Many tongues

The official Nordic languages are Danish in Denmark, Finnish and Swedish in Finland, Faroese in the Faroe Islands, Greenlandic in Greenland, Icelandic in Iceland, Norwegian in Norway and Swedish in Sweden. In the Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish territories there is an adjoining area of Sami culture and language.

In Finland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland it is compulsory to learn one of the Scandinavian languages in school.

Other languages have an official status as minority languages in parts of the Nordic Region: Meänkieli (Torne Valley Finnish), Romany, Yiddish, the Kven language, German, and the various Nordic sign languages.

About 200 other languages are mother tongue for Nordic citizens as a result of immigration in recent decades which has increased the linguistic diversity.

You can read more about the languages of the Nordic countries in the book Dynamic languages with roots.

How is it going with Nordic language comprehension?

However, maintaining the Nordic language community requires constant development of the possibilities for strengthening language comprehension.

A study from Lund University indicates that Nordic residents have greater and greater difficulty in understanding each other. This applies particularly to young people.

Politicians are aware of this tendency, and the Nordic countries are working together to improve language comprehension.

In 2006 the Nordic ministers of education adopted a Nordic declaration on Language Policy.

The ministers were in agreement that the languages which are essential to society remain so and that they must be strong and alive.

A language is essential to society if it is used in a language community for official purposes, for example education and legislation.

Nordic co-operation will continue to be conducted in the Scandinavian languages in the future.

Results

Co-operation on languages in the Nordic countries has resulted in a succession of practical advantages for Nordic residents.

The Nordic Language Convention gives Nordic citizens the right to use their own language, or get interpretation or translation, when they contact the authorities in another Nordic country.

The language convention is the result of a proposal from the Nordic Council to the Nordic governments in 1966. The convention is legally binding, and the Ministers for Nordic Co-operation are responsible to ensure that it is followed.

Another result of the countries' co-operation is the declaration on Nordic language policy. Although this declaration is not legally binding, the Nordic ministers are under an obligation to achieve its long-term goals.

The declaration describes the Nordic citizens' linguistic rights and sets up tangible goals that the Nordic language policy should aim to meet. The intention is that the language policy will ensure cohesion and coherence in the Nordic Council of Ministers' work with language.

The Language Declaration will form the basis for unified, long-range, and effective language policy efforts.

Subsidy schemes for language

All Nordic citizens have the opportunity to apply for a grant from Nordplus' Language and Cultural Programme.

The aim of the programme is to strengthen and stimulate interest for knowledge and understanding of Nordic cultures, languages and living conditions. Grants are given, for example, for visits, exchanges, the establishment of networks and courses.

The Expert Group Nordic Language Council decides which projects should receive funding.

Teaching of the Nordic languages, culture, literature and social conditions takes place at more than 200 universities in the Nordic countries. Teachers can apply for funding of projects through the lector pool.

Grants for the translation of literature can be applied for through the Nordic Council of Ministers' Art and culture programme.

Grants for language projects can also be applied for through the Nordic Culture Fund. One of the projects subsidised by the Culture Fund was Lund University's study of language comprehension between the Nordic countries.

In addition to the subsidy schemes available under official Nordic co-operation, a number of private and bilateral funds also give funding to Nordic projects.

Subsidy schemes for language