Ethnolects and language emancipation in Northern Norway

Abstract

The sociolinguistic complexity in the historical minorities in Northern Norway adheres to two diverging processes: language shift from Kven/Sámi to Norwegian and language revitalization of Kven/Sámi. These processes are results of shifting minority politics in Norway, and although the shift from assimilatory to emancipatory politics may be described as abrupt, the sociolinguistic processes are not. In this situation, there can be no doubt about the fundamental role of the minority languages. In addition to the minority languages, the majority language as it is spoken in contexts of language shifts, i.e. the ethnolects, are part of the sociolinguistic field. This paper focuses on the ethnolects, and the role of the ethnolects in processes of language emancipation.