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Ethnologue: Languages of the World
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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Europe > Sweden > Swedish

Swedish

A language of Sweden

ISO 639-3: swe

Population  7,910,000 in Sweden. 5,000 speakers of Gutniska (1998 S. Håkansson), and 30,000 of Jamtska. Population total all countries: 8,311,739.
Region  The Göta dialect group south, including parts of Småland, south Swedish provinces, Värmland, Västergvtland; Svea in north, including Hälsingland, parts of Östergötland and Uppland, and Swedish-speaking parts of Finland; Southern Swedish in Skåne, Blekinge, southern Småland, southern Halland; Northern Swedish in northern Hälsingland and Jämtland and north; Jamtska mainly in Jämtland; Eastern Swedish in Finland, Estonia, and Gammalsvenskby, Ukraine; Gutnic southeast Isle of Gotland and Fårö. Also in Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, United Arab Emirates, United States.
Language map  Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden
Alternate names   Ruotsi, Svenska
Dialects  Dalecarlian, Eastern Swedish (Finland Swedish), Estonian Swedish, Gutniska (Gutamal, Gotlandic, Gutnic), Jamtska, Northern Swedish (Norrland), Scanian, Svea. ‘Proper’ Swedish considered spoken in Svealand. Dialect investigation is needed in Gutniska, Överkalixmål, Nörpes, Pitemål, provinces around the Bothnic Sea (Västerbotten and Norbotten in Sweden, and Oesterbotten in Finland), and the island of Gotland. Gutniska descended from Forngutniska (Old Gotlandic). Rinkebysvenska, a mixed variety with Turkish influence, is used among immigrants.
Classification  Indo-European, Germanic, North, East Scandinavian, Danish-Swedish, Swedish
Language use  National language.
Language development  Fully developed. Bible: 1541–1999.
Writing system  Latin script.

Also spoken in:

Denmark

Language name   Swedish
Region  Bornholm Island.
Language map  Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden
Dialects  Scanian (Eastern Danish, Skane, Skånska, Southern Swedish).
Language use  Also use Danish [dan].
Comments  When Sweden obtained Scånia from Denmark in 1658 this dialect began to lose its status as a separate language. It is called ‘Southern Swedish’ in Sweden, and ‘Eastern Danish’ in Denmark.
 

Finland

Language name   Swedish
Population  296,000 in Finland (1997).
Region  Coasts of provinces of Central Österbotten (Ostrobothnia), Vasa (Vaasa), Southwest Finland, Nyland (Uusimaa) (Helsingfors), Åland Islands, Kymenlaakso.
Language map  Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden
Dialects  Standard Swedish, Österbotten (Ostrobothnian), Åland Islands Swedish, Southwest Finland Swedish, Uusimaa Swedish, Nyland Swedish.
Language use  Official language. Also use Finnish [fin].
Comments  Swedish Finns have a distinctive pronunciation compared to the dialect in Sweden, but no apparent difficulty in intelligibility. Some Österbotten dialects are intelligible to others with difficulty.