Democratic problems?

The local elections in Norway are getting closer. And one potential democratic problem has been identified.

Norway has got three official written languages - bokmål (derived from Danish), nynorsk (constructed from Norwegian dialects), and Sami (the original language of the Sami people, spoken by almost all Samis). The thing is that the leaflets or booklets explaining how to vote in Norway are not written in Sami. That is a problem, according to, among others, language consultant Ellen Ragnhild Sara. I do agree, partially. Information about elections and election procedures should be written in all of the official languages, and in the languages of the largest immigrant minorities (Pakistani, Somali, Arabic, Russian, etc.)

This problem is, to me, of a principal nature. But, if you look at it another way, there could be another principal problem. If some people, e.g. the Samis, cannot understand and communicate in normal Norwegian (i.e. bokmål or nynorsk), that could pose a far larger democratic problem than election leaflets not printed in Sami.

If the national discurse about society, politics, and about Norway in general, is to function properly, it seems to me self evident that there needs be one lingua franca, in which the discurse is to take place. If there are several languages, as there is now, especially concerning the Sami society, that means that there is a dichotomy in the national discurse. It is taking place in different languages, which in effect is mutually excluding. Non-Samis cannot understand and participate in the Sami discurse, and at least not all of the Samis are able to participate in the national discussion in Norwegian.

If we get into a situation where it is accepted that Samis cannot communicate in Norwegian, that is not good at all. It might not be a problem, other than a principal one, and I do not hope that it is. But if it is not, than neither is the problem with election leaflets not written in Sami.

As a closing to this entry, let me state my respect to the Sami people. The history of the Samis in Norway is a troubled one, and I respect the Sami people`s need for expressing their own identity, of which their language is a big part. Still, they are part of the Norwegian nation, and should be able to communicate in standard Norwegian language.