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| Questions & answers |
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Is Sami one language or several?
It is actually several languages, as the differences can be fairly large. However, the decision has been taken to call Sami one language with several different dialects or varieties. After all, we consider Swedish, Danish and Norwegian to be different languages, even though they are fairly similar. However, as these languages are spoken in different countries, it is easier to call them languages rather than dialects. In order to indicate that the Sami are one people with many common elements, even though they live in different countries, we talk about Sami as one language with several varieties. |
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Which languages are related to Sami?
All languages belonging to the Finno-Ugric language family are related to Sami. The best known are Finnish, Hungarian and Estonian. |
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Is it difficult to learn Sami?
It depends on which language you speak yourself and how old you are. If you speak a language like Finnish, it would probably be fairly easy, as the structures of the two languages have many similarities. If you speak Swedish or English, on the other hand, it would be difficult as the grammar is very complicated. It is necessary to keep many more word forms in your head. You have to remember to conjugate all nouns in different cases, depending on their meaning in the sentence. All verbs are conjugated according to person and time. On the other hand, it is a logical language once you have learned it.
For children it is very easy! Grammar, pronunciation and so on flow like a dance, without the speaker actually knowing how it works. Children listen and imitate and don't mind making mistakes. Their brains are very open to learning language, but unfortunately this becomes increasingly difficult as we grow older. |
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Where is Sami spoken?
Sami is spoken in many homes right across Sápmi. It is most common the further north you go. The language borders do not follow the national borders, so the same Sami dialect is spoken on both sides of the Norwegian border. For example, Lule Sami is spoken in Jokkmokk in Sweden and in Kåfjord on the Norwegian side. As the State forcibly relocated Sami people in the 1920s and 1930s, Northern Sami is also spoken in Southern Sami areas. There are no entirely Sami-speaking places in Sweden, although in northernmost Sweden you can hear Sami, Swedish and Finnish `in town'. |
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