Multilectal Lliteracy in Education

The MultiLit project explores several aspects of the Norwegian language situation with a comparative eye to the Frisian language situation in Fryslân in the Netherlands. The main objective of the project is to investigate the contribution of diverse language internal literacy skills to academic achievement, i.e. to what extent actively writing and reading closely related linguistic codes is beneficial in scholastic terms. In other words, the project highlights the acquisition of the two written Norwegian standards, but also the widespread practice of writing "in dialect" among Norwegian children and adolescents. The comparison with Frisian is interesting since although being a lesser used language close to a more widely used one (Dutch) Frisian is less institutionalized than the Norwegian lesser used language, Nynorsk. The project is based in the research group on Reading, Writing and Language Development at the Sogndal campus of Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) and it is led by professor Øystein A. Vangsnes. National participating institutions are UiT, NTNU, Volda University College, UiA and UiO. In the Netherlands the project participates with University of Groningen, NHL Stenden, Maastricht University and Fryske Akademy. A Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) consists of three international experts from the University of Pennsylvania, University of Glasgow and University of Edinburgh. The project comprises the following four work packages: WP1 Language separation in multilectal and monolectal adolescents - led by Björn Lundquist (UiT) WP2 Written norms among multilectal and monolectal adolescents - led by Unn Røyneland (UiO) WP3 Early standard language stimulation in multilectal and monolectal contexts - led by Eli Bjørhusdal (HVL) WP4 Developmental effects in multilectal and monolectal adolescents - led by Göran Söderlund (HVL) A PhD fellow associated to WP3 started in September 2021 at HVL in Sogndal. A postdoc associated with WP4 commenced a two-year position in April 2022 at UiT. Another PhD fellow associated to WP2 started in February 2023 at HVL. As of August 2022 a scientific assistant has been employed in a 100 % position at HVL. Beyond these positions financed by the project, also two other PhD fellows with other funding have been associated with the project, one at HVL and another at UiT. By December 2023 the status is that for WP1, WP2 and WP3 data has been collected from three places/areas in Norway which were expected to house participants with three different multilectal profiles: (i) a trilectal group in Western Norway which masters both Nynorsk and Bokmål and which also writes in dialect, (ii) a bilectal group in Northern Norway with Bokmål as the language of school and with dialect used in private written communication, (iii) a monolectal group in Eastern Norway which uses Bokmål both at school and in private settings. Data collection from the Western Norwegian location took place in October 2022, from the northern location in May 2023 and from the eastern location in October 2023. In WP3 too, which deals with pre-school children, data have been collected from the Western Norwegian location. In April 2022 researchers from the project visited kindergartens and undertook an ethnographic study of the linguistic environment. Furthermore, the PhD fellow in WP3 has recorded children’s performative play in one of the kindergartens at the location between early fall of 2022 and the summer of 2023. The project will thus now transition to a phase of data analysis and production of scientific papers and reports based upon that. Three MA theses were completed spring 2023 based on data from the project, two at HVL and one at UiT, and another two are underway to be completed spring 2024, one at HVL and the other at the University of Bergen. The project commenced 1st October 2020. Due to delays as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and difficulties with filling the recruitment positions in the project a postponed end date has been granted for 1st April 2025. After common digital meetings in both 2020 and 2021 the project could finally gather all participants to a bigger meeting in May/June 2022. The meeting took place over three days in Leikanger, Western Norway, and had about 25 participants including some guests and the SAB. A digital half day seminar for the whole network will take place in December 2023, and in June 2024 there will be another three day in-person seminar in Fryslân, The Netherlands.

Is it beneficial for a child’s academic development to be multilectally literate, i.e. have the capacity to write (and read) in different closely related linguistic codes? Some recent Norwegian studies of achievement results have found that pupils using the Nynorsk written standard of Norwegian outperform pupils using the Bokmål written standard of Norwegian, and a plausible difference between the two groups is that the Nynorsk pupils, due to heavy extra-mural exposure, acquire competence in both varieties simultaneously whereas Bokmål pupils do not. The possible basis for this will be explored in the MultiLit project, where investigations into the Norwegian language situation, and Nynorsk in particular, will be compared to the situation for Frisian. For Norwegian we hypothesize three main literacy profiles among adolescents: (i) a monolectal group (using only the Bokmål standard), (ii) a bilectal group (using the Bokmål standard and written dialect), (iii) a trilectal group (using Bokmål, Nynorsk, and written dialect). What kind of differences can be discerned across these groups in terms of language stimulation, language processing and production, cognitive behavior, and scholastic performance. Notice in particular that the self-driven use of dialect in computer-mediated communication will be highlighted in the project. Comparisons with Frisian are particularly interesting since Frisian, like Nynorsk, is a lesser used language which is structurally proximate to a majority language, i.e. to Dutch. But although an official language in the province Fryslân, Frisian is far less institutionalized and supported than Nynorsk. To what extent effects similar to the ones observed in Norway emerges in the Frisian context may inform us of what literacy in a lesser used language variety may contribute. The issue may further be addressed and have impact in a number of other contexts internationally.