2025-05-072024/25:KU28 · p.21KUConstitution
The status of Älvdalskan
The status of Elfdalian as a minority or regional language
What's at stake: Elfdalian is spoken by up to around 3,000 people and retains unusually old features of Old Norse, and recognition could give the language stronger protection and support to help preserve it for future generations.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether the Riksdag should direct the government to investigate Elfdalian's status with a view to recognizing it as a minority or regional language, or whether Elfdalian should continue to be treated as a dialect without a dedicated review of its status.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee does not think the Riksdag should take the initiative to review Elfdalian's status, but stresses that Elfdalian has great value as part of the cultural heritage and views favorably the state and municipal measures already being taken to preserve it.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 29 (S, V, C, MP)
The reservation wants the government tasked with investigating Elfdalian's status and the possibility of recognizing it as a minority or regional language, pointing out that Elfdalian carries unique, archaic features, is spoken by up to around 3,000 people, and that local representatives and experts have long argued it should be recognized as a language of its own.
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 29 by S, V, C, MP.
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 | No 0/21/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| S | No | No 0/93/0/13 | follows the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| MP | No | No 1/15/0/2 | follows the plan | confidence: low | derived |
| C | No | No 0/21/0/3 | follows the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| L | No | Yes 14/0/0/2 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | derived |
| KD | No | Yes 17/0/0/2 | departs from the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| M | Yes | Yes 60/0/0/8 | follows the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| SD | No | Yes 63/0/0/9 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
Broke with the party line
| MPCamilla Hansén (MP, Örebro län) | Yes — party line: No |
MPs whose vote differs from their party's majority position in this division. Marked with a dark ring in the chamber view.
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects the motions 2024/25:1071 by Gudrun Brunegård and Mathias Bengtsson (both KD) demands 1-3, 2024/25:1421 by Michael Rubbestad et al. (SD) demand 11, 2024/25:1935 by Nooshi Dadgostar et al. (V) demand 11, 2024/25:2372 by Malin Höglund (M), 2024/25:3159 by Malin Björk et al. (C) demand 33 and 2024/25:3193 by Ida Karkiainen et al. (S) demand 23.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna 2024/25:1071 av Gudrun Brunegård och Mathias Bengtsson (båda KD) yrkandena 1-3, 2024/25:1421 av Michael Rubbestad m.fl. (SD) yrkande 11, 2024/25:1935 av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V) yrkande 11, 2024/25:2372 av Malin Höglund (M), 2024/25:3159 av Malin Björk m.fl. (C) yrkande 33 och 2024/25:3193 av Ida Karkiainen m.fl. (S) yrkande 23.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag rejected some sixty proposals on minority issues in motions submitted during the general motion period 2024. One reason is that work is already underway on several of the issues raised by the motions. The proposals concern, for example, indigenous status for Tornedalians, Kvens and Lantalaiset, Sami policy, Jewish life in Sweden, Roma inclusion and Sweden Finns' right to language and culture.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants Sweden to ratify the International Labour Organization's Convention No. 169 on indigenous peoples. (S, V, C, MP) — Reservation 29
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 plan does not address älvdalska language, but gives Sweden a special task to strengthen the rights of national minorities to identity, language and cultural heritage, seen in the light of the state's historical treatment of minorities.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan does not address älvdalska language, but gives Sweden a special task to strengthen the rights of national minorities to identity, language and cultural heritage, seen in the light of the state's historical treatment of minorities. Investigating älvdalska's status and the possibility of recognising it aligns with that principle. The conclusion is derived, since the plan does not take a position on which languages should be recognised.
Original (Swedish)
Planen behandlar inte älvdalskan, men ger Sverige en särskild uppgift att stärka rättigheter till identitet, språk och kulturarv, sett i ljuset av statens historiska behandling av minoriteter. Att utreda älvdalskans status och möjligheten att erkänna den ligger i linje med den principen. Slutsatsen är härledd, eftersom planen inte tar ställning till vilka språk som ska erkännas.
- language and cultural heritage as rightdecisive»de nationella minoriteternas rättigheter till identitet, språk, kulturarv« (party programme ↗)“national minorities' rights to identity, language, cultural heritage”
- special responsibility for language rights»Sverige har en särskild uppgift att stärka urfolks och« (party programme ↗)“Sweden has a special task to strengthen indigenous peoples' and”
- value of cultural heritage»Vi människor formar vilka vi är genom kultur.« (party programme ↗)“We people shape who we are through culture.”
The documents do not address Älvdalska. The closest principle is the party programme's commitment to uphold and support minorities' opportunities to…
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The documents do not address Älvdalska. The closest principle is the party programme's commitment to uphold and support minorities' opportunities to maintain and develop their own language and culture, and for cultural life to reflect cultural diversity. On that basis, the plan weakly supports investigating the status of Älvdalska.
Original (Swedish)
Dokumenten behandlar inte älvdalskan. Närmast liggande princip är partiprogrammets åtagande att hävda och stödja minoriteters möjligheter att behålla och utveckla eget språk och kultur samt att kulturlivet ska spegla den kulturella mångfalden. Utifrån den talar planen svagt för att älvdalskans status utreds.
- support for minority languagesdecisive»I detta ska också ingå att hävda och stödja nationella minoriteters möjligheter att« (party programme ↗)“This should 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 the cultural diversity of today”
- 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 states that cultural heritage is our shared heritage and shall be cared for for the future, and that people shall always be given the right to define and practise their own identity and culture.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan states that cultural heritage is our shared heritage and shall be cared for for the future, and that people shall always be given the right to define and practise their own identity and culture. It also requires that languages' special status is respected and strengthened. To investigate Älvdalska's status follows from these principles, even though the language is not mentioned in the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att kulturarvet är vårt gemensamma arv och ska vårdas för framtiden, och att människor alltid ska ges rätt att definiera och utöva sin egen identitet och kultur. Den kräver också att språkens särskilda ställning respekteras och stärks. Att utreda älvdalskans status följer av dessa principer, även om språket inte nämns i planen.
- cultural heritage shall be cared fordecisive»Kulturarvet är vårt gemensamma arv.« (party programme ↗)“Cultural heritage is our shared heritage.”
- right to own culture and identity»Miljöpartiet vill att människor alltid ska ges rätt« (party programme ↗)“The Green Party wants people to always be given the right”
- languages' special status»Deras särskilda ställning, med egen kultur och eget« (party programme ↗)“Their special status, with their own culture and their own”
- 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 indigenous Sámi people's rights and that Sweden shall commit to following the international convention on indigenous peoples' rights (ILO 169).”
The plan wants to strengthen minority languages' position, and an investigation of Älvdalen is a step in that direction.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan wants to strengthen minority languages' position, and an investigation of Älvdalen is a step in that direction. The party also emphasizes culture and cultural heritage's importance throughout the country and that people locally shall be able to decide more for themselves, which supports taking local representatives' request seriously. Since the documents do not mention Älvdalen, the conclusion is derived and uncertain.
Original (Swedish)
Planen vill stärka minoritetsspråkens ställning, och en utredning av älvdalskans status är ett steg i den riktningen. Partiet betonar också kulturens och kulturarvets betydelse i hela landet och att människor lokalt ska få bestämma mer själva, vilket talar för att ta lokala företrädares begäran på allvar. Eftersom dokumenten inte nämner älvdalskan är slutsatsen härledd och osäker.
- strengthened position for minority languagesdecisive»Vi vill stärka bland annat äganderätten, diskrimineringsförbudet, minoritetsskyddet och minoritetsspråkens ställning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to strengthen, among other things, property rights, the ban on discrimination, minority protection, and the position 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.”
- local self-determination»Decentralisera mera. Människor ska få bestämma mer själva, och politiska beslut ska fattas nära dem som berörs.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Decentralize more. People shall be able to decide more for themselves, and political decisions shall be made close to those affected.”
The plan does not take a stand on Älvdalian.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan does not take a stand on Älvdalian. The nearest principle is that cultural heritage, explicitly including dialects, shall be kept available for future generations and that the public shall support a language and cultural offering with a minority language profile. An investigation of Älvdalian's status aligns with this undertaking.
Original (Swedish)
Planen tar inte ställning till älvdalskan. Den närmast liggande principen är att kulturarvet, uttryckligen inklusive dialekter, ska hållas tillgängligt för kommande generationer och att det offentliga ska understödja ett språk- och kulturutbud med minoritetsspråksprofil. En utredning av älvdalskans status ligger i linje med detta åtagande.
- dialects as cultural heritagedecisive»Kulturarvet – vårt gemensamma minne i form av historiska lämningar, kulturlandskap, arkiv, traditioner, dialekter och annat – utvecklas ständigt genom att samtiden ger sitt bidrag.« (party programme ↗)“The cultural heritage – our shared memory in the form of historical remains, cultural landscapes, archives, traditions, dialects and other – develops constantly through contemporary contribution.”
- cultural heritage for future generations»Det kulturarv som finns i Sverige är en del av mänsklighetens gemensamma kulturarv och ska hållas tillgängligt för kommande generationer.« (party programme ↗)“The cultural heritage that exists in Sweden is part of humanity's shared cultural heritage and shall be kept available for future generations.”
- support for minority languages»Det offentliga ska understödja ett språk-, kultur- och medieutbud med minoritetsspråksprofil.« (party programme ↗)“The public shall support a language, culture and media offering with a minority language profile.”
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 makes stewardship of cultural heritage a central task and wants to ensure minority languages have strong standing through legislation, while support for groups' own efforts to preserve their culture is described as a public task.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan makes stewardship of cultural heritage a central task and wants to ensure minority languages have strong standing through legislation, while support for groups' own efforts to preserve their culture is described as a public task. Investigating the status of Älvdalskan and the possibility of recognition aligns with this. The plan names minority languages as a determined circle and does not mention Älvdalskan, which is why certainty is low.
Original (Swedish)
Planen gör förvaltarskapet om det kulturella arvet till en central uppgift och vill tillförsäkra minoritetsspråken en stark ställning genom lagstiftning, samtidigt som stöd till gruppers egna insatser att bevara sin kultur beskrivs som en offentlig uppgift. Att utreda älvdalskans status och möjligheten till erkännande ligger i linje med detta. Planen nämner inte älvdalskan, och de nationella minoritetsspråken räknas upp som en bestämd krets, varför säkerheten är låg.
- stewardship of cultural heritagedecisive»En god kulturpolitik måste sträva efter att ta tillvara det värdefulla kulturella arv« (party programme ↗)“Good cultural policy must strive to preserve the valuable cultural heritage”
- minority languages' standing»stark ställning genom lagstiftning.« (party programme ↗)“strong standing through legislation.”
- support for own cultural efforts»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 efforts to maintain and develop”
- determined national minorities»Genom att tillerkänna samer, sverigefinländare,« (party programme ↗)“By recognizing Sami, Swedish-Finns,”
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 says nothing about Älvdalskan or regional languages.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan says nothing about Älvdalskan or regional languages. The principle that lies nearest is that politics must prioritize and exclude and that new commitments shall be financed within tight priorities. The plan values the cultural continuity Sweden represents, but that is not sufficient support for investigating a formal language recognition.
Original (Swedish)
Planen säger inget om älvdalskan eller om landsdelsspråk. Den princip som ligger närmast är att politiken måste prioritera och välja bort och att nya åtaganden ska finansieras inom hårda prioriteringar. Planen värdesätter den kulturella kontinuitet Sverige representerar, men det räcker inte som stöd för att utreda ett formellt språkerkännande.
- prioritize and excludedecisive»Politiken har en viktig uppgift att prioritera och välja bort,« (party programme ↗)“Politics has an important task to prioritize and exclude,”
- new commitments must be financed»Alla nya löften och reformer – som till exempel våra inkomstskattesänkningar – behöver finansieras eller rymmas inom överskottsmålet. De stora behoven inom rättsväsendet, försvaret och välfärden ställer stora krav på prioriteringar under åren som kommer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“All new promises and reforms – such as for example our income tax cuts – need to be financed or fit within the surplus target. The major needs within the justice system, defense and welfare place major demands on priorities in the years to come.”
- valued cultural continuity»Moderaterna värdesätter den kontinuitet som Sverige« (party programme ↗)“The Moderate Party values the continuity that Sweden”
The plan attaches great importance to local and regional identities with deep historical roots being preserved and establishes that cultural heritage has an intrinsic value and that support for its preservation shall increase.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan attaches great importance to local and regional identities with deep historical roots being preserved and establishes that cultural heritage has an intrinsic value and that support for its preservation shall increase. Älvdalska is precisely such a linguistic part of local cultural heritage. Investigating its status thus follows from the plan's line to cherish, care for and showcase Swedish culture.
Original (Swedish)
Planen tillmäter det stor betydelse att lokala och regionala identiteter med djup historisk förankring bevaras och slår fast att kulturarvet har ett egenvärde och att stödet till dess bevarande ska öka. Älvdalskan är just en sådan språklig del av det lokala kulturarvet. Att utreda dess status följer därför av planens linje att värna, vårda och visa svensk kultur.
- preserve local identitiesdecisive»Att lokala och regionala identiteter med en djup historisk förankring bevaras även i framtiden är av stor betydelse för Sverigedemokraterna.« (party programme ↗)“That local and regional identities with deep historical roots are preserved also in the future is of great importance to Sweden Democrats.”
- cultural heritage's intrinsic value»Kulturarvet har ett egenvärde« (party programme ↗)“Cultural heritage has intrinsic value”
- increased support for cultural heritage»Parallellt med detta skall stödet till bevarandet och levandegörandet av det svenska kulturarvet öka.« (party programme ↗)“In parallel with this, support for the preservation and revitalization of Swedish cultural heritage shall increase.”
- cherish Swedish culture»Sverigedemokraterna vill värna, vårda och visa svensk kultur.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats want to cherish, care for and showcase Swedish culture.”
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.
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2024/25:KU28)
- Committee report full text (HC01KU28)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2024/25:1071 — Utredning om älvdalskans status som språk för ett framtida erkännande som landsdelsspråk av Gudrun Brunegård och Mathias Bengtsson (båda KD)
- Motion 2024/25:1288 — Teckenspråk av Carita Boulwén (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:1321 — Politik för tornedalingar, kväner och lantalaiset av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:1421 — Nationella minoriteter och urfolk i Sverige av Michael Rubbestad m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2024/25:171 — Tornedalingar som urfolk av Cecilia Engström och Magnus Oscarsson (båda KD)
- Motion 2024/25:1745 — Politik för minoriteter av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:1746 — Politik för romer av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:1747 — Politik för sverigefinländarna av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:1754 — Politik för samer av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:1932 — Språk och litteratur av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2024/25:1935 — Åtgärder för de nationella minoriteterna och minoritetsspråken av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2024/25:2372 — Älvdalska - ett eget språk av Malin Höglund (M)
- Motion 2024/25:2643 — En rättvis framtid: strategier för att bekämpa rasism och främja social rättvisa av Leila Ali Elmi m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:3040 — Judiskt liv i Sverige av Jan Riise m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2024/25:3110 — Utgiftsområde 17 Kultur, medier, trossamfund och fritid av Lawen Redar m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2024/25:3159 — Konstitution och demokrati av Malin Björk m.fl. (C)
- Motion 2024/25:3193 — Utgiftsområde 1 Rikets styrelse av Ida Karkiainen m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2024/25:61 — Åtgärder för att motverka den muslimska antisemitismen av Nima Gholam Ali Pour (SD)
Source: The Swedish Parliament