Mia Halonen - Pasi Ihalainen - Taina Saarinen (eds.): Language Policies in Finland and Sweden: Interdisciplinary and Multi-sited Comparison
Abstract
A review of a book by Finnish editors Mia Halonen - Pasi Ihalainen - Taina Saarinen (eds.): Language Policies in Finland and Sweden: Interdisciplinary and Multi-sited Comparisons, which consists (apart from the preface and the final chapter) of eight articles dealing with the language policies in Finland and Sweden. The second title of the book, Interdisciplinary and Multi-sited Comparisons shows, that the perspective of the articles combines several fields of study (eg. linguistics, history and ethnology) and compares results of research made in several places at the same time.
The chosen point of view is driven by the fact that Swedish is the second most used language in Finland, and in Sweden it is Finnish, which is in the same position. The first part of the volume deals with the language policies in legislation and media, the second part concentrates on individuals as subjects constructing and reflecting language policies.
The studies compare discussions in Finnish and Swedish parliaments, legislative documents, and deal also with teaching Swedish in Finnish schools, the language of parish documents in Finland at the end of the 19th century, the situation of Russian language in Finland and the position of Finnish workers in Sweden as well as the position of Finnish language in this country.