]ed by a few [[Middle class|middle]] and [[upper class]] Norwegians. == References == {{reflist}} {{commons}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Aasen, Ivar}} [[Category:1813 births]] [[Category:1896 deaths]] [[Category:Norwegian people]] {{bio-stub}}