Swedish
PrintA language of Sweden
8,000,000 in Sweden (Parkvall 2009). 5,000 speakers of Gutniska (1998 S. Håkansson), and 30,000 of Jamska. Population total all countries: 8,381,829.
Göta dialect: south, including parts of Småland, Värmland, Västergötland, parts of Östergötland, Bohuslän and Dalsland; Svea dialect: central, including Västmanland, Södermanland, Gästrikland, Dalarna, south Hälsingland, parts of Östergötland and Uppland; Southern Swedish: Skåne, Blekinge, south Småland, south Halland; Northern Swedish: north Hälsingland and north; Jamska: mainly Jämtland; Eastern Swedish: Finland, Estonia, and Gammalsvenskby, Ukraine; Gutniska: Isle of Gotland and Fårö. Also in Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Norway, United States.
1 (National). Statutory national language (2009, Language Act. No. 600, Articles 4,5,6).
Dalecarlian, Eastern Swedish (Estonian Swedish, Finland Swedish), Gutniska (Gotlandic, Gutamal, Gutnic), Jamska, Northern Swedish (Norrland), Southern Swedish (Scanian, Skåne), Svea. Standard Swedish considered spoken in Svealand. Dialect investigation needed in Gutniska, Överkalixmål, Närpes, Pitemål, provinces around the Bothnic Sea (Norbotten in Sweden and Österbotten in Finland), and the island of Gotland. Gutniska descended from Forngutniska (Old Gotlandic). Dalecarlian spoken in northern Dalarna Province by about 10,000 speakers. Many would actually consider this variety a language in its own right, with its own literary standard and features that are markedly different from standard Swedish.