According to the creators, the TV series “Makta”, which is broadcast on news TV, is based on “truth, lies and bad memory”. One thing that is absolutely true is that the political era depicted in the drama series was also a division in Norwegian language use. Specifically, how the politicians addressed each other, and how the community leaders were referred to by the population. – It started with Gro and Kåre, they had some heated discussions between them in the 1980s. Before that, we never talked about Per, for example. We said Borten or Prime Minister Borten, says Ivar. His surname is Utne, and he is an associate professor in Nordic linguistics and name research at the University of Bergen. And Gro and Kåre – that’s Harlem Brundtland and Willoch, from the Labor Party and the Conservative Party, respectively. Brundtland and Willoch – or Gro and Kåre, if you like – met for a series of political duels. Photo: Bjørn Sigurdsøn / NTB Have your say at the bottom of the issue: Is it okay to refer to people you don’t know by their first name? Increased proximity “Makta” is about the intense power play in the Labor Party in the 1970s and 80s. Personal conflicts led to major divisions in the labor movement, which meant that Gro suddenly became part of the political elite. – She was first referred to by her first name, and when they had to act against each other in debates they had to be equal, and they became Gro and Kåre. It created a closeness to them, and they were perhaps perceived as two of us, says Utne. The linguist believes this was part of an international development, while at the same time the media contributed to an increased personal focus on the politicians. – The media was, in a way, a bit on par with how we all thought. People were concerned about politicians’ private lives and how they felt outside of work as well. It is then natural that that closeness is expressed with first names. Surname took over from first name Drammen was ruled by a first name until this autumn. Now the mayor’s chain is worn by a surname. What happened? Quite apart from the fact that Høyre and Kjell Arne Hermansen won the election ahead of Monica Myrvold Berg. – If Monica has accepted Monica, stands as such and does not object to it, it must be perfectly fine. If Hermansen has not expressed any strong desire to appear with his first name, then a surname is most natural for him, says Utne. Kjell Arne Hermansen and Monica Myrvold Berg, current and former mayor of Drammen. Photo: Tordis Gauteplass / news The media often use Erna and Jonas for Solberg and Gahr Støre, while Huitfeldt is rarely just referred to as Anniken. – Why are some referred to by their first name only, while others are addressed by their last name? – It is terribly difficult to answer, but I think you must want it yourself. It may also be that someone in the party apparatus has made up their mind a bit about how they will launch their candidates. It probably also has something to do with what kind of style people have. Some people act a bit more jovially and have a slightly more personal style, which makes it easier to use first names for them, says the name researcher. If everyone’s name is Ronny, we’ll probably have to resort to surnames. Ivar Utne knows more about names than most. Photo: Gøril Grov Sørdal / news Many similar first names – Should we use both first and last names more often? – People have very different opinions about this. The problem with just using first names can be that it becomes ambiguous. There are so many people who have the same first name, and it becomes difficult to tell people apart. The last four presidents of the United States have been Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden – not George, Barack, Donald and Joe. But if Hillary Clinton had won the election in 2016, she would probably often have been called Hillary. She was often referred to by her first name in the election campaign, which is more about her husband than her gender. Since Bill Clinton has previously been president, the first name became a necessary distinction. Kind of like the Flo guys. After Jostein Flo broke through, there were brothers and cousins in a row, who played in the elite series and in the national team. They thus became just Jostein, Tore André, Håvard and so on. Have your say: Is it okay to refer to people you don’t know by their first name? Hello! Welcome to dialogue at news. Since you are logged in to other news services, you do not have to log in again here, but we need your consent to our terms of use for online dialogue
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That’s why Gro Harlem Brundtland became Gro, and Kåre Willoch became Kåre – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
