The linguistic autobiographies of Finnish and Meänkieli-speakers in Sweden include painful memories, but also pride in their Finnish and Tornedalian roots.
Pain, sadness and shame, but also communality and pride. These are the most common emotions that Jaana Kolu, Professor of Swedish Language has encountered in her interview study on the language biographies of older Swedes who speak Finnish and Meänkieli as their mother tongue.
"These are the emotions most likely to emerge first when research is conducted on minority languages. Language is much more than just a means of communication. It involves a large amount of emotions, and it is part of your personality. When a person is stripped of their own language or ability to communicate with their parents in their mother tongue, a multitude of emotions emerge," Kolu says.
Her most recent research concerns the maintenance of two national minority languages in Sweden, Finnish and Meänkieli. The history of these minority languages in Sweden is associated with various sore spots, which have now been highlighted in various reports and studies and in public debate.
A shared but painful history
In 1809, the border between Finland and Sweden was drawn along the Tornionjoki and Muonionjoki rivers, which meant that an area which was linguistically and culturally cohesive was divided between two countries. The Finnish spoken in northern Sweden began to develop into Meänkieli, a language that mixes Swedish and Finnish, whereas in Finland the Finnish in Tornionlaakso has been defined as one of the North Ostrobothnia dialects.
In her Sata ruotsinsuomalaista ja meänkielistä kielellistä elämäntarinaa project, Kolu interviewed 100 Finnish and Meänkieli speakers and their descendants in Sweden face-to-face in accordance with the name of the project. Research articles have been written on the basis of these language biographies, and the language biographies based on the interviews will be shown at an exhibition at the Museum of Tornio Valley this autumn.
"The Tornedalen area's own culture and identity have been maintained even though the past related to language is smeared by hurt and shame."
The history of minority languages in Sweden is associated with various sore spots, which have now been highlighted in various reports and studies and in public debate.
Jaana Kolu
Professor
Long-term effects of Swedification policy
Languages are constantly going extinct. Some estimates suggest that around 40% of the languages currently spoken are at risk of disappearing. The main reason for the death of languages is usually the disintegration and fragmentation of the language community for one reason or another; the reasons are often economic and political.
"In such cases, people often adopt the dominant language of their new place of residence. Their children then learn the majority language as their mother tongue, and the parents' language may no longer be passed on. Studies show that the third generation is critical in whether or not language is passed on. This generation may adopt some words and phrases from their grandparents and parents, but after that, the language will usually fade out if it has not been systematically passed on, i.e. spoken at home."
Coercive measures may also have been associated with the adoption of the majority language, as has been the case with Finnish and Meänkieli. At the end of the 19th century, the Swedish state began to require that all its citizens only speak Swedish.
"Försvenskning meaning Swedification policy lasted until the 1950s, and according to those interviewed there are still some signs of it visible even today. In the 19th century, this was also influenced by the racial theories of the time, according to which the Finnish people belonged to a non-Germanic race that was inferior to the Swedish people."
Although Sweden has generally been regarded a tolerant state where different nationalities have always been welcomed, the treatment of Finnish and Meänkieli-speakers tells a very different story of the country.
"In the end, people who spoke Meänkieli and Finnish were so ashamed of their language that they did not want to speak these in public anywhere. People wanted to change their Finnish first and last names to Swedish ones. In schools, children were punished sometimes even physically if they happened to speak one word of Finnish."
Studies indicate that preventing the speaking of mother tongue may cause mental health problems and trauma, especially if there are other difficult experiences related to the change of language.
"Language always incorporates identity, emotional ties and cultural heritage. If a people's language is taken from them by force, part of their personality is taken with it. It is also sad that this also results in the loss of some of the traditions in the linguistic area, as all linguistic content must be transferred to the new language. In Meänkieli, this valuable information is related to such things as nature and place names."
Light at the end of the tunnel
Although many of the young people who grew up in Tornedalen and were interviewed by Kolu are saddened that they do not understand the mother tongue of their parents or grandparents due to Swedification, these young adults also know how to claim their rights differently from previous generations.
"Under Sweden's current Language Act, these young people have the right to be provided minority language instruction for their children, even if they do not speak that language themselves."
The Swedish State has expressed its public regret for its Swedification policy, but no official apology has yet been made public.
"Interest in minority languages and related activism have grown among linguistic minorities in Sweden, and fortunately these painful issues are no longer swept under the rug. Meänkieli and Finnish were also given the status of official minority languages at the turn of the millennium."
So there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Recently, the effects of Swedification policy have been widely discussed publicly, and the active approach of linguistic minorities in promoting language recovery has begun to produce results.
"Although I encountered a great deal of sadness in my interviews, what really struck me was how proud the interviewees are of their own roots and how they feel a sense of belonging in their language community."
During her interview process, to her delight, Kolu also met with several families in which Finnish or Meänkieli has been passed on to the next generations despite difficulties.
"Such families often have a very strong Finnish or Tornedalian identity, and their pride in their own language and culture is still apparent in the stories their grandchildren tell."
JAANA KOLU
Professor of Swedish Language, University of Eastern Finland, 1 August 2024 -
- Doctor of Philosophy (Swedish), University of Jyväskylä, 2017
- Licentiate of Philosophy, University of Joensuu (now University of Eastern Finland), 2007
- Master of Philosophy, University of Joensuu (now University of Eastern Finland), 2001
- Docent, Sociolinguistics and Multilingualism, 2023, University of Oulu
POSITIONS HELD
- Assistant Professor (tenure track), Swedish language, University of Eastern Finland, 2020–2024
- Professor (ma), Swedish language, University of Eastern Finland, 2019–2020
- University Lecturer, Swedish language, University of Stockholm, 2018
- University teacher, Swedish language, University of Jyväskylä, 2011–2017
- University teacher, University of Joensuu / University of Eastern Finland, 2008-2012
Photos of Jaana Kolu: https://mediabank.uef.fi/A/UEF+Media+Bank/67182?encoding=UTF-8 and https://mediabank.uef.fi/A/UEF+Media+Bank/67181?encoding=UTF-8
