Amund B. Larsen
Encyclopedia
Amund Bredesen Larsen was a Norwegian
linguist. He was one of the first to study Norwegian dialects and made the first dialect
map of any Nordic
country.
as the son of bailiff Christoffer Larsen and his wife Olea Bredesen Ramsøyen, and was named after his maternal grandfather. He was an older brother of Bastian Reinhold Larsen. He grew up in Grue, but in 1866 he moved to Christiania
and took his examen artium
. He eventually graduated with the cand.philol. degree in 1878. In June the same year he married Henriette Caroline Sætre; the marriage lasted until her death in 1881. He then married the Danish-born Anna Cathrine Lund in May 1887.
from 1879 and in Arendal
from 1883. He published two works about dialects in Trondhjem and Trøndelag: Oplysninger om Dialekter i Selbu og Guldalen (1882) and Oversigt over de trondhjemske dialekters slægtskabsforhold (1886). In 1894 he took the dr.philos. degree with the thesis Lydlæren i den solørske Dialekt især i dens Forhold til Oldsproget, on the dialect of his native Solør
. Oversigt over de norske bygdemål, an overview of Norwegian rural dialects, followed in 1897, when Larsen had managed to visit most of Norway. He also made the first dialect map of any Nordic
country, in 1887.
In 1899 he applied for a vacant professorship at the University of Kristiania
, but Marius Hægstad was appointed. Larsen worked as a teacher for two more years, until getting a state research scholarship in 1901. From 1902 he was engaged with describing Norwegian city dialects, a task on which he would spent most of his remaining life. Kristiania bymaal came in 1907, then followed Bergens bymaal released with Gerhard Stoltz in two volumes in 1911 and 1912, and Stavanger bymål with Mandius Berntsen in 1925. He also wrote volume eight of Norske Gaardnavne
, about farm names in Nedenes
, in 1905. He died in April 1928 in Bærum
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
linguist. He was one of the first to study Norwegian dialects and made the first dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
map of any Nordic
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
country.
Early and personal life
He was born in GrueGrue, Norway
Grue is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Solør. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kirkenær ....
as the son of bailiff Christoffer Larsen and his wife Olea Bredesen Ramsøyen, and was named after his maternal grandfather. He was an older brother of Bastian Reinhold Larsen. He grew up in Grue, but in 1866 he moved to Christiania
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...
and took his examen artium
Examen artium
Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1630...
. He eventually graduated with the cand.philol. degree in 1878. In June the same year he married Henriette Caroline Sætre; the marriage lasted until her death in 1881. He then married the Danish-born Anna Cathrine Lund in May 1887.
Career
Larsen worked as a teacher in TrondhjemTrondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
from 1879 and in Arendal
Arendal
is a town and municipality in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway. Arendal belongs to the traditional region of Sørlandet.The town of Arendal is the administrative center the municipality and also of Aust-Agder county...
from 1883. He published two works about dialects in Trondhjem and Trøndelag: Oplysninger om Dialekter i Selbu og Guldalen (1882) and Oversigt over de trondhjemske dialekters slægtskabsforhold (1886). In 1894 he took the dr.philos. degree with the thesis Lydlæren i den solørske Dialekt især i dens Forhold til Oldsproget, on the dialect of his native Solør
Solør
Solør is a Norwegian traditional district consisting of the valley between Elverum in the north and Kongsvinger in the south. It is part of the county of Hedmark, and includes the municipalities Våler, Åsnes and Grue.-Glomma valley :...
. Oversigt over de norske bygdemål, an overview of Norwegian rural dialects, followed in 1897, when Larsen had managed to visit most of Norway. He also made the first dialect map of any Nordic
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
country, in 1887.
In 1899 he applied for a vacant professorship at the University of Kristiania
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
, but Marius Hægstad was appointed. Larsen worked as a teacher for two more years, until getting a state research scholarship in 1901. From 1902 he was engaged with describing Norwegian city dialects, a task on which he would spent most of his remaining life. Kristiania bymaal came in 1907, then followed Bergens bymaal released with Gerhard Stoltz in two volumes in 1911 and 1912, and Stavanger bymål with Mandius Berntsen in 1925. He also wrote volume eight of Norske Gaardnavne
Norske Gaardnavne
Norske Gaardnavne is a 19 volume set of books based on a manuscript prepared from 1897 to 1924 by Professor Oluf Rygh, a noted professor of archeology, philology and history at the University of Oslo...
, about farm names in Nedenes
Aust-Agder
is a county in Norway, bordering Telemark, Rogaland, and Vest-Agder. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which is 2.2% of the total population in Norway. Its area is . The administrative center of the county is in Arendal....
, in 1905. He died in April 1928 in Bærum
Bærum
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sandvika. Bærum was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. A suburb of Oslo, Bærum is located on the west coast of the city....
.