In this article special emphasis is given to language attitudes that are considered to be "typically Norwegian," and which also to some extent are linked to the Norwegian language Situation. During the last two decades there have been changes in the Norwegian language Situation äs well äs in the attitudes toward language and the pressure people have feit to modify their speech. There is now an increased tolerance of language varieties — both spoken and written — and this period has been particularly favorable for the maintenance of dialect/nonstandard speech, andfor its use outside its "natural" environment ("domain") and in formal situations. Thereasons for these changes are discussed.