Demographics of Sweden - Language

Language

The Swedish language is by far the dominating language in Sweden, and is used by the government administration.

The indigenous Uralic languages were repressed well into the 1960s. Since 1999 Sweden has five officially recognized minority languages: Sami, Meänkieli, Standard-Finnish, Romani chib and Yiddish.

The Sami language, spoken by about 7,000 people in Sweden, may be used in government agencies, courts, preschools and nursing homes in the municipalities of Arjeplog, Gällivare, Jokkmokk and Kiruna and its immediate neighbourhood.

Similarly, Finnish and Meänkieli can be used in the municipalities of Gällivare, Haparanda, Kiruna, Pajala and Övertorneå and its immediate neighbourhood. Finnish is also official language, along with Swedish, in the city of Eskilstuna.

During the mid to late 20th century, immigrant communities brought other languages, among others being Danish, Turkish, Serbo-Croatian, Arabic, Neo-Aramaic.

Read more about this topic:  Demographics Of Sweden

Famous quotes containing the word language:

    “When you’re lying awake with a dismal headache, and repose is
    taboo’d by anxiety,
    I conceive you may use any language you choose to indulge in without impropriety;”
    —Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836–1911)

    “Poetry is the universal language which the heart holds with nature and itself. He who has a contempt for poetry, cannot have much respect for himself, or for anything else.”
    —William Hazlitt (1778–1830)

    “Talking about dreams is like talking about movies, since the cinema uses the language of dreams; years can pass in a second and you can hop from one place to another. It’s a language made of image. And in the real cinema, every object and every light means something, as in a dream.”
    —Frederico Fellini (1920–1993)