In 1850, the Norwegian linguist Ivar Aasen published Ordbog over det norske Folkesprog (Dictionary of the Norwegian Dialects) in Christiania (now Oslo), the first major dictionary of the Norwegian language. This work, with entries in Landsmål (the standard Aasen had developed) and definitions in Danish, documented the vocabulary of the Norwegian dialects and laid the foundation for the Nynorsk written standard. Aasen's work was part of a broader national movement to assert Norwegian cultural independence.

Aasen's dictionary provided Norwegian poets with a lexical foundation for a distinct national literature, enabling them to write in a language that reflected the spoken dialects of the people. Its influence can be seen in the works of poets like Olav Aukrust and Tarjei Vesaas, who wrote in Nynorsk. The dictionary also contributed to the development of a Norwegian literary identity, distinct from the Danish-dominated literary tradition.