Kebab Norwegian
Encyclopedia
Kebab Norwegian is a variety of Norwegian
that incorporates words from languages of non-Western immigrants to Norway
, such as Kurdish
, Arabic, Pashto, Persian
, Punjabi
. Kebab Norwegian is mainly used by immigrant youths and those growing up with immigrant youths in the eastern parts of Oslo
.
Kebab Norwegian was first identified in the 1990s. In 1995, Stine Aasheim wrote an M.A. thesis on the phenomenon: "Kebab-norsk: fremmedspråklig påvirkning på ungdomsspråket i Oslo". Andreas Eilert Østby, who used Kebab Norwegian in his translation of Jonas Hassen Khemiri
's novel Ett öga rött
about immigrants speaking a similar dialect of Swedish, published a Kebab Norwegian dictionary in the same year, 2005. In 2007, a hip-hop Kebab Norwegian version of Romeo and Juliet
was staged in Oslo. In 2008, 99% Ærlig, a film about East Oslo youth, featured Kebab Norwegian.
The name "Kebab Norwegian" is taken from the kebab
and based on stereotypes of users, who tend not to refer to it by that name, and increasingly perceive it as referring to "bad Norwegian" rather than linguistic creativity. Academic researchers more commonly refer to it as an ethnolect
, specifically "Norwegian multiethnolect". It includes words from about 20 languages, including Japanese and a surprisingly large amount of Spanish.
The dialect continues to evolve. As is characteristic of immigrant ways of speaking, it is used also by native-born young people when speaking with their peers, and users code-switch
and avoid it in situations such as job interviews.
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
that incorporates words from languages of non-Western immigrants to Norway
Immigration to Norway
The number of immigrants in Norway is currently approximately 601,000, which corresponds to 12.2 percent of the total population . In addition to these, 213,486 are born in Norway with one immigrant parent, 31,540 are born abroad with one Norwegian parent, and 37,056 are born abroad to Norwegian...
, such as Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
, Arabic, Pashto, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
. Kebab Norwegian is mainly used by immigrant youths and those growing up with immigrant youths in the eastern parts of Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
.
Kebab Norwegian was first identified in the 1990s. In 1995, Stine Aasheim wrote an M.A. thesis on the phenomenon: "Kebab-norsk: fremmedspråklig påvirkning på ungdomsspråket i Oslo". Andreas Eilert Østby, who used Kebab Norwegian in his translation of Jonas Hassen Khemiri
Jonas Hassen Khemiri
Jonas Hassen Khemiri is an award-winning Swedish novelist and playwright. He has been named one of the most important Swedish writers of his generation.-Career:...
's novel Ett öga rött
Ett öga rött
Ett öga rött is the debut novel of Jonas Hassen Khemiri. It was published in 2003, received positive reviews and sold over 200.000 copies in Sweden which made it the best-selling paperback of any category in 2004. For One Eye Red, Khemiri received the Borås Tidning Award for best literary debut,...
about immigrants speaking a similar dialect of Swedish, published a Kebab Norwegian dictionary in the same year, 2005. In 2007, a hip-hop Kebab Norwegian version of Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
was staged in Oslo. In 2008, 99% Ærlig, a film about East Oslo youth, featured Kebab Norwegian.
The name "Kebab Norwegian" is taken from the kebab
Kebab
Kebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer...
and based on stereotypes of users, who tend not to refer to it by that name, and increasingly perceive it as referring to "bad Norwegian" rather than linguistic creativity. Academic researchers more commonly refer to it as an ethnolect
Ethnolect
Ethnolect is a variety of a language spoken by a certain ethnic/cultural subgroup and serves as a distinguishing mark of social identity. The term combines the concepts of an ethnic group and dialect....
, specifically "Norwegian multiethnolect". It includes words from about 20 languages, including Japanese and a surprisingly large amount of Spanish.
The dialect continues to evolve. As is characteristic of immigrant ways of speaking, it is used also by native-born young people when speaking with their peers, and users code-switch
Code-switching
In linguistics, code-switching is the concurrent use of more than one language, or language variety, in conversation. Multilinguals—people who speak more than one language—sometimes use elements of multiple languages in conversing with each other...
and avoid it in situations such as job interviews.
External links
- Håkon Bolstad, Kebabnorsk, Typisk norsk, NRK 12 May 2004, with a list of words and their origins.
- Kebabnorsk on Typisk norsk, YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
Further reading
- Andreas Eilert Østby. Kebabnorsk ordbok. Oslo: Gyldendal, 2005. ISBN 82-05-33910-4