In 1974, the Norwegian linguist Knut Bergsland, in collaboration with Sámi teacher and politician Ella Holm Bull, proposed a new orthography which was accepted by the Sámi Language Council in 1976 and the Norwegian department of Church and Education in 1978.Simonsen, 2023.

At the urging of the Sámi language council, the orthography pairs the Norwegian ”Æ” with the Swedish “Ö”, honoring the cross-border use of the language.Magga & Mattson Magga, 2012, p. 12. In practice, however, these letters generally follow local norms.Bergsland, 1982.