Bente Ailin Svendsen

Professor - Center for Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan

Norwegian version of this page

Email b.a.svendsen@iln.uio.no

Phone +47 22856966

Mobile phone +4797562138

Room HW 416

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Visiting address Henrik Wergelands hus Niels Henrik Abels vei 36 N-0313 OSLO Norway

Postal address Postboks 1102 Blindern 0316 Oslo

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Bente Ailin Svendsen is Professor of Second Language Acquisition and Scandinavian Linguistics. She initiated and co-developed MultiLing Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan, a Center of Excellence funded by the Research Council of Norway (RCN), where she was the Deputy Director 2013-2015 and the Leader of Theme 2 Multilingual Practices 2016-2017. She is Professor II at the University of South-Eastern Norway (2019-2021), attached to the research group "Linguistic variation and change in society and education". Svendsen has given talks in jail and she has served as an expert witness in court.

Research

Svendsen has carried out research on multilingual socialisation, competence and use among children and adults; and on linguistic practices and identity constructions among young people in multilingual urban spaces. Her publications include the paper "The dynamics of citizen sociolinguistics" in Journal of Sociolinguistics, the book Language, Youth and Identity in the 21st Century. Linguistic Practices across Urban Spaces (co-edited With Jacomine Nortier, Cambridge UP, 2015), Multilingual Urban Scandinavia: New Linguistic Practices (co-edited with Pia Quist, Multilingual Matters, 2010), as well as papers in European Journal of Applied Linguistics, International Journal of Bilingualism and Nordic and Norwegian journals and books.

Teaching

Svendsen teaches courses on Multilingualism, Sociolinguistics, Second Language Acquisition and Scandinavian linguistics.

Projects, dissemination, awards and appointments

Svendsen is the Department's former Research Director (2009-2012). She was Board member of the RCN program Cultural Conditions underlying Social Change (2011-2018) and Advisory Board member in the Language Council of Norway (2015-2018). From 2013-2017, Svendsen was the leader of the project Norwegian Romani.

She was a Board member of the SONE-network (Sociolinguistic network) 2011-2016, and editor of the journal Norwegian as a Second Language (NOA. Norsk som andrespråk) 2013-2015.

Svendsen led, developed and produced the language exhibition Oslo says. Language in the city at the Oslo City Museum in collaboration with Ingunn I. Ims, Tommy Sørbø and Tank Design. Open: May 2016-April 2018. Watch a documentary film here.

In 2017, Svendsen was granted the ILN's Dissemination Award 2016 for the language exhibition, and in 2018, she was for the article The dynamics of citizen sociolinguistics and the exhibition Oslo sier. Språk i byen granted the Knowledge Oslo Award 2017. As part of an author collective of the book Multilingualism in School, she won the Language Award in 2009 (ed. Rita Hvistendahl).

Svendsen led the RCN's Research Campaign 2014: Ta tempen på språket! [Taking the temperature of language!] where all students in all grades in Norway were invited to be language researchers.

Tags: Sociolinguistics, Second language acquisition, Scandinavian linguistics, Bilingualism, Multilingualism, Discourse Analysis

Articles and books

Ryen, E. & B. A. Svendsen 2020. Bilingualism and Multilingualism in Primary Education (Norway). Education and Child Studies, Bloomsbury,
Quist, P. & B. A. Svendsen 2020. Urban speech styles of Germanic languages. M. Putnam & B. R. Page (Eds.), Cambridge Handbook of Germanic Linguistics.
Svendsen, B. A. 2018. The dynamics of citizen sociolinguistics. Journal of Sociolinguistics.
Quist, P. & B. A. Svendsen 2015. MultiNord 2007–2015: Et nettverk for forskning om språk i heterogene byrom – empiriske og teoretiske hovedlinjer (MultiNord 2007-2015: A network for research on language in multilingual urban spaces]. NOA. Norsk som andrespråk 1-2: 151-194.
Nortier, J. & B. A. Svendsen 2015. Language, Youth and Identity in the 21st Century. Linguistic Practices across Urban Spaces. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Svendsen, B. A. & S. Marzo 2015. A 'new' speech style is born. The omnipresence of structure and agency in the life of semiotic registers in heterogenous urban spaces. European Journal of Applied Linguistics 3 (1): 47-85.
Madsen, L. M. & B. A. Svendsen 2015. Stylized voices of ethnicity and social division. In Nortier, J. & B. A. Svendsen (eds.), Language, Youth and Identity in the 21st Century. Linguistic Practices across Urban Spaces. Cambridge University. 207-230.
Svendsen, B.A. 2015. Language, youth and identity in the 21st century. Content and continuations. In Nortier, J. & B. A. Svendsen (eds.), Language, Youth and Identity in the 21st Century. Linguistic Practices across Urban Spaces. Cambridge University Press. 3-23.
Svendsen, B. A. 2014. Kebabnorskdebatten.En språkideologisk forhandling om sosial identitet. Tidsskrift for ungdomsforskning 2014 (1): 33-62.
Svendsen, B. A. 2012. Et språklig bakholdsangrep? "Østfold l-ens" inntog i Oslo. I: Fra holtijaR til holting. [A Linguistic Ambush? The March of Apical /ɭ/ in Oslo]. In Enger, H.O. og U. Røyneland (red.), Fra holtijaR til holting. Oslo: Novus. 349-366.
Svendsen, B. A. 2011. Fra språklig leilending til entreprenør? [A linguistic tenant farmer or entrepreneur?] I God(t) no(rs)k? - Språk og integrering. Integreringskartet, IMDI.
Uri, H. J. S. Nilsen, A. Østby og B.A. Svendsen 2011. Fakta faen. Oslo: Cappelen Damm.
Quist. P. & B. A. Svendsen 2010. MultiLingual Urban Scandinavia. New Linguistic Practices. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

Quist, Pia & Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020). Urban Speech Styles of Germanic Languages, In Michael T. Putnam & B. Richard Page (ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Germanic Linguistics. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9781108378291. Chapter 30. s 714 - 735
Ryen, Else & Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020). Bilingualism and Multilingualism in Primary Education (Norway). Bloomsbury Education and Childhood Studies. ISSN 2514-6440. . doi: 10.5040/9781350996311.0005
Svendsen, Bente Ailin; Ryen, Else & Ims, Ingunn Indrebø (2020). Flerspråklighet i skolen: Forskningsstatus og data fra "Ta tempen på språket!" og "Rom for språk?", I: Lars Anders Kulbrandstad & Guri Bordal Steien (red.), Språkreiser : festskrift til Anne Golden på 70-årsdagen 14. juli 2020. Novus Forlag. ISBN 9788283900422. Delkapittel. s 259 - 285
Lind, Marianne; Simonsen, Hanne Gram; Ribu, Ingeborg Sophie; Svendsen, Bente Ailin; Svennevig, Jan & de Bot, Kees (2018). Lexical access in a bilingual speaker with dementia: Changes over time. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics. ISSN 0269-9206. 32(4), s 353- 377 . doi: 10.1080/02699206.2017.1381168 Full text in Research Archive. Show summary
In this article, we explore the naming skills of a bilingual English- Norwegian speaker diagnosed with Primary Progressive Aphasia, in each of his languages across three different speech contexts: confrontation naming, semi-spontaneous narrative (picture description), and conversation, and at two points in time: 12 and 30 months post diagnosis, respectively. The results are discussed in light of two main theories of lexical retrieval in healthy, elderly speakers: the Transmission Deficit Hypothesis and the Inhibitory Deficit Theory. Our data show that, consistent with the participant’s premorbid use of and proficiency in the two languages, his performance in his L2 is lower than in his L1, but this difference diminishes as the disease progresses. This is the case across the three speech contexts; however, the difference is smaller in the narrative task, where his performance is very low in both languages already at the first measurement point. Despite his word finding problems, he is able to take active part in conversation, particularly in his L1 and more so at the first measurement point. In addition to the task effect, we find effects of word class, frequency, and cognateness on his naming skills. His performance seems to support the Transmission Deficit Hypothesis. By combining different tools and methods of analysis, we get a more comprehensive picture of the impact of the dementia on the speaker’s languages from an intra-individual as well as an inter-individual perspective, which may be useful in research as well as in clinical practice.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). Sosiokulturell andrespråkslingvistikk, I: Ann-Kristin Helland Gujord & Gunhild Tveit Randen (red.), Norsk som andrespråk - perspektiver på læring og utvikling. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISBN 9788202584702. Kapittel 3. s 76 - 106
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). The dynamics of citizen sociolinguistics. Journal of Sociolinguistics. ISSN 1360-6441. 22(2), s 137- 160 . doi: 10.1111/josl.12276 Full text in Research Archive. Show summary
The objective of this paper is to explore the dynamics of citizen science (CS) in sociolinguistics or Citizen Sociolinguistics, i.e. the engagement of non-professionals in doing sociolinguistic research. Based on a CS-study undertaken in Norway where we engaged young people as citizen scientists to explore linguistic diversity, this paper aims to clarify the definition of Citizen Sociolinguistics; it seeks to progress the discussion of the advantages of CS and of how CS can contribute to sociolinguistics; it also addresses the opposite: how sociolinguistics can contribute to the general field of citizen science; and it discusses the challenges of a CS-methodology for sociolinguistic research, epistemologically and ethically, as well as in terms of recruitment, quality control and possible types of sociolinguistic tasks and topics. To meet the needs of society and societal challenges of today there is a need to develop methods and establish scientific acceptance for the relevance of public engagement in research. This paper argues that Citizen Sociolinguistics has the potential to advance the societal impact of sociolinguistics by constructing a dialogue between ‘the academy’ and ‘the citizens’; Citizen Sociolinguistics relies on and encourages participatory citizen agency, provides research experience, stimulates curiosity, further research, public understanding of science, (socio)linguistic awareness and encourages linguistic stewardship.

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de Bot, Kees; Plejert, Charlotta; Simonsen, Hanne Gram; Fyndanis, Valantis; Hansen, Pernille; Norvik, Monica I.; Svendsen, Bente Ailin & Svennevig, Jan (2020). Multilingualism and ageing. An Overview. Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN 978-90-04-44539-0. 98 s. Show summary
This publication provides an overview of research on a large range of topics relating to language processing and language use from a life-span perspective. It is unique in covering and combining psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic approaches, discussing questions such as: Is it beneficial to speak more than one language when growing old? How are languages processed in multilingual persons, and how does this change over time? What happens to language and communication in multilingual aphasia or dementia? How is multilingual ageing portrayed in the media? It is a joint, cross-disciplinary venture of researchers from the Centre for Multilingualism in Society across the Lifespan at The University of Oslo and the editors of this publication.

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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020). Citizen Sociolinguistics and Ethnography – Different, but Same? Critical Perspectives.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020, 28. september). Digitalt forskningstorg 2020: Bente Ailin Svendsen forsker på slang. [Internett]. Det humanistiske fakultet Universitetet i Oslo.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020, 20. februar). Folk over hele landet snakker språket vårt. [Internett]. NRK.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020, 27. januar). John Lennart (17) snakker kun engelsk med kameratene sine. Nytt språkfenomen overrasker forsker. [Internett]. NRK Sapmi.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020, 25. februar). Kebabnorsk. [Internett]. Bjørnsletta Nyheter.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020). Kebabnorsk.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020, 26. juni). «Kebabnorsk» er norsk. Vårt land. Debattinnlegg.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020, 20. februar). Norske serier gjør kebabnorsk mer vanlig. [TV]. NRK Dagsreyen.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020, 24. februar). Når det bor flere dialekter i deg. [Radio]. NRK Ekko.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020, 16. februar). Ola Halvorsen i TV-serien Førstegangstjenesten sprer kebabnorsk ut på bygda. Men hvordan fenomenet generelt har spredd seg det siste ti-året vet forskerne lite om. [Radio]. Språkteigen.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020, 20. februar). Serier gjør kebabnorsk mer vanlig. [Radio]. NRK Dagsnytt.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020, 14. februar). Slik endrer Herman Flesvig språket vårt. [Internett]. Podcast: Verdens Gang.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020, 01. februar). Slik kan "Mæhmed" endre språket. [Internett]. VG TV.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020, 03. februar). Slik kan "Mæhmet" endre språket. [Internett]. SnapChat VG TV.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020, 01. mars). Språkskam, hemmeligholde språkkompetanse. [Radio]. NRK Ekko.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020). The social transformative potential of citizen sociolinguistics.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020, 16. september). Vet du hva «wolla» betyr? Nå har ordet inntatt den norske ordboka. [Internett]. Vi.no.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin; Siiner, Maarja & Diepeveen, Aafke Dientje (2020). «Immigrants» and «Immigration» within Norwegian Media Discourses on Dementia across Time.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin; Siiner, Maarja & Diepeveen, Aafke Dientje (2020). Mediediskurser om innvandrere og demens fra 2000-2020.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019, 21. februar). Bedre norsk med god urdu. [Fagblad]. Utdanning.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Citizen Sociolinguistics - advantages and challenges.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Citizen Sociolinguistics as Science and as Methodology. Critical Perspectives.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019, 21. februar). Den store språkdagen i dag. [Internett]. Utrop.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Exploring Multiligualism through Citizen sociolinguistics.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Flerspråklighet - til begeistring og besvær.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019, 08. januar). Forskning viser at norske barn snakker stadig mer engelsk. [Fagblad]. Kvinner og Klær.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019, 19. oktober). Fører kontantstøtte til at barn ikke lærer norsk ved skolestart?. [TV]. NRK Lørdagsrevyen.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019, 18. januar). Gøy med mange språk. [Fagblad]. Nysgjerrigper.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019, 15. mars). Hun har to dagligspråk og ingen språkfasit. [Fagblad]. Utdanning (papirversjon).
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019, 17. juli). Motstridende uttrykk - sinnsykt. [Radio]. NRK Her og nå.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Norsk anno 2050.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Sakkyndig vitne.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019, 02. januar). Skifter språk for å understreke følelser. [Internett]. forskning.no.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019, 01. juli). Snakker du Tesla-språket?. [Internett]. Side3.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Sosiolingvistisk medborgervitenskap - styrker og utfordringer.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Språk og identitet (film). [html ].
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Språk og identitet. Tilhørighet, endring og bevaring.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019, 28. februar). Tospråklige kids - eller dårlige i både norsk og engelsk?. [Internett]. Språknytt.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019, 17. juli). Tror sykt bra kommer i ordboka. [Radio]. NRK Her og Nå.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). Citizen sociolinguistics/Sosiolingvistisk medborgervitenskap.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018, 09. august). Det umulige "N-ordet". Aftenposten.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). Erfaringer fra programstyre-arbeid SAMKUL 2011-2018, Samfunnsutviklingens kulturelle forutsetninger.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018, 01. november). Flerkulturell banning. [Internett]. Utrop.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018, 11. november). Flerspråklighet, språk og identitet. [Internett]. Norsk digital læringsarena.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018, 24. februar). Hva er kebabnorsk i dag? Spør en forsker: Wolla, det er ingen som forsker på ungdomsspråket!. [Internett]. forskning.no.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018, 30. juli). Hvor lang tid tar det å lære et nytt språk?. [Internett]. forskning.no.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018, 01. oktober). Kebabnorsk og ord. [TV]. NRK Supernytt.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018, 04. august). Love in translation. VG Helg, s. 52-55.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018, 19. februar). Majorstuen/Majorstua - Språk på utstilling. [Radio]. NRK Østlandssendingen.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). SAMKUL - Samfunnsutviklingens kulturelle forutsetninger.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). Transdisciplinary approaches to bilingualism. Panel discussant.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). Urban Speech across Space and Time Social Meanings, Power and Contestations of Language in Globalised Cities.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018, 29. mai). "Ålø" sier ungdommen. Men hva betyr det?. [Internett]. vi.no.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin & Ims, Ingunn Indrebø (2018). Ideologising speech styles in multilingual urban spaces over time: Portrayals of ‘Kebab Norwegian’ in the media.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin; Jahr, Ellen Evju & Christensen, Olaf Sunde (2018). Hvor god er du i språk?.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin & Møller, Janus Spindler (2018). Panel: Contemporary Urban Speech Styles across Space and Time: Social Meanings, Power and Contestations of Language.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin & Tessem, Amalie (2018). The scientific and public impact of citizen sociolinguistics.
Røyneland, Unn & Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). Ethnography as (a set of) methods (for researching identity).
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). Flerspråklighet - i familien og i samfunnet.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017, 24. juli). Fluser, skækk og bauers. Gatespråket sprer seg i Oslo.. [Radio]. NRK Østlandssendingen.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017, 20. august). Forsker på gatespråk. [Radio]. NRK P2.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). Humanioraevalueringen Panel 2 - en vurdering.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). Searching for identities through stylisation among adolescents in culturally and linguistically heterogeneous urban spaces.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). Seminar om romanifolkets/taternes språk og musikk - åpning og arrangementsansvarlig.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017, 30. oktober). Shof, han snakker gatespråk!. [Tidsskrift]. Klar tale, nr 42.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017, 06. juni). Små kommuner mister barnehagetilskudd. [Fagblad]. Utdanning.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017, 09. oktober). Språk, dialekt og identitet. [Radio]. P1 Norgesglasset.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). The Dynamics of Citizen Sociolinguistics.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin; Ims, Ingunn Indrebø & Ryen, Else (2017). Er elevenes flerspråklighet synlig i skolen? En presentasjon av skoleundersøkelsen “Rom for språk?”.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin; Ryen, Else & Ims, Ingunn Indrebø (2017). Den flerspråklige skolen Elevers og læreres holdninger og praksis.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin & Saab, Anwar (2017). Dokumentarfilm om språkutstillingen "Oslo sier. Språk i byen".
Abrahamsen, Jardar Eggesbø; Ims, Ingunn Indrebø & Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016). Takt og tone i Oslo-språket. Show summary
«Takt og tone i Oslo-språket» er ein lyd-/video-installasjon på utstillinga «Oslo sier. Språk i byen». Abrahamsens del av bidraget er digitalt manipulert tonefall frå vestlandsk til austlandsk og motsett, videotilrettelegging og tekstgrunnlag for fylgjetekst. Ims og Svendsen har tilrettelagt teksten til utstillinga, utforma den konkrete installasjonen, og har ansvar for utstillinga som heilskap.
Ims, Ingunn Indrebø; Ryen, Else & Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016). "Rom for språk?".
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016, 08. februar). Barns språkkunnskaper sløses bort i skolen. [Internett]. Forskning.no.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016, 04. mai). Bente Ailin Svendsen - om ny stor språkutstilling. [Radio]. NRK Kulturnytt.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016, 11. november). Blir seniorene løftet av språket?. [Radio]. Her og nå/NRK.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016, 10. februar). Dette er "Flyktning Big-Brother". [Internett]. NRK.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016, 30. juli). Flerspråklighet. [Radio]. NRK Verdibørsen.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016). Flerspråklighet - en ressurs?.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016, 23. november). Google danker ut ordboka. [Internett].
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016). Language, Linguistics and Life Science, vist NRK2 14.5.2016.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016, 04. mai). "Oslo" eller "Oschlo"? "Kjøtt" eller "sjøtt"?. Aftenposten.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016). Oslo says. Language in the city.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016). Oslo sier. Språk i byen.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016, 04. mai). Se, hør og gjett på språk i ny utstilling. [Internett]. NTB.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016, 04. mai). Slang, ungdomsspråk og flerspråklighet. Om åpningen av utstillingen Oslo sier. Språk i byen. [Radio]. NRK Østlandssendingen.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016, 04. mai). Slik endres Oslospråket. Dagsavisen.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016, 15. mai). Språker, snakker, sjofer - om språkutstillingen Oslo sier. Språk i byen. Uniforum.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016, 12. april). Synliggjør språkmangfoldet i Oslo. [Fagblad]. I skolen.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin & Ims, Ingunn Indrebø (2016, 15. oktober). Derfor snakker unge som østfoldinger. Alle er ikke lenger hva det var. Tønsberg Blad.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin & Ims, Ingunn Indrebø (2016, 20. august). Språk på utstilling. [Fagblad]. Oslo S Magasinet, nr 3, august 2016.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin & Ims, Ingunn Indrebø (2016, 29. april). Ta testen om oslospråket. [Internett]. NRK Østlandssendingen.
Svendsen, Bente Ailin; Ims, Ingunn Indrebø & Else, Ryen (2016). Den flerspråklige skolen – Elevers og læreres holdninger og praksis.