[vidarh]

> What I questioned was its truthfulness

You can question the truthfulness all you want.

It doesn't change the fact that this has been a well established aspect of the language struggle in Norway for well over a century, to the point that when I went to school it was even covered in history lessons.

I'm mystified with how you are ignorant of this. Bokmål has it's origin firmly in being derived from Danish via Riksmål, as based on how the elites spoke.

The spread of Bokmål was a direct consequence of its prestige as a consequence of for a very long time being the favoured written language of the elite, leading to adoption even in areas where the spoken dialect was closer to Nynorsk.

[keybored]

Prestige = elite strata. That answers my question.

[vidarh]

Yes, coming from the elite strata is and has objectively been considered signifiers of high status and prestige in most societies throughout human history.

I sense that you are trying to imply that I am applying some kind of value judgement in recognising what people have historically found prestigiuous.

If so you are completely missing the point.

[keybored]

That the elite strata is prestigious according to History is tautological considering what History is.

[vidarh]

Of course that is not at all what I wrote.

[keybored]

You said history. I thought you were referring to that empirical discipline.

What is prestigious is an empirical question.