Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development
Editor and Book Reviews Editor: John Edwards (St Francis Xavier University, Canada)
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Volume: 20 Number: 4 Page: 376–473
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Language Planning in Sweden
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Birger Winsa
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This monograph presents a detailed study of the language planning situation in Sweden with particular emphasis on minority languages. Swedish language policies towards minorities have been nationalistic,
reluctant, and directed towards assimilation. High labour immigration, which began in the late 1950s, effected bilingual education. Sweden has five minority language groups: Sami spoken by 5-10,000 in the
northernmost regions, and especially by reindeer herders; Meankieli and Finnish, two Finno-Ugric languages spoken by 40-70,000 Tornedalians in the northernmost county, Norrbotten, and by 200-250,000 Swedish
Finns throughout Sweden, but especially in the capital region and major cities; 5-15,000 Roma speaking various Romani varieties and a few thousand Jews with competence in Yiddish. In practice Sami has had
minority status since the early 1970s. In the spring of 2000 new minority legislation will come into force acknowledging these five groups as Swedish minorities, and Sweden will ratify two Council of Europe
minority conventions. However, these first steps towards a new minority policy lag some 20 years behind general developments in the European Union, and except for the Sami, economic expenditure to support
minorities, their languages and cultures is limited.
© Multilingual Matters 1999
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