2023-05-102022/23:KU28 · p.6KUConstitution
The Status of Älvdalska
The status of Elfdalian as a language
What's at stake: The question concerns whether Elfdalian, spoken by part of the population in Älvdalen, should be given special status as a minority or regional language. It affects the survival of the language and the possibilities for teaching and supporting it.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
Whether the government should investigate the pros and cons of formally recognizing Elfdalian as a minority language, or whether the committee considers no new inquiry necessary beyond existing support for preserving Elfdalian.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
As before, the committee sees no reason to take any initiative on the matter, but maintains that Elfdalian has great value as part of Swedish cultural heritage and welcomes ongoing state and municipal measures to preserve it, and therefore rejects the motions.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 10 (SD)
The reservation (SD) wants the government to investigate the pros and cons of establishing Elfdalian as a minority language, citing assessments by language researchers and the Council of Europe's expert committee that Elfdalian is a distinct language rather than a dialect, and the importance of securing its survival.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 10 by SD.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
What each plan points to — and how the party voted
For each party: the vote its own election manifesto and party programme point to in this case, next to how the party actually voted. A plan can only point to Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| Plan | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | Abstain 0/0/21/3 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| S | No | Yes 94/0/0/13 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| MP | No | Yes 14/0/0/4 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | derived |
| C | No | Abstain 0/0/21/3 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| L | Yes | Yes 13/0/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: low | derived |
| KD | No | Yes 15/0/0/4 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| M | Yes | Yes 60/0/0/8 | follows the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| SD | No | No 0/63/0/9 | follows the plan | confidence: low | derived |
Committee proposal
Parliament rejects the motions 2022/23:81 by Robert Stenkvist and Anders Alftberg (both SD), 2022/23:418 by Staffan Eklöf (SD), 2022/23:624 by Mathias Bengtsson and Gudrun Brunegård (both KD), 2022/23:988 by Michael Rubbestad et al. (SD) point 11, 2022/23:1214 by Nooshi Dadgostar et al. (V) point 7 and 2022/23:1881 by Malin Björk et al. (C) point 17.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna 2022/23:81 av Robert Stenkvist och Anders Alftberg (båda SD), 2022/23:418 av Staffan Eklöf (SD), 2022/23:624 av Mathias Bengtsson och Gudrun Brunegård (båda KD), 2022/23:988 av Michael Rubbestad m.fl. (SD) yrkande 11, 2022/23:1214 av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V) yrkande 7 och 2022/23:1881 av Malin Björk m.fl. (C) yrkande 17.
Riksdag decision: Parliament rejected approximately 35 proposals in motions from the general motion period 2022 concerning minority questions. The reason is partly that work is already underway on the issues raised by the motions. The motions address Jewish life in Sweden, Roma inclusion, the truth commission for the Sámi people, Sámi policy and the structure of the Sámi Parliament, rights for national minorities and indigenous peoples, the status of Älvdalska, sign language as a minority language, an information center for national minorities, evaluation of the consultation law, implementation, oversight and monitoring of minority policy, support for organizations, and dialogue opportunities between the Sámi Parliament and Parliament.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants to strengthen the Jewish group's rights and facilitate Jewish life in Sweden. (SD) — Reservation 10
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The party programme wants the right to use one's own language and education in and about minority languages to be expanded and that all speakers of a national minority language are included regardless of where in the country they live.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme wants the right to use one's own language and education in and about minority languages to be expanded and that all speakers of a national minority language are included regardless of where in the country they live. It also connects to the settlement with forced assimilation of minorities. To investigate the advantages and disadvantages of recognizing Elfdalian as a minority language is in line with that principle, but the plan does not address Elfdalian and support is therefore derived.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet vill att rätten att använda det egna språket och utbildningen i och om minoritetsspråken utvidgas och att alla talare av ett nationellt minoritetsspråk omfattas oavsett var i landet de bor. Det knyter också an till uppgörelsen med tvångsassimileringen av minoriteter. Att utreda för- och nackdelarna med att erkänna älvdalskan som minoritetsspråk ligger i linje med den principen, men planen behandlar inte älvdalskan och stödet är därför härlett.
- minority languages throughout the countrydecisive»minoritetsspråk oavsett var i landet de bor.« (party programme ↗)“minority languages regardless of where in the country they live.”
- right to language and cultural heritage»rättigheter till identitet, språk, kulturarv och religion« (party programme ↗)“rights to identity, language, cultural heritage and religion”
- settlement with forced assimilation»Förtryck av nationella minoriteter och en politik för tvångsassimilering« (party programme ↗)“Oppression of national minorities and a policy of forced assimilation”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The party programme commits to upholding and supporting national minorities' opportunities to maintain and develop their own language and culture, and for cultural life to reflect cultural diversity.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme commits to upholding and supporting national minorities' opportunities to maintain and develop their own language and culture, and for cultural life to reflect cultural diversity. The election manifesto wants a vibrant, free and independent cultural life. Investigating advantages and disadvantages of recognizing Älvdalskan as a minority language lies in line with these commitments, but the plan says nothing about which languages should be recognized.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet åtar sig att hävda och stödja nationella minoriteters möjligheter att behålla och utveckla det egna språket och kulturen, och att kulturlivet ska spegla den kulturella mångfalden. Valmanifestet vill ett levande, fritt och obundet kulturliv. Att utreda för- och nackdelar med att erkänna älvdalskan som minoritetsspråk ligger i linje med dessa åtaganden, men planen säger inget om vilka språk som ska erkännas.
- support for minority languagesdecisive»I detta ska också ingå att hävda och stödja nationella minoriteters möjligheter att« (party programme ↗)“This shall also include upholding and supporting national minorities' opportunities to”
- cultural diversity»Kulturinstitutionerna och kulturlivet måste spegla den kulturella mångfalden i dagens« (party programme ↗)“Cultural institutions and cultural life must reflect cultural diversity in today's”
- vibrant cultural life»Sverige ska ha ett levande, fritt och obundet kulturliv som både stärker samhörigheten och utmanar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden shall have a vibrant, free and independent cultural life that both strengthens cohesion and challenges.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan lists five national minorities and does not mention Älvdalsmål, but the party programme states that people shall always be given the right to define and exercise their own identity and culture and that minorities' culture and language must be respected and strengthened.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan lists five national minorities and does not mention Älvdalsmål, but the party programme states that people shall always be given the right to define and exercise their own identity and culture and that minorities' culture and language must be respected and strengthened. The election manifesto promises to strengthen national minorities' rights. Investigating the advantages and disadvantages of recognizing Älvdalsmål as a minority language follows from these principles, but the conclusion is derived and uncertain.
Original (Swedish)
Planen räknar upp fem nationella minoriteter och nämner inte älvdalskan, men partiprogrammet slår fast att människor alltid ska ges rätt att definiera och utöva sin egen identitet och kultur och att minoriteternas kultur och språk måste respekteras och stärkas. Valmanifestet lovar att stärka nationella minoriteters rättigheter. Att utreda för- och nackdelar med att erkänna älvdalskan som minoritetsspråk följer av dessa principer, men slutsatsen är härledd och osäker.
- right to define one's culturedecisive»Miljöpartiet vill att människor alltid ska ges rätt att definiera och utöva sin egen identitet och kultur.« (party programme ↗)“The Greens want people to always be given the right to define and exercise their own identity and culture.”
- the position of minority languages»Deras särskilda ställning, med egen kultur och eget språk, måste respekteras och stärkas.« (party programme ↗)“Their special position, with their own culture and own language, must be respected and strengthened.”
- strengthened minority rights»stärka nationella minoriteters och urfolket samernas rättigheter och att Sverige ska förbinda sig att följa den internationella konventionen om urfolks rättigheter (ILO 169).« (2022 manifesto ↗)“strengthen national minorities' and the Sámi people's rights and that Sweden shall commit to following the international convention on indigenous peoples' rights (ILO 169).”
- protect cultural heritage»Kulturarvet är vårt gemensamma arv.« (party programme ↗)“Cultural heritage is our common heritage.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan commits to strengthening minority protection and the status of minority languages, which directly speaks for investigating Elvish's status as a minority language.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan commits to strengthening minority protection and the status of minority languages, which directly speaks for investigating Elvish's status as a minority language. The plan also emphasises that cultural heritage and culture throughout the country is an important starting point. An investigation of pros and cons is a limited step that lies well within this commitment.
Original (Swedish)
Planen åtar sig att stärka minoritetsskyddet och minoritetsspråkens ställning, vilket direkt talar för att utreda älvdalskans status som minoritetsspråk. Planen betonar dessutom att kulturarv och kultur i hela landet är en viktig utgångspunkt. En utredning av för- och nackdelar är ett begränsat steg som ligger väl inom detta åtagande.
- strengthened status for minority languagesdecisive»Vi vill stärka bland annat äganderätten, diskrimineringsförbudet, minoritetsskyddet och minoritetsspråkens ställning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to strengthen in particular property rights, the prohibition of discrimination, minority protection and the status of minority languages”
- culture and cultural heritage throughout the country»Att tillhandahålla kultur i hela landet är en viktig utgångspunkt för Centerpartiet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Providing culture throughout the country is an important starting point for the Centre Party.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan takes no position on Älvdalskan. It lists the five national minorities whose position shall be maintained and treats dialects as part of the…
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan takes no position on Älvdalskan. It lists the five national minorities whose position shall be maintained and treats dialects as part of the cultural heritage that shall be kept accessible, not as candidates for minority language status. The nearest principle thus speaks against investigating a recognition, while the plan wants to support an offering with minority language profile.
Original (Swedish)
Planen tar inte ställning till älvdalskan. Den räknar upp de fem nationella minoriteterna vars ställning ska upprätthållas och behandlar dialekter som en del av kulturarvet som ska hållas tillgängligt, inte som kandidater till minoritetsspråksstatus. Närmast liggande princip talar därför mot att utreda ett erkännande, samtidigt som planen vill understödja ett utbud med minoritetsspråksprofil.
- five recognized minoritiesdecisive»Samernas, sverigefinnarnas, tornedalingarnas, judarnas och romernas ställning som nationella minoriteter« (party programme ↗)“The Sami's, Swedish Finns', Tornedalians', Jews' and Roma's position as national minorities”
- dialects as cultural heritage»dialekter och annat – utvecklas ständigt genom att samtiden ger sitt bidrag.« (party programme ↗)“dialects and other – constantly develop as the present time makes its contribution.”
- support for minority languages»Det offentliga ska understödja ett språk-, kultur- och medieutbud« (party programme ↗)“The public shall support a language, culture and media offering”
The plan sees supporting minorities' own initiatives as a central public task and wants to ensure minority languages a strong position through legislation.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan sees supporting minorities' own initiatives as a central public task and wants to ensure minority languages a strong position through legislation. Cultural policy must moreover preserve the cultural heritage previous generations left, of which Elvdalian is a part. To investigate the advantages and disadvantages of recognizing Elvdalian as a minority language thus aligns with the plan's direction; the plan simultaneously stands guard over Swedish's position as the majority language.
Original (Swedish)
Planen ser det som en central offentlig uppgift att stödja minoriteters egna insatser och vill tillförsäkra minoritetsspråken en stark ställning genom lagstiftning. Kulturpolitiken ska dessutom förvalta det kulturarv tidigare generationer lämnat, vilket älvdalskan är en del av. Att utreda för- och nackdelar med att erkänna älvdalskan som minoritetsspråk ligger därmed i planens linje; planen slår samtidigt vakt om svenskans ställning som majoritetsspråk.
- minority languages' positiondecisive»att göra detta är att tillförsäkra minoritetsspråken en« (party programme ↗)“to do this is to ensure minority languages a”
- public support to minorities»Det är en central offentlig uppgift att stödja minoriteters egna insatser för att behålla och vidareutveckla« (party programme ↗)“It is a central public task to support minorities' own initiatives to maintain and further develop”
- preserve the cultural heritage»En god kulturpolitik måste sträva efter att ta tillvara det värdefulla kulturella arv som tidigare« (party programme ↗)“Good cultural policy must strive to preserve the valuable cultural heritage that previous”
- Swedish as majority language»det svenska språket, vars ställning som majoritetsspråk bör vara grundlagsskyddat.« (party programme ↗)“the Swedish language, whose position as the majority language should be protected by the constitution.”
The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.
The plan does not address minority languages and says nothing about Elfdalian.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan does not address minority languages and says nothing about Elfdalian. The nearest principles are that Swedish culture and history are valued as a unifying heritage, but also that politics must prioritize and choose and that the state's core tasks come first. Derived from this it is rejected to initiate an investigation work about a new recognized minority language, but the basis is weak.
Original (Swedish)
Planen behandlar inte minoritetsspråk och säger ingenting om älvdalskan. Närmast liggande principer är att svensk kultur och historia värderas som ett förenande arv, men också att politiken måste prioritera och välja bort och att statens kärnuppgifter går först. Härlett ur detta avvisas att inleda ett utredningsarbete om ett nytt erkänt minoritetsspråk, men underlaget är svagt.
- prioritization of core tasksdecisive»Politiken har en viktig uppgift att prioritera och välja bort« (party programme ↗)“Politics has an important task to prioritize and choose”
- the cultural heritage is valued»Svensk kultur och svensk historia« (party programme ↗)“Swedish culture and Swedish history”
The plan places great emphasis on preserving local and regional identities with deep historical roots and on protecting Swedish cultural heritage, where language and dialects develop organically across geography.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan places great emphasis on preserving local and regional identities with deep historical roots and on protecting Swedish cultural heritage, where language and dialects develop organically across geography. An investigation into the advantages and disadvantages of recognizing Älvdalska is in line with the preservation mandate. Since the documents do not address the status of minority languages, the conclusion is uncertain.
Original (Swedish)
Planen lägger stor vikt vid att lokala och regionala identiteter med djup historisk förankring bevaras och vid att värna det svenska kulturarvet, där språk och dialekter utvecklas organiskt över geografi. En utredning av för- och nackdelar med att erkänna älvdalskan ligger i linje med det bevarandeuppdraget. Eftersom dokumenten inte behandlar minoritetsspråkens ställning är slutsatsen osäker.
- preserve local identitiesdecisive»Att lokala och regionala identiteter med en djup historisk förankring bevaras även i framtiden« (party programme ↗)“That local and regional identities with deep historical roots are preserved in the future”
- language as living cultural heritage»Kulturen liksom språk och dialekter utvecklas organiskt, över tid, mellan generationer och över geografi.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Culture, like language and dialects, develops organically over time, between generations, and across geography.”
- protect Swedish culture»Sverigedemokraterna vill värna, vårda och visa svensk kultur.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“the Sweden Democrats want to protect, nurture and showcase Swedish culture.”
- the cultural heritage concerns everyone»Bevarandet av detta kulturarv är således en angelägenhet för alla svenskar« (party programme ↗)“The preservation of this cultural heritage is thus a matter of concern for all Swedes”
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2022/23:KU28)
- Committee report full text (HA01KU28)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2022/23:1214 — Åtgärder för de nationella minoriteterna och minoritetsspråken av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2022/23:1326 — Teckenspråk av Carita Boulwén (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1474 — Politik för de nationella minoriteterna av Amanda Lind m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2022/23:181 — Stärk demokratin och de mänskliga rättigheterna av Märta Stenevi m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2022/23:1881 — Konstitutionella frågor av Malin Björk m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2022/23:2098 — Politik för det samiska folket av Amanda Lind m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2022/23:418 — Skydda och bevara älvdalskan av Staffan Eklöf (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:624 — Erkännande av älvdalska som språk av Mathias Bengtsson och Gudrun Brunegård (båda KD)
- Motion 2022/23:81 — Bevara och levandegör språket älvdalska av Robert Stenkvist och Anders Alftberg (båda SD)
- Motion 2022/23:901 — En äldreomsorg med trygghet och valfrihet i hela landet av Christofer Bergenblock m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2022/23:988 — Nationella minoriteter i Sverige av Michael Rubbestad m.fl. (SD)
Source: The Swedish Parliament