Bente Ailin Svendsen

Bente Ailin Svendsen is Professor of Multilingualism and Second Language Studies. 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 Adjunct Professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway (2019-2023), attached to the research group "Linguistic variation and change in society and education". Svendsen has furthered citizen science in sociolinguistics (Svendsen 2018), in one of the recent top cited paper in Journal of Sociolinguistics. She has an extended outreach activity, particularly through her role as the project leader of the language exhibition Oslo says. Language in the City and the Language Lounge at the Oslo City Museum (2016-2018). She has given many public talks, participated in a variety of media channels for a diverse audience, and she has served as an expert witness in court involving bilingual development, custody and the Norwegian Child Welfare Service.
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 settings, as well as on media representations of minoritised language use and purported language users. Her publications include her PhD thesis on multilingual socialisation on Norwegian-Filipino children in Norway (e.g. published in International Journal of Bilingualism, Lanza & Svendsen 2007), the paper "The dynamics of citizen sociolinguistics" in Journal of Sociolinguistics (2018), 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). She is a co-author of the book Multilingualism and ageing (Brill, 2020), as well as the author of papers in European Journal of Applied Linguistics (Svendsen & Marzo 2015) International Journal of Bilingualism (e.g. Svendsen & Røyneland 2008) and in Nordic and Norwegian journals and books (e.g. Svendsen's book, 2021, Multilingualism - a Blessing and a Burden, Gyldendal Academic Press, 302 p.)
Teaching
Svendsen teaches courses on Multilingualism (NOAS 1100, LING 1109), Second Language Studies (NOAS 1100), as well as the MA course Language and Communication in the Multicultural Society (SPR 4110).
Projects, dissemination, awards and appointments
Svendsen is the leader of the research group Urban Talk & Text. From 2013-2017, Svendsen was the leader of the project Norwegian Romani. She is the Department's former Research Director (2009-2012). Svendsen 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).
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.
Publications
Articles and books
- Bente A. Svendsen 2022. Contemporary Urban Speech Styles. Norway. In P. Kerswill & H. Wiese (eds.), Urban contact dialects and language change: Insights from the global North and South. London: Routledge.
- Bente A. Svendsen 2021. Flerspråklighet - til begeistring og besvær [Multilingualism - a Blessing and a Burden]. Oslo: Gyldendal, 302 p.
- Svendsen, B.A. and Goodchild, S. 2021, How We Talk about Language: Exploring Citizen Sociolinguistics. Rymes, Betsy, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 2020. 201 pp. 1st edition, ISBN: 9781108725965: https://doi.org/10.1111/josl.12511
- De Bot, K., A. Pleijert and H.G. Simonsen + V. Fyndanis, P. Hansen, M. Norvik, B. A. Svendsen & J. Svennevig 2020. Multilingualism and ageing. Brill.
- 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.
- Lind, M.; Simonsen, H.G.; Ribu, I. S.; Svendsen, B.A.; Svennevig, J. & de Bot, K. 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.
- 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.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2022). Norway Contemporary urban speech styles. In Kerswill, Paul & Wiese, Heike (Ed.), Urban Contact Dialects and Language Change, Insights from the Global North and South. Routledge. ISSN 9780429487958. p. 206–222. doi: https%3A/doi.org/10.4324/9780429487958.
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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. Full text in Research Archive
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin; Ryen, Else & Ims, Ingunn Indrebø (2020). Flerspråklighet i skolen: Forskningsstatus og data fra "Ta tempen på språket!" og "Rom for språk?". In Kulbrandstad, Lars Anders & Steien, Guri Bordal (Ed.), Språkreiser : festskrift til Anne Golden på 70-årsdagen 14. juli 2020. Novus Forlag. ISSN 9788283900422. p. 259–285.
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Quist, Pia & Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020). Urban Speech Styles of Germanic Languages. In Putnam, Michael T. & Page, B. Richard (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Germanic Linguistics. Cambridge University Press. ISSN 9781108378291. p. 714–735. doi: 10.1017/9781108378291.031.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). Sosiokulturell andrespråkslingvistikk. In Gujord, Ann-Kristin Helland & Randen, Gunhild Tveit (Ed.), Norsk som andrespråk - perspektiver på læring og utvikling. Cappelen Damm Akademisk. ISSN 9788202584702. p. 76–106.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). The dynamics of citizen sociolinguistics. Journal of Sociolinguistics. ISSN 1360-6441. 22(2), p. 137–160. doi: 10.1111/josl.12276. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
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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), p. 353–377. doi: 10.1080/02699206.2017.1381168. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2021). Flerspråklighet - til begeistring og besvær. Gyldendal Akademisk. ISBN 9788205548039. 302 p. Show summary
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de Bot, Kees; Plejert, Charlotta; Simonsen, Hanne Gram; Fyndanis, Valantis; Hansen, Pernille & Norvik, Monica I. [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2020). Multilingualism and ageing. An Overview. Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN 978-90-04-44539-0. 98 p. Show summary
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2022). The role of language and multilingualism in custody cases: An interview with Bente Ailin Svendsen.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2022). Citizen Sociolinguistics: Affordances and Challenges .
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2022). The Role and Impact of Citizen Science in Sociolinguistics .
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Lomeu Gomes, Rafael & Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2022). Minoritised youth language in Norwegian media discourse: Surfacing the abyssal line.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2021). Hva kan 1900-tallets syn på tospråklighet lære oss om dagens forskning på og forståelse av flerspråklighet? .
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin & Goodchild, Samantha (2021). Book review: How We Talk about Language: Exploring Citizen Sociolinguistics. Betsy Rymes, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. 2020. 201 pp. 1st edition, ISBN: 9781108725965: Pb: £19.99. Journal of Sociolinguistics. ISSN 1360-6441. p. 1–6. doi: 10.1111/josl.12511.
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Opsahl, Toril & Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2021). «... kom ta min hånd og bli med meg på en tur rundt i byen ...» – Janne og urbant språkmangfold.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2021). Er flerspråklighet egentlig en fordel? [Internet]. Gyldendal Fagbokpod.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2021). Flerspråklighet - en ressurs i norskopplæringen?
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2021). Hvorfor er det ikke lov å si «flus» og «wolla» i Dagsrevyen når dialekter er lov? [Newspaper]. Aftenposten.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2021). Vi syns ofte folk snakket rart før i tiden. Mye har skjedd med talespråket på 70 år. [Internet]. Forskning.no.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2021). Er dette en språkfeil som er kommet for å bli? [Radio]. NRK.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020). Citizen Sociolinguistics and Ethnography – Different, but Same? Critical Perspectives .
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020). Vet du hva «wolla» betyr? Nå har ordet inntatt den norske ordboka. [Internet]. Vi.no.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020). Digitalt forskningstorg 2020: Bente Ailin Svendsen forsker på slang. [Internet]. Det humanistiske fakultet Universitetet i Oslo.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020). The social transformative potential of citizen sociolinguistics.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin; Siiner, Maarja & Diepeveen, Aafke (2020). «Immigrants» and «Immigration» within Norwegian Media Discourses on Dementia across Time .
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin; Siiner, Maarja & Diepeveen, Aafke (2020). Mediediskurser om innvandrere og demens fra 2000-2020.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020). Kebabnorsk.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020). John Lennart (17) snakker kun engelsk med kameratene sine. Nytt språkfenomen overrasker forsker. [Internet]. NRK Sapmi.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020). 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.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2020). Slik endrer Herman Flesvig språket vårt. [Internet]. Podcast: Verdens Gang.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Fører kontantstøtte til at barn ikke lærer norsk ved skolestart? [TV]. NRK Lørdagsrevyen.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Hun har to dagligspråk og ingen språkfasit. [Business/trade/industry journal]. Utdanning (papirversjon).
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Citizen Sociolinguistics - advantages and challenges.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Citizen Sociolinguistics as Science and as Methodology. Critical Perspectives.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Exploring Multiligualism through Citizen sociolinguistics.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Norsk anno 2050.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Motstridende uttrykk - sinnsykt . [Radio]. NRK Her og nå.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Flerspråklighet - til begeistring og besvær.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Språk og identitet. Tilhørighet, endring og bevaring .
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Sosiolingvistisk medborgervitenskap - styrker og utfordringer.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Tospråklige kids - eller dårlige i både norsk og engelsk? [Internet]. Språknytt.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Sakkyndig vitne.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Bedre norsk med god urdu. [Business/trade/industry journal]. Utdanning.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Gøy med mange språk. [Business/trade/industry journal]. Nysgjerrigper.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Språk og identitet (film).
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2019). Forskning viser at norske barn snakker stadig mer engelsk. [Business/trade/industry journal]. Kvinner og Klær.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). Flerspråklighet, språk og identitet. [Internet]. Norsk digital læringsarena.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin; Jahr, Ellen Evju & Christensen, Olaf Sunde (2018). Hvor god er du i språk?
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). Erfaringer fra programstyre-arbeid SAMKUL 2011-2018, Samfunnsutviklingens kulturelle forutsetninger.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). SAMKUL - Samfunnsutviklingens kulturelle forutsetninger.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). Citizen sociolinguistics/Sosiolingvistisk medborgervitenskap.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin & Møller, Janus Spindler (2018). Panel: Contemporary Urban Speech Styles across Space and Time: Social Meanings, Power and Contestations of Language .
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin & Ims, Ingunn Indrebø (2018). Ideologising speech styles in multilingual urban spaces over time: Portrayals of ‘Kebab Norwegian’ in the media .
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). Love in translation. [Newspaper]. VG Helg, s. 52-55.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin & Tessem, Amalie (2018). The scientific and public impact of citizen sociolinguistics .
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). Transdisciplinary approaches to bilingualism. Panel discussant .
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). Urban Speech across Space and Time Social Meanings, Power and Contestations of Language in Globalised Cities .
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). Hva er kebabnorsk i dag? Spør en forsker: Wolla, det er ingen som forsker på ungdomsspråket! [Internet]. forskning.no.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2018). Majorstuen/Majorstua - Språk på utstilling. [Radio]. NRK Østlandssendingen.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). Humanioraevalueringen Panel 2 - en vurdering.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). Språk, dialekt og identitet. [Radio]. P1 Norgesglasset.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). Shof, han snakker gatespråk! [Journal]. Klar tale, nr 42.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). Små kommuner mister barnehagetilskudd. [Business/trade/industry journal]. Utdanning.
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Røyneland, Unn & Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). Ethnography as (a set of) methods (for researching identity).
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). Seminar om romanifolkets/taternes språk og musikk - åpning og arrangementsansvarlig.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin & Saab, Anwar (2017). Dokumentarfilm om språkutstillingen "Oslo sier. Språk i byen".
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). The Dynamics of Citizen Sociolinguistics.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin; Ims, Ingunn Indrebø & Ryen, Else (2017). Er elevenes flerspråklighet synlig i skolen? En presentasjon av skoleundersøkelsen “Rom for språk?” .
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin; Ryen, Else & Ims, Ingunn Indrebø (2017). Den flerspråklige skolen Elevers og læreres holdninger og praksis .
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). Searching for identities through stylisation among adolescents in culturally and linguistically heterogeneous urban spaces .
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). Flerspråklighet - i familien og i samfunnet.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). Fluser, skækk og bauers. Gatespråket sprer seg i Oslo. [Radio]. NRK Østlandssendingen.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2017). Forsker på gatespråk. [Radio]. NRK P2.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin; Ims, Ingunn Indrebø & Else, Ryen (2016). Den flerspråklige skolen – Elevers og læreres holdninger og praksis.
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Ims, Ingunn Indrebø; Ryen, Else & Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016). "Rom for språk?".
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Abrahamsen, Jardar Eggesbø; Ims, Ingunn Indrebø & Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016). Takt og tone i Oslo-språket. Show summary
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016). Google danker ut ordboka.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin & Ims, Ingunn Indrebø (2016). Derfor snakker unge som østfoldinger. Alle er ikke lenger hva det var. [Newspaper]. Tønsberg Blad.
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Svendsen, Bente Ailin (2016). Oslo says. Language in the city.