This book presents the main results of my research and work on Norwegian language planning and language conflict – carried out over more than four decades from the early 1970s to the present day. The Norwegian case offers an excellent opportunity to study in detail the complicated interplay between social class and language planning against the background of general political developments. My intention here is to describe this interplay and, by doing so, convey a coherent overview of and insights into the development of Norwegian language planning.

Any generalising begs further discussion. At the same time, we have to generalise in order to be able to present potent models of explanation. My presentation herein will certainly meet with objections and alternative views. Or, at least, I hope it will. Research on modern Norwegian language history has mostly involved empirical work, and a great deal of important data and various materials have been collected over the years; however, there have been fewer overall analyses and contributions leading to deeper insights into the social and political motivations and driving forces of Norwegian language planning. In quite a number of earlier accounts, the sociolinguistic experiment which was salient in the 1938 reform has often been difficult to observe because it was concealed in the presentation of too much data.