How Do You Spell RIKSMAAL?

Pronunciation: [ɹˈɪksmɑːl] (IPA)

The word "riksmaal" is a Norwegian term that refers to the official language of Norway, which is Bokmål. Interestingly, the spelling of "riksmaal" has changed over the years. Originally, it was spelled as "riksmål," with a long vowel sound in the first syllable. However, in the early 1900s, the spelling was changed to "riksmaal," reflecting the fact that the vowel sound in the first syllable had become short. In IPA phonetic transcription, the word is pronounced as /riksmɔːl/.

RIKSMAAL Meaning and Definition

1. Riksmål is a term used to refer to one of the two official written standards of the Norwegian language. It is classified as a conservative variant, closely related to the Danish language, and is primarily used in Norway. The word "riksmål" itself translates to "national language" in English, indicating its role as one of the standard forms of Norwegian.

   Riksmål arose in the 19th century as a response to the increasing influence of the Danish language on Norwegian society. It was developed as an attempt to preserve and protect the Norwegian language, emphasizing its unique characteristics and separate identity. Riksmål retains several archaic elements from Old Norse, making it more similar to Danish than to the other written standard of Norwegian, known as Nynorsk.

   The use of riksmål has undergone some changes over time. In recent years, it has evolved into what is now called "bokmål," which is the more widely used standard form of written Norwegian. However, "riksmål" still holds significance as a term representing the historical development and conservative nature of written Norwegian.

   In conclusion, riksmål is a conservative written standard of the Norwegian language, closely related to Danish. It emerged as a response to Danish influence and continues to play a role in the linguistic history and development of Norwegian.

Common Misspellings for RIKSMAAL

• eiksmaal
• diksmaal
• fiksmaal
• tiksmaal
• 5iksmaal
• 4iksmaal
• ruksmaal
• rjksmaal
• rkksmaal
• roksmaal
• r9ksmaal
• r8ksmaal
• rijsmaal
• rimsmaal
• rilsmaal
• riosmaal
• riismaal
• rikamaal
• rikzmaal
• rikxmaal

Etymology of RIKSMAAL

The word "riksmaal" is derived from Norwegian and has its roots in Old Norse, the ancient language spoken in Scandinavia during the Viking Age.

In Old Norse, "rikr" meant "kingdom" or "realm", and "maal" referred to "language" or "speech". Therefore, "riksmaal" can be translated as "language of the kingdom" or "official language".

The term "riksmaal" was used to refer to the Danish-influenced Norwegian written language, which was widely used in Norway from the 16th to the 19th century. During this period, Norway was under Danish rule, and Danish was the dominant language of administration and literature.

In 1814, when Norway gained independence from Denmark, efforts were made to develop a distinct written language based on Norwegian dialects.