Faroese language conflict

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The Faroese language conflict is a phase in the history of the Faroe Islands in the first half of the 20th century (approx. 1908 to 1938). It was a political and cultural argument between advocates of Faroese and Danish to serve as the official language of the Faroe Islands.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the language of the church, public education, the government, and the law was Danish, but Faroese was the language of ordinary people. The orthography of Faroese had been set by Venceslaus Ulricus Hammershaimb in the middle of the 19th century, and the language had aroused Faroese nationalism since the Christmas Meeting of 1888 or Jólafundurin.^[1]

The conflict was not so much a struggle between the Faroe Islanders and the Danes, but rather among the Faroese themselves. The positions evolved with time.

The Norwegian language conflict between Bokmål and Nynorsk presents some similar aspects.