Is it NORGE? Or NOREG? Or even NORGA?

My passport is for a country called Norge. Or Noreg. Or Norga. All three names are used, right there on the front cover. This week’s podcast is about an aspect of Norway’s cultural landscape that I find the most intriguing of all: the Norwegian language(s). Intriguing, because for the last few centuries the Norwegian language has been struggling with a split personality. Not even the name of the country is spared this cultural schizophrenia! Perhaps Norwegians call their country NorGE, perhaps they call it NorEG! It all depends on who you ask! Did you know that the Norwegian national anthem was not written in Norwegian? And that Edvard Munch never wrote a single letter in Norwegian? We will also find out how Norwegians voted in the competition for the TEN MOST TYPICALLY NORWEGIAN THINGS …


EPISODE PHOTO
A banknote issued by Norges Bank. Or perhaps Noregs Bank. And my passport is for a country called Norge. Or Noreg. Or Norga.

CONTACT
Twitter: @northbynorway
Email: northbynorway@gmail.com

THANKS
to actor Solveig M. Boyle for her vocal contributions

MUSIC
00:00 North by Norway
written on GarageBand by Andrew J. Boyle, using the Norwegian folksong ‘I Ola-dalom, i Ola-tjønn’

01:50 I Ola-dalom, i Ola-tjønn
Edvard Grieg, op. 66, no. 14

03:30 Ja, vi elsker dette landet
Carsten Woll
UCSB Cylinder Audio Archive

05:40 Tá mo chleamnhas déanta
Scottish/Irish folk song, arr. Andrew J. Boyle

11:50 Norwegian Dance
Edward Grieg, op. 35, no. 2

All music performed on GarageBand by Andrew J. Boyle
(except Ja, vi elsker)