Meänkieli
Encyclopedia
Meänkieli is the name used in Sweden for Finnish
dialects spoken in the northernmost parts of the country, around the valley of the Torne River
.
Linguistically Meänkieli consist two dialect sub-groups (Tornio and Jällivaara dialects) of Peräpohjola dialects
, which belong to the Western dialects of Finnish
. For political and historical reasons it has the status of a minority language
in Sweden
. In Swedish
nowadays the language is usually referred to as Meänkieli by the authorities; a common, and older, name is tornedalsfinska which literally means "Torne Valley
Finnish". Linguistically meänkieli consists of the Finnish Torne Valley (also spoken on the Finnish side of the Torne River
) and Gällivare dialects which belong to the much larger Peräpohjola dialect group (see Dialect chart).
Meänkieli is chiefly distinguished from standard Finnish by a lack of influence from modern 19th and 20th century developments in that language. Meänkieli also contains many loanword
s from Swedish, pertaining to daily life. However, the frequency of loanwords is not exceptionally high when compared to some other Finnish dialects: for example the dialect of Rauma
has roughly an equal frequency of loanwords as Meänkieli. Meänkieli lacks two of the grammatical case
s used in standard Finnish, namely the comitative
and the instructive
(and they are used mostly in literary, official language in Finland). In Finland Meänkieli is generally seen as a dialect
of northern Finnish. There is also a dialect of Meänkieli spoken around Gällivare
which differs even more from standard Finnish.
speaking.
The area where Meänkieli is spoken and what is now Finland
(apart from the linguistically Sami
and Swedish
parts thereof), formed a dialect continuum
within the Realm of Sweden
. Since the area east of Torne River was ceded to Russia
in 1809, the language developed in partial isolation from standard
Finnish. In the 1880s, the Swedish state decided that it would be better if all citizens of the country used Swedish. Part of the reason was based on military concern; one felt that people close to the border speaking the language of the neighbouring country rather than the major language in their own country might not be trusted, in case of war. Another reason was that Finns were considered to be of another race. Opinions were, that "the Sami and the Finnish tribes belong closer to Russia than Scandinavia". The schools in the areas were only teaching in Swedish, and the children were forbidden, under penalty of physical punishment, to speak their own language at school even during the breaks.
A language thus separated from all public life and only maintained in the private sphere soon loses ground. For innovations, the Swedish word had often been incorporated. Thus Meänkieli can be regarded as an old-fashioned northern Finnish dialect, with many loan words from Swedish. Native speakers of Meänkieli are very well aware of the fact that they speak what is technically a Finnish dialect, but given that Meänkieli is now taught as a standardized language, it could also be regarded a language in its own right rather than a mere dialect. Native Meänkieli speakers were prevented by the authorities from learning standard Finnish as a school subject for decades, which resulted in the survival of the language only in oral form.
of Gällivare
, Haparanda
, Kiruna
, Pajala
and Övertorneå
. However, few of the employees in the public sector have sufficient literacy in the language; some 50% of civil servants have oral proficiency in Finnish and/or Meänkieli.
The numbers of how many people speak Meänkieli vary, since few people today speak Meänkieli as their only language. Numbers from 30,000 to 70,000 people are mentioned, most of them living in Norrbotten
. Many people in the Northern parts of Sweden understand some Meänkieli, but those who speak it regularly are fewer. People with Meänkieli-speaking roots are often referred to as Tornedalians
although the Finnish-speaking part of Norrbotten is a far larger area than the Tornio (Meänkieli and Finnish name for Torne) river valley; judging by the names of towns and places, it stretches as far west as the city of Gällivare
. Today Meänkieli is declining as an active language. Few of the young people in the region speak Meänkieli as part of daily life, though many have passive knowledge of the language from family use. The language is taught at Stockholm University
, Luleå University of Technology
and Umeå University
. Bengt Pohjanen
is the trilingual author of Torne valley. He wrote in 1985 the first novel in Meänkieli, Lyykeri. He has written several novels, dramas, grammars and songs in Meänkieli. He has also written and directed films. The author Mikael Niemi
does not speak meänkieli. His novels, and a film based on one of his books in Swedish, has improved the general knowledge among average Swedes regarding the existence of this Finnish-speaking minority. Since the 1980s, people who speak Meänkieli have become more aware of the importance of the language as a marker of identity that one should not be ashamed of. Today, grammar books are being written in Meänkieli, as such, the Bible is being translated into Meänkieli; there is drama performed in Meänkieli and some TV programs are being made in Meänkieli – ironically at a time where the number of people who do speak Meänkieli as their first language has reduced drastically.
, and would additionally improve the relations between Finland and Sweden, as well as between Swedes and Ethnic Finns in both countries. The governmental and legal support for Meänkieli as a minority language has proved to be weaker than in comparable countries, such as Norway
, Finland, and the Netherlands
.
Literal English translation
Sweden is a democracy. The word democracy means the power of the people. It means that people in Sweden are allowed to participate in deciding how Sweden has to be governed. It is said in our constitution that all power in Sweden comes from the people, and that the Riksdag
is the most important representative of the people. Every four years the people choose those who will represent them in the Riksdag, the County Councils
and the municipalities.
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
dialects spoken in the northernmost parts of the country, around the valley of the Torne River
Torne River
The Torne River , is a river in northern Sweden and Finland. Approximately half of the river's length is a part of the border between these two countries. It rises at Lake Torne near the border with Norway and flows generally southeast for a distance of into the Gulf of Bothnia...
.
Linguistically Meänkieli consist two dialect sub-groups (Tornio and Jällivaara dialects) of Peräpohjola dialects
Peräpohjola dialects
Peräpohjola dialects are forms of Finnish language spoken in Lapland in Finland, Sweden and Norway. The dialect group belongs to the Western Finnish dialects and it is divided to five more specific dialect groups.-Tornio dialects:...
, which belong to the Western dialects of Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
. For political and historical reasons it has the status of a minority language
Minority language
A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities.-International politics:...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. In Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
nowadays the language is usually referred to as Meänkieli by the authorities; a common, and older, name is tornedalsfinska which literally means "Torne Valley
Torne Valley
The Torne Valley or Torne River Valley lies at the border of Sweden and Finland. In 2009 it became one of the Sub-regions of Finland. It is named after the Torne River flowing through the valley and into the Gulf of Bothnia...
Finnish". Linguistically meänkieli consists of the Finnish Torne Valley (also spoken on the Finnish side of the Torne River
Torne River
The Torne River , is a river in northern Sweden and Finland. Approximately half of the river's length is a part of the border between these two countries. It rises at Lake Torne near the border with Norway and flows generally southeast for a distance of into the Gulf of Bothnia...
) and Gällivare dialects which belong to the much larger Peräpohjola dialect group (see Dialect chart).
Meänkieli is chiefly distinguished from standard Finnish by a lack of influence from modern 19th and 20th century developments in that language. Meänkieli also contains many loanword
Loanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
s from Swedish, pertaining to daily life. However, the frequency of loanwords is not exceptionally high when compared to some other Finnish dialects: for example the dialect of Rauma
Rauma dialect
Rauma language is a dialect of Finnish spoken in the town of Rauma, western Finland.The written form of the dialect was preserved by the writer and doctor Hj. Nortamo, and is currently practiced mainly as a hobby. Some of the most distinctive characteristics of the dialect are the use of letters...
has roughly an equal frequency of loanwords as Meänkieli. Meänkieli lacks two of the grammatical case
Grammatical case
In grammar, the case of a noun or pronoun is an inflectional form that indicates its grammatical function in a phrase, clause, or sentence. For example, a pronoun may play the role of subject , of direct object , or of possessor...
s used in standard Finnish, namely the comitative
Comitative case
The comitative case , also known as the associative case , is a grammatical case that denotes companionship, and is used where English would use "in company with" or "together with"...
and the instructive
Instructive case
In the Finnish language and Estonian language, the instructive case has the basic meaning of "by means of". It is a comparatively rarely used case, though it is found in some commonly used expressions, such as omin silmin → "with one's own eyes"....
(and they are used mostly in literary, official language in Finland). In Finland Meänkieli is generally seen as a dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
of northern Finnish. There is also a dialect of Meänkieli spoken around Gällivare
Gällivare
Gällivare is a locality and the seat of Gällivare Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 8,480 inhabitants in 2005. The town was founded in the 17th century...
which differs even more from standard Finnish.
History
Before 1809, all this region belonged to Sweden. The language border went west of the Torne Valley area, so a part of today's Sweden was historically FinnishFinnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
speaking.
The area where Meänkieli is spoken and what is now Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
(apart from the linguistically Sami
Sami languages
Sami or Saami is a general name for a group of Uralic languages spoken by the Sami people in parts of northern Finland, Norway, Sweden and extreme northwestern Russia, in Northern Europe. Sami is frequently and erroneously believed to be a single language. Several names are used for the Sami...
and Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
parts thereof), formed a dialect continuum
Dialect continuum
A dialect continuum, or dialect area, was defined by Leonard Bloomfield as a range of dialects spoken across some geographical area that differ only slightly between neighboring areas, but as one travels in any direction, these differences accumulate such that speakers from opposite ends of the...
within the Realm of Sweden
Realm of Sweden
The Realm of Sweden or Svenska väldet is a term that historically was used to comprise all the territories under the control of the Swedish monarchs.-Lands of Sweden:...
. Since the area east of Torne River was ceded to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in 1809, the language developed in partial isolation from standard
Standard language
A standard language is a language variety used by a group of people in their public discourse. Alternatively, varieties become standard by undergoing a process of standardization, during which it is organized for description in grammars and dictionaries and encoded in such reference works...
Finnish. In the 1880s, the Swedish state decided that it would be better if all citizens of the country used Swedish. Part of the reason was based on military concern; one felt that people close to the border speaking the language of the neighbouring country rather than the major language in their own country might not be trusted, in case of war. Another reason was that Finns were considered to be of another race. Opinions were, that "the Sami and the Finnish tribes belong closer to Russia than Scandinavia". The schools in the areas were only teaching in Swedish, and the children were forbidden, under penalty of physical punishment, to speak their own language at school even during the breaks.
A language thus separated from all public life and only maintained in the private sphere soon loses ground. For innovations, the Swedish word had often been incorporated. Thus Meänkieli can be regarded as an old-fashioned northern Finnish dialect, with many loan words from Swedish. Native speakers of Meänkieli are very well aware of the fact that they speak what is technically a Finnish dialect, but given that Meänkieli is now taught as a standardized language, it could also be regarded a language in its own right rather than a mere dialect. Native Meänkieli speakers were prevented by the authorities from learning standard Finnish as a school subject for decades, which resulted in the survival of the language only in oral form.
Meänkieli today
On April 1, 2000, Meänkieli became one of the five nationally recognized minority languages of Sweden. It is most commonly used in the municipalitiesMunicipalities of Sweden
The municipalities of Sweden are the local government entities of Sweden. The current 290 municipalities are organized into 21 counties...
of Gällivare
Gällivare Municipality
Gällivare Municipality is a municipality in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Gällivare.The municipality is the third largest in Sweden, but it has not been amalgamated with other entities....
, Haparanda
Haparanda Municipality
Haparanda Municipality is a municipality in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Haparanda .In 1967 the "City of Haparanda" was merged with the rural municipalities Karl Gustav and Nedertorneå. Since 1971 Haparanda, like all other municipalities of Sweden, is a municipality...
, Kiruna
Kiruna Municipality
Kiruna Municipality is a municipality in Norrbotten County in northernmost Sweden. Its seat is located in Kiruna...
, Pajala
Pajala Municipality
Pajala Municipality is a municipality in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden, bordering Finland. Its seat is located in Pajala.In 1884 Tärendö was detached from Pajala Municipality, forming a municipality of its own. In 1914 Pajala Municipality was once again split when Junosuando broke away...
and Övertorneå
Övertorneå Municipality
Övertorneå Municipality is a municipality in Norrbotten County in northern Sweden, bordering Finland. Its seat is located in Övertorneå.Until the Finnish War Övertorneå and the Finnish Ylitornio were a single municipality. Following the war, the eastern part of the municipality was ceded to...
. However, few of the employees in the public sector have sufficient literacy in the language; some 50% of civil servants have oral proficiency in Finnish and/or Meänkieli.
The numbers of how many people speak Meänkieli vary, since few people today speak Meänkieli as their only language. Numbers from 30,000 to 70,000 people are mentioned, most of them living in Norrbotten
Norrbotten
Norrbotten is a Swedish province in northernmost Sweden. It borders south to Västerbotten, west to Swedish Lapland, and east to Finland.- Administration :...
. Many people in the Northern parts of Sweden understand some Meänkieli, but those who speak it regularly are fewer. People with Meänkieli-speaking roots are often referred to as Tornedalians
Tornedalians
The Tornedalians are descendants of Finns who in some point in history settled to the areas of today's Northern Sweden near the Torne Valley district and west from there.-History:...
although the Finnish-speaking part of Norrbotten is a far larger area than the Tornio (Meänkieli and Finnish name for Torne) river valley; judging by the names of towns and places, it stretches as far west as the city of Gällivare
Gällivare
Gällivare is a locality and the seat of Gällivare Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 8,480 inhabitants in 2005. The town was founded in the 17th century...
. Today Meänkieli is declining as an active language. Few of the young people in the region speak Meänkieli as part of daily life, though many have passive knowledge of the language from family use. The language is taught at Stockholm University
Stockholm University
Stockholm University is a state university in Stockholm, Sweden. It has over 28,000 students at four faculties, making it one of the largest universities in Scandinavia. The institution is also frequently regarded as one of the top 100 universities in the world...
, Luleå University of Technology
Luleå University of Technology
Luleå University of Technology or Luleå tekniska universitet of Sweden is Scandinavia's northernmost university of technology. It has four campuses, located in Luleå , Kiruna , Skellefteå and Piteå .-History:The university was founded on 1 June 1971 at Porsön in Luleå as...
and Umeå University
Umeå University
Umeå University is a university in Umeå in the mid-northern region of Sweden. The university was founded in 1965 and is the fifth oldest within Sweden's present borders....
. Bengt Pohjanen
Bengt Pohjanen
Bengt Erik Benedictus Pohjanen, born 26 June 1944 in Kassa in Pajala, Norrbotten, Sweden, is a Swedish author, translator and priest living in Haparanda....
is the trilingual author of Torne valley. He wrote in 1985 the first novel in Meänkieli, Lyykeri. He has written several novels, dramas, grammars and songs in Meänkieli. He has also written and directed films. The author Mikael Niemi
Mikael Niemi
Mikael Niemi is a Swedish author. He wrote the novel Populärmusik från Vittula . It is the story of a young boy, Matti, growing up in Pajala in the 1960s and is recounted in a humorous way...
does not speak meänkieli. His novels, and a film based on one of his books in Swedish, has improved the general knowledge among average Swedes regarding the existence of this Finnish-speaking minority. Since the 1980s, people who speak Meänkieli have become more aware of the importance of the language as a marker of identity that one should not be ashamed of. Today, grammar books are being written in Meänkieli, as such, the Bible is being translated into Meänkieli; there is drama performed in Meänkieli and some TV programs are being made in Meänkieli – ironically at a time where the number of people who do speak Meänkieli as their first language has reduced drastically.
Controversy
Education in and on Meänkieli has been criticized on the grounds that standard Finnish would give the students considerably greater possibilities for further studies, access to the much larger Finnish literatureFinnish literature
Finnish literature refers to literature written in Finland. Earliest texts in Finland were written in Swedish or Latin during the Finnish Middle Age . Finnish-language literature was slowly developing from the 16th century onwards. First artistic heyday of the Finnish literature was the mid-19th...
, and would additionally improve the relations between Finland and Sweden, as well as between Swedes and Ethnic Finns in both countries. The governmental and legal support for Meänkieli as a minority language has proved to be weaker than in comparable countries, such as Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Finland, and the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Comparison between Meänkieli and Standard Finnish
| Meänkieli | Finnish | |
|---|---|---|
| Ruotti oon demokratia. Sana demokratia | Ruotsi on demokratia. Sana demokratia | |
| tarkottaa kansanvaltaa. Se merkittee | tarkoittaa kansanvaltaa. Se merkitsee, | |
| ette ihmiset Ruottissa saavat olla matkassa | että ihmiset Ruotsissa saavat olla mukana | |
| päättämässä miten Ruottia pittää johtaa. | päättämässä, miten Ruotsia pitää johtaa. | |
| Meän perustuslaissa sanothaan ette kaikki | Meidän perustuslaissamme sanotaan, että kaikki | |
| valta Ruottissa lähtee ihmisistä ja ette | valta Ruotsissa lähtee ihmisistä, ja että | |
| valtiopäivät oon kansan tärkein eustaja. | valtiopäivät on kansan tärkein edustaja. | |
| Joka neljäs vuosi kansa valittee kukka | Joka neljäs vuosi kansa valitsee, ketkä | |
| heitä eustavat valtiopäivilä, maakäräjillä | heitä edustavat valtiopäivillä, maakäräjillä | |
| ja kunnissa. | ja kunnissa. |
Literal English translation
Sweden is a democracy. The word democracy means the power of the people. It means that people in Sweden are allowed to participate in deciding how Sweden has to be governed. It is said in our constitution that all power in Sweden comes from the people, and that the Riksdag
Parliament of Sweden
The Riksdag is the national legislative assembly of Sweden. The riksdag is a unicameral assembly with 349 members , who are elected on a proportional basis to serve fixed terms of four years...
is the most important representative of the people. Every four years the people choose those who will represent them in the Riksdag, the County Councils
County Councils of Sweden
A county council, or landsting, is an elected assembly of a county in Sweden. A county council is a political entity, elected by the county electorate and typically its main responsibilities lie within the public health care system. In each county there is also a county administrative board which...
and the municipalities.
External links
- Tornedalen Finnish at ethnologue.com