Also Known As:
Tornionlaakson Suomi, Torne Valley Finnish, Meän Suomi, Tornedalen Finnish
Dialects & Varieties
- Torne Valley
- Kiruna-‐Jukkasjärvi
- Gällivare
- Pajala
Meänkieli today - to be or not to be standardised
Meänkieli today - to be or not to be standardised
Endangered
100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
Estimated 30,000-75,000.
Approximately 100 pre-school students enrolled in Meänkieli-medium instruction.
Approximately 100 pre-school students enrolled in Meänkieli-medium instruction.
Native Speakers Worldwide
Speaker Number Trends
Speaker Number Trend 3
Only about half of community members speak the language. Speaker numbers are decreasing steadily, but not at an accelerated pace.
3
Domains of Use
Domain Of Use 4
Used mainly only in the home and/or with family, and may not be the primary language even in these domains for many community members.
4
Transmission
Transmission 3
Some adults in the community are speakers, but the language is not spoken by children.
3
Speakers
Native or fluent speakers:
No results found.
Second-language speakers and learners
No results found.
Semi-speakers or rememberers
No results found.
Children:
No results found.
Young adults
No results found.
Older adults
No results found.
Elders
No results found.
Ethnic or community population
No results found.
Year information was gathered
No results found.
Comments on speakers
Swedish municipalities have been hiring staff with competence in Meänkieli. However, there is a clear imbalance between oral and literate proficiency among young adults.
Location and Context
Countries
County Norrbotten, Sweden on the border with Finland; in the cities of Luleå, Umeå, and Stockholm
Location Description
Official minority language in Sweden
Government Support
recognized national minority language of Sweden
Institutional Support
Meän Akateemi
Speakers' Attitude
Requests for access to governmental services in Meänkieli is generally perceived as negative.
Lacking a functioning model of how to increase and elaborate informal registers, especially for youth.
Older generations were shamed for not knowing Swedish and prohibited from using Finnish, which impacts their attitude toward Meänkieli today and hesitation to use it even in the home (with the exception of traditional practices).
Diglossia between Meänkieli and Finnish is misunderstood, so families often opt to use Finnish at home and Swedish or English in public. Meänkieli is seen as unfit for modern contexts and less prestigious.
Lacking a functioning model of how to increase and elaborate informal registers, especially for youth.
Older generations were shamed for not knowing Swedish and prohibited from using Finnish, which impacts their attitude toward Meänkieli today and hesitation to use it even in the home (with the exception of traditional practices).
Diglossia between Meänkieli and Finnish is misunderstood, so families often opt to use Finnish at home and Swedish or English in public. Meänkieli is seen as unfit for modern contexts and less prestigious.
Other Languages Used By The Community
Swedish; Sweden Finnish
Number of Other Language Speakers:
None
Domains of Other Languages:
None
Writing Systems
Standard orthography:
No results found.
Writing system:
No results found.
Other writing systems used:
No results text.
Comments on writing systems:
Lack of agreement on codification of orthography and grammatication
Recent Resources
Informative message
No results found.