Nynorsk vs Bokmal - For foreigners

Purpose here is not to teach you any Nynorsk, but to give you an overview of the differences between Bokmal and Nynorsk from the perspective of a Norwegian. Focus is therefore not to give you linguistics explanations either. Just to answer the basic question - Should you, as a foreigner, learn any Nynorsk?

The short answer is no. Exception can be if you move to an area where one almost exclusively speaks nynorsk and this is the people you will have contact with. In most cases it is much easier to learn Norwegian in the "Bokmal" version you will learn with easy accessible resources online and in courses. From this version you can learn to understand "Nynorsk" at the same time as you increase your general knowledge about Norwegian. If you need to learn local language, it is very likely that there are other unique words that are just as useful to learn as typical "Nynorsk" words.

Nynorsk is not very distinctly different from Bokmal. The foundation of modern Norwegian is more than a thousand years. As Norway became part of Denmark, this language had a major infleunce on the language already in Norway. This particularly holds true for the central centers Bergen, which used to be the capital, and naturally in Oslo. Bokmal dates back to the 1600s. Ivar Asen, born 1813, was part of national romanticism and is today most known for his relentless travels to "discover" and create a national language less influenced by foreign forces. In 1885 this language was given the status of equal weight.

So it is not a fundamentally different language. It is classified based on what was spoken in Norway communities away from the central areas, spoken by people who worked for and with people from the central communities.

If you learn bokmal, you will than eventually get the competence to understand nynorsk when it is expressed by someone else. If you learn nynorsk, the same will naturally apply - you will understand bokmal. Regardless what you learn, however, you will also have to learn your local dialect.

There is an exctra caveat to the situation though. If you speak bokmal, people will not have a problem speaking to you. It is the main language everyone gets exposed to via the media. If you speak perfect nynorsk, it is for many tiredsome to listen to. I'm sure you have experienced that when you read a chatboard and someone write a message in bad English, you will be able to understand the message but if you are sleepy you will not bother to read it. The same is much more likely to happen to you if you communicate in a chatboard or orally. People are less likely to read your messages if you write them in Nynorsk.

If you are not familiar at all with nynorsk - here are some illustrations to show the small differences.

Bokmal Jeg Ikke Kjærlighet Skole

Nynorsk Eg Ikkje Kjærleik Skule

English I Not Love (noun) School