Since 1978 he teaches as a professor of Slavic languages at the University of Oslo. He is considered an expert in Serbo-Croatian (Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian), and has written numerous books and articles on Serbo-Croatian, Slavic linguistics, literature and cultural history. He has held a variety of positions, including that of the Nordic representative of the International Committee for Eastern Europe Research and on the Board of the Institute for Comparative Cultural Research.
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters]
He is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina.