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:

    Man acts as though he were the shaper and master of language, while in fact language remains the master of man.
    Martin Heidegger (1889–1976)

    ... language is meaningful because it is the expression of thoughts—of thoughts which are about something.
    Roderick M. Chisholm (b. 1916)

    Theoretically, I grant you, there is no possibility of error in necessary reasoning. But to speak thus “theoretically,” is to use language in a Pickwickian sense. In practice, and in fact, mathematics is not exempt from that liability to error that affects everything that man does.
    Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914)