Høgnorsk

{{short description|Unofficial Norwegian written standard language}}

{{Infobox language

|name = Norwegian Høgnorsk

|nativename = {{lang|nn-hognorsk|Høgnorsk / Landsmål}}

|region = Norway

|era = 19th century to present

|familycolor = Indo-European

|fam2 = Germanic

|fam3 = North Germanic

|fam4 = West Scandinavian

|fam5= Norwegian

|fam6 = Norwegian dialects

|ancestor = Old Norse

|ancestor2 = Old West Norse

|ancestor3 = Old Norwegian

|ancestor4 = Middle Norwegian

|ancestor5 = Norwegian dialects

|script = Latin

|iso1 = no

|iso2 = nor

|iso3 = nor

|glotto = none

|ietf = nn-hognorsk

|notice = IPA

}}

Høgnorsk ({{IPA|no|ˈhø̂ːɡnɔʁsk, ˈhø̂ːɡnɔʂk}};{{Cite web|title=Uttala|url=https://www.ivaraasen.no/wiki/index.php/Uttala|website=Mållekken}} meaning High Norwegian) is a term for varieties of the Norwegian language from Nynorsk that reject most of the official reforms that have been introduced since the creation of {{lang|nn-hognorsk|Landsmål}}. Høgnorsk typically accepts the initial reforms that, among other things, removed certain silent letters of etymological origin, while keeping most of the {{lang|nn-hognorsk|Landsmål}} grammar intact.

Torleiv Hannaas is often credited for introducing the term {{lang|nn-hognorsk|Høgnorsk}} in an article in 1922.{{cite web|url=http://www.aasentunet.no/default.asp?menu=1158&id=2957 |title=Høgnorsk eller flatnorsk? |last=Hannaas |first=Torleiv |author-link=Torleiv Hannaas |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206142333/http://www.aasentunet.no/default.asp?menu=1158&id=2957 |archive-date=2012-02-06 |language=no |url-status=dead }} He used it analogously to High German ({{lang|de|Hochdeutsch}}),{{lang|de|Hochdeutsch}} is the linguistic term for the southern and central dialects of German, spoken in the more mountainous parts of the German language area, in contrast to Low German ({{lang|de|Plattdeutsch}} or {{lang|de|Niederdeutsch}}) spoken mainly in the North German Plain. However, non-scientifically, {{lang|de|Hochdeutsch}} (unlike its English equivalent "High German") is the common word for "Standard German". Scientific German term for Standard German are {{lang|de|Neuhochdeutsch}} ("New High German") or {{lang|de|Standarddeutsch}} ("Standard German"). pointing out that Ivar Aasen, the creator of Nynorsk orthography, had especially valued the dialects of the mountainous areas of middle and western Norway, as opposed to the dialects of the lowlands of eastern Norway, which Hannaas called {{lang|no|flatnorsk}} (Flat Norwegian, like {{lang|de|Plattdeutsch}}).

The written High Norwegian language is a tradition originating from the first version of the New Norwegian written language (then called {{lang|no|Landsmål}}), as it was built by Ivar Aasen and later used by classical New Norwegian authors as Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, Arne Garborg, Olav Nygard and Olav H. Hauge.{{cite book|author=Bjørkum, Andreas|date=1998|page=93|publisher=Samlaget|title=Målmeistaren frå Ulvik}}

The {{lang|nn-hognorsk|Høgnorsk}} movement grew out of opposition to the official {{lang|no|Samnorsk}} policy which aimed at leveling out the differences between {{lang|no|Nynorsk}} and the other main variety of Norwegian language, {{lang|no|Bokmål}}. Reforms to this end were carried through in 1938 and 1959. Initially there was considerable resistance to these reforms, but the resulting standard is now widely accepted. {{lang|nn-hognorsk|Høgnorsk}} is currently supported by Ivar Aasen-sambandet and the activists behind Målmannen, but has relatively few active users.

The basis for the High Norwegian language direction is a wish to preserve the New Norwegian written language as an independent language, free of the strong influence from {{lang|no|Bokmål}} that today's Nynorsk has.