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the rise of English as an international lingua franca. Typisk Norsk is dedicated to showing the good and bad about how Norwegian is changing, and also to preserving those parts of the language that are, well, typisk norsk.
One of the most unique aspects of Norwegian is the sound represented by the letters "kj." "Kj" is similar to "sh" in English, but the tongue is pushed up towards the roof of the mouth. The result is a kind of hissing "sh" sound that is unique to Norwegian. Unfortunately, the "kj" sound is in trouble - too many Norwegians are dropping the sound in favor of the simpler, and more common "sh" sound, usually written "sj", or "sk" in Norwegian.
To turn the tide, Typisk Norsk commissioned a design firm, Scandinavian Design Group, to create a new letter to represent the "kj" sound, called the kjell.
Already there is an action group, Norges Store Kjellbevegelse, that is promoting the use of the kjell. They even offer a couple of new fonts that include the kjell. If you'd like to know more, visit www.geocities.com/kjellbev.
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