Norway is famous for its dialects. However, there is a way of speaking in Oslo that is a little different from the others. Let us introduce you to kebabnorsk.
Oslo is home to fantastic fjords听补苍诲 amazing architecture, but it also has a range of cultural experiences on offer.
For history enthusiasts, Oslo has countless museums like the Akershus Fortress, the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, and the Viking Ship Museum. For art lovers, it has the National Museum, which is due to re-open in 2021 and will house famous artwork such as Edvard Munch鈥檚 The Scream.
For foodies, there鈥檚 Mathallen聽(the Food Hall) in Vulkan, Oslo Street Food聽on Torggata, and Vippa聽by the Oslo fjord.
What is lesser known – but hardly surprising – is that Oslo also has a rich cultural diversity, . And there鈥檚 no better example of this than kebabnorsk. 聽
What is kebabnorsk?
Kebabnorsk (kebab Norwegian) is a form of spoken Norwegian used by young people in East Oslo. It is a , which means that speakers mix the majority language with multiple other minority languages.
In kebabnorsk, the majority language is Norwegian and the minority languages include (but are not limited to) Arabic, Turkish, Kurdish, Berber, Persian and Punjabi.
The most obvious features that multiethnolect users borrow from the other languages is vocabulary. Many languages have words that originally come from other languages, known as 鈥溾��.
For example, English has 鈥減yjamas鈥� (Hindu/Urdu), 鈥渕usic鈥� (French) and 鈥済litter鈥� (Old Norse). Norwegian loanwords include 鈥渟ofa鈥� (sofa – Arabic), 鈥渁bonnement鈥� (subscription – German) and 鈥減araply鈥� (umbrella – French).
Read more: Nordnorsk: The Dialect of Northern Norway
The difference between these loanwords and loanwords used in multiethnolects is that they have been accepted as part of the language: they are no longer considered foreign. However, multiethnolect loanwords can also become accepted if they are used and recognised by enough speakers. For example, 鈥渨olla鈥� (from the Arabic 鈥渨allah鈥�, meaning 鈥淚 swear鈥�) can be found in 听(狈础翱叠).
While kebabnorsk is only found in Norway, multiethnolects are very common among young people in cities throughout Europe (and probably the world), particularly in multicultural areas.
The history of kebabnorsk
The languages used in kebabnorsk first came to Norway towards the end of the 1960s, when there was a marked increase in non-western immigration to Oslo – .
However, kebabnorsk as a language variant did not attract much public attention until 2005, when Andreas E. 脴stby released his 鈥淜ebabnorsk ordbok鈥� (kebabnorsk dictionary).
The word 鈥渒ebabnorsk鈥� was coined by the Norwegian media in the 1990s聽as an adaptation of 鈥渒ebabsvenska鈥� (kebab Swedish), which was used to describe a similar language variant in Sweden. It does not come from kebabnorsk speakers.
Because of this, some kebabnorsk speakers view the name as derogatory and prefer to call it other names, such as 鈥溾�� (Holmlia Norwegian) or 鈥溾�� (street language).
Examples of kebabnorsk
As kebabnorsk is only a spoken language (although this is changing), it develops a lot quicker than other forms of language. Words used in kebabnorsk today may not be the same words in a few years鈥� time. However, some current examples of kebabnorsk include:
Kebabnorsk word | Language of origin | Norwegian translation | English translation |
Avor | Berber/Persian/Kurdish | 脜 stikke/dra | To go/leave |
Flos | Arabic | Penger | Money |
碍忙产别 | Arabic | Jente | Girl |
Schpa | Berber | Bra | Good |
Sjofe | Arabic | 脜 se | To see |
Is kebabnorsk slang?
As kebabnorsk is a spoken form of language used by young people, kebabnorsk is often referred to as a form of slang. However, this is not quite right, as slang tends to only聽refer to different vocabulary, while multiethnolects can also feature different grammar and pronunciation.
In addition, Norwegian slang also contains words from 鈥渁nglonorsk鈥� (English Norwegian) and 鈥渟alsanorsk鈥� (Spanish Norwegian), as well as words adapted from 鈥渟tandard鈥� Norwegian itself.
Slang word | Norwegian translation | English translation | |
Norsk (Norwegian) | 脜 sigge | 脜 r酶yke (sigaretter) | To smoke (cigarettes) |
Anglonorsk | 脜 joine | 脜 bli med | To join |
Salsanorsk | En chico/chica | gutt/jente | boy/girl |
While anglonorsk and salsanorsk also mix Norwegian with other languages, they differ from kebabnorsk in a few ways. For example, they are examples of , wherein only one聽minority language is mixed with the majority language.
In addition, English and Spanish are western languages and therefore anglonorsk and salsanorsk tend to be viewed differently than kebabnorsk, which only uses non-western languages. Anglonorsk in particular is very accepted in Norway due to the high levels of exposure in Norwegian schools and media.
Is kebabnorsk a dialect?
Norway is famous for its dialectal variation: there is no one 鈥渞ight way鈥� to speak Norwegian. 聽are often defined as ways of speaking that are connected to one specific place. In Norway, dialects can be so different that Norwegians can .
Some people argue that kebabnorsk should also be a dialect, as it is . In addition, if kebabnorsk became a dialect, it would gain the same status – and its speakers the same respect – as other dialects and dialect users.
Currently, kebabnorsk is not considered a dialect – however, this may change in the future.
Misconceptions about kebabnorsk
There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding kebabnorsk and the people who speak it. Here are the two main ones:
1. 鈥淥nly people with a non-western background speak kebabnorsk.鈥�
Kebabnorsk is not solely spoken by people with a non-western background, and you do not have to be a fluent speaker – or even have any knowledge – of the languages used in kebabnorsk to speak kebabnorsk properly. A young, monolingual, ethnic Norwegian is just as capable of speaking kebabnorsk聽as a young, second-generation Norwegian from a bilingual household.
2. 鈥淧eople who speak kebabnorsk cannot speak proper Norwegian.鈥�
Kebabnorsk speakers are also fluent in Norwegian, and kebabnorsk has no negative impact on their language. This is because kebabnorsk is not聽鈥渂ad Norwegian鈥�: it is a separate聽form of Norwegian that is used only in certain situations – e.g. among friends, not instead of聽鈥渟tandard鈥� Norwegian.
The phenomenon of adjusting your language depending on the situation is called 鈥溾�� and is not unique to multiethnolect users. In fact, the vast majority of people do this, even if unconsciously.
Most people don鈥檛 speak the same way to their boss as they do to their friends. My Norwegian partner can always tell if I鈥檝e been speaking to my friends and family in the UK because I get louder and more southern English (make of that what you will).
Similarly, my partner鈥檚 northern Norwegian accent is significantly stronger when we visit his parents in the North than when we are at home in Oslo.
Media in kebabnorsk
Are you interested in hearing some kebabnorsk but can鈥檛 get to east Oslo to listen to it in person? Then you鈥檙e in luck because , and there are plenty of places where you can experience it for yourself:
TV: Kebabnorsk is spoken in the NRK comedy programme 鈥溾�� (Basic military service) by the character Ola Halvorsen, who grew up in a multicultural environment in Oslo. It was also featured in 聽(Typical Norwegian), wherein Petter Schjerven investigated different aspects of Norwegian culture.
Music:聽Kebabnorsk has long been used by underground hip hop groups like . However, it has also been used in songs by internationally recognised groups including 听补苍诲 .
Books: While kebabnorsk is mainly a spoken language, it is slowly being used in writing too. The book 鈥溾�� (All the foreigners have closed their curtains) by Maria Navarro Skaranger is written in kebabnorsk, and was recently adapted into a movie.
鈥溾�� (Aunt Ulrikke鈥檚 street) by Zeshan Shakar is also in kebabnorsk and the rights to translate the book into English were bought in 2018.
Keep calm (and let people speak kebabnorsk)
Kebabnorsk is an extremely interesting language form that reflects the diversity and community of young people in East Oslo. It is also misunderstood by the majority of other Norwegians. Unfortunately, this has a real impact on both kebabnorsk speakers and the areas where they live.
For example, one of the reasons that Norwegian parents will move their children out of schools in the East to the West is due to 聽(see the second misconception).
Not only does West Oslo have fewer non-western immigrants, but it is also a richer area as a whole, with access to more resources and funding. This leads to schools in the East being underfunded and the youth in the East feeling rejected by Norwegian society. It also fuels further division between 鈥渆thnic Norwegians鈥� and 鈥渋mmigrants鈥�.
As language researcher and professor : 鈥淪pr氓k er langt mer enn kommunikasjon. Spr氓k er identitet. Spr氓k er makt. Ved 氓 tr氓kke p氓 spr氓k, tr氓kker du p氓 menneskene som snakker spr氓ket鈥�
In English: 鈥淟anguage is far more than communication. Language is identity. Language is power. When you trample on language, you trample on the people who speak that language.
Do you know of any multiethnolects in your country? Let us know in the comments!
