Meänkieli

A language of Sweden

North Finnish, Torne Valley Finnish, Tornedalen Finnish, Tornedalsfinska

Meänkieli

30,000 in Sweden (Parkvall 2009). Total users in all countries: 60,000.

Norrbotten county: Gällivare, Haparanda, Kiruna, Övertorneå, and Pajala municipalities; Stockholm county: Stockholm; Västerbotten county: Umeå municipality.

Language Maps

Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden

Language Status

8a (Moribund). Provincially recognized language in administrative area municipalities: Gällivare, Haparanda, Kalix, Kiruna, Luleå, Pajala, Stockholm, Umeå, and Övertoneå (2009, NMNML Act No. 724, Article 6).

Classification

Uralic, Finnic

Dialects

Torne Valley Finnish, Vittangi Finnish, Gällivare Finnish. Finnish [fin] not totally intelligible to speakers, especially abstract and complex discourse.

Typology

SVO; postpositions; genitives before noun heads; articles, adjectives, numerals before noun heads; question word initial.

Language Use

Older adults only. Positive attitudes. Shifted to Swedish [swe]. Also use Finnish [fin].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L1: 20%–30%. Literature. Periodicals. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible portions: 1993–1995. Agency: Swedish Tornedalian Association.

Language Resources

OLAC resources in and about Meänkieli

Writing

Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

Some speakers refer to it as Finnish. Influences from Swedish [swe]. Finnish speakers settled here 12th century. Christian.