torsdag 28 mars 2024
Photo: Sigrid Stångberg.

Language Policy

The Sami Parliament’s intention of direction is to promote, develop and preserve the Sami language to a viable language for the Sami society and for Sami solidarity. A living language is actively used both at home and in official contexts.

The Swedish assimilation period
Most of the older Sami have never been allowed to learn to read or write in their own native language in school. Many can tell about punishments and threats they were victim to under their school time, when the northern population was to be “made Swedish”. In the elementary school one was not allowed to speak Sami during school time. Sami wasn’t even a school subject in the nomadic school. The Sami children were not given the opportunity to learn to read and write in their own language. (The same applied to the Finnish-speaking population in the Torne Valley). Older generations of Sami that have Sami as a social language use therefore Swedish when they read and write. When we speak of literacy in Sami contexts, it does not mean that Sami are illiterate.

Language switch
The generation exposed to unpleasant experiences from their school years chose to a greater part to not speak Sami with their own children. As adults, many of the 60’s and 70’s generations cannot speak Sami “although they should be able to”. They have Sami as a passive language to a more or less degree. It can be a rather steep threshold to reclaim one’s language, and many speak of “psychological barriers”. Here there is a need for great education efforts and a positive attitude from the surrounding society, both the Sami and the Swedish. The State has a great responsibility for historical events which affect the Sami still today.

Sami Language Act
The international law has great significance in many ways, even for language preservation. Questions about cultural autonomy, with rights to an own culture, language and self-determination in own matters has been emphasized. An example is the European Council’s convention on protection for national minorities and the statute on minority language, which has led to the Minority Language Act in Sweden. The present development of the political and ideological relationships speaks for Sami language preservation, but there is also a need for added resources in order for the Sami Parliament and other actors to be able to actively work for an increased use of the Sami language.

Change in attitude

The Swedish people’s attitudes to minority languages and particularly to the Sami are positive. This is evident from a questioner survey (2001) where more than 80% of the population feels it is important to preserve minority languages in Sweden. 86% feel it would be a shame if the Sami language in Sweden were to disappear. The interest for the language grows in pace with an increased self-esteem and strengthened identity perception with the Sami themselves. Together with increasingly broad-minded minority policy, a growing self-confidence speaks for new possibilities. A rich diversity of Sami cultural expressions appear in an open and obvious manner. Increased mobility and more areas of contact grant new opportunities for a broadened use of language.

© Sametinget 2024
Uppdaterad: 2022-02-17

Om Sametinget

Sametinget är både en statlig myndighet med förvaltningsuppgifter och ett folkvalt samiskt parlament med uppdraget att verka för en levande samisk kultur i Sverige.

VISSELBLÅSARFUNKTION

E-FAKTURA

Myndigheten

Sametinget är en statlig myndighet under regeringen, med särskilt ansvar för språk, kultur och rennäring.

Det folkvalda organet

Det folkvalda parlamentet består av 31 ledamöter som träffas till plenum tre gånger per år. Styrelsen är ytterst ansvarig för Sametingets verksamhet.

Kontakt

Sametinget
Box 90
981 22 GIRON / KIRUNA

Vid rekommenderad post använd adressen ovan!

Besöksadress: Adolf Hedinsvägen 58
Tel. 0980-780 30
E-post: kansli@sametinget.se
Org.nummer: 202100-4573

Kontaktformulär 
Så här behandlar vi dina personuppgifter

Tillgänglighetsredogörelse

Öppettider:
Mån-Fre 08.30-12.00, 13.00-15.00
Kring storhelger och under sommaren:
Mån-Fre 08.30-12.00

MenyEnglish pages
MenyEnglish pages
På www.sametinget.se använder vi cookies för att webbplatsen ska fungera på ett bra sätt för dig. Genom att fortsätta surfa godkänner du att vi använder cookies. Vad är cookies?