Swedish Language Research Articles

‘There’s Nothing Strange’: Language Policy and Racialisation at Warehouse Workplaces

ABSTRACT Sweden is a country where racial/ethnic power relations reflect and reinforce the marginalisation of groups of people. Research has shown that language makes part of such racialised processes through makings of the Swedish language into the norm and a consequent stigmatisation of the ‘non-Swedish’ others. This article explores the role of language in racialisation at the workplace level of online retail warehousing. The empirical material comprises interviews (n = 24) and focus groups (n = 15 groups, tot. of 49 participants) with managers, team leaders, and workers at three online retail warehouses in Sweden, with an emphasis on the perceptions of a Swedish language policy that had been implemented in one of the warehouses. The policy had been implemented to promote inclusion and to create opportunities for workers whose primary language was not Swedish. The article shows that the language policy can be understood as racialising, even though that was not its purpose.

“I feel like I cannot manage without her”

This study explores how a teacher at a Swedish language introductory school is perceived as a literacy mediator or literacy broker (Brandt, 1998) by a group of migrant adolescents with limited prior formal education. Beyond traditional language acquisition elements like grammar and vocabulary, these students are navigating emergent literacy in a second language while adapting to a new society (Gee, 2005). My research is guided by two main questions: (1) How do the students report that their teacher supports their engagement in literacy practices? (2) What do the students think about the fact that certain literacy practices seem to be enabled while others are hindered? Conducted during the 2017/18 school year as an ethnographic case study in an introductory language class, the investigation utilizes field notes, recorded interactions, field conversations, and formal interviews with nine students. The analysis reveals the students’ appreciation for the teacher’s support in meeting new literacy standards, while also highlighting their acceptance of the devaluation of some prior literacy practices as a strategic choice to facilitate engagement in mainstream society’s literacy practices (Nocon & Cole, 2009; Janks, 2010). The study also discusses the students’ opportunities to express themselves, both in interviews and within the classroom, in connection to these findings. Additionally, the concept of literacy sponsorship is explored in relation to these discussions.

Knowledge gaps related to HIV and condom use for preventing pregnancy: a cross-sectional study among migrants in Sweden

BackgroundInformation and knowledge of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) plays a crucial role in promoting safe sexual practices among young migrants. We aimed to assess the sociodemographic factors of migrants associated with knowledge of condoms and the prevention, treatment, and transmission of HIV to highlight the need for SRHR information, including comprehensive sexual health education.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted (2018–2019) among migrants at Swedish language schools and high schools across Sweden. The survey included questions about knowledge of condom use for preventing pregnancy and HIV treatment and transmission. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the responses to the knowledge questions and sociodemographic characteristics.ResultsOut of 3430 respondents (median age: 35, interquartile range: 20), approximately 39% were unaware that condoms can prevent unplanned pregnancies. Only 58% of the respondents knew that condoms reduce the risk of contracting HIV. About 77% were unaware of HIV treatment, and 52% reported not knowing that a woman with HIV could transmit the virus to her baby during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Incorrect knowledge about condom use to prevent unwanted pregnancy was associated with several factors: younger age (15–19 years) adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.35; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02–1.79); female respondents (aOR: 1.68; 95% CI 1.36–2.07); lack of previous sexual health education (aOR: 2.57; 95% CI 2.11–3.13); low level of education (aOR: 1.30; 95% CI 1.04–1.61). Originating from the Americas, European, or sub-Saharan African regions was associated with a 34–42% decreased likelihood of incorrect knowledge that condoms can reduce the risk of HIV infection compared to respondents from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). More than half (64%) of respondents reported needing more SRHR information.ConclusionsWe found significant knowledge gaps on HIV and condom use for preventing pregnancy among migrants in Sweden. Comprehensive sexual health education in language schools, along with information to newly arrived migrants from diverse regional backgrounds and targeted sexual health services to younger individuals, women, and those who lack sexual health education, are needed to address these information gaps and provide crucial SRHR education and information.

Sign duration and signing rate in British Sign Language, Dutch Sign Language and Swedish Sign Language

In this article, we look at sign duration and signing rate in corpora of three sign languages – British Sign Language (BSL), Dutch Sign Language (NGT), and Swedish Sign Language (STS). We investigate whether token frequency and sociolinguistic variables (e.g., age, gender, region) influence the production rate of signing. Following Zipf’s law of abbreviation, we see that a sign’s duration is negatively correlated with its frequency. Both sign duration and signing rate are found to correlate with signer age, in that older signers have longer durations and lower rates than younger signers. Signers' gender, family (deaf or hearing), and age of exposure have no effect on duration or signing rate. For NGT and STS, there is no effect of region on either duration or rate. However, in the BSL data, duration and signing rate vary with region. The overall findings align with previous work on spoken languages, particularly that frequency and aging are correlated with word length and production rate, thus demonstrating such patterns across modalities of language.

Language learning challenges for adult deaf migrants in Sweden: experiences from a four-year project

ABSTRACT Upon arrival in Sweden, adult migrants are required to learn Swedish at the earliest opportunity. This requirement also extends to deaf migrants, regardless of their linguistic and educational backgrounds. This paper presents findings and experiences derived from a project focused on the multilingual situation of deaf migrants in Sweden. Some deaf migrants have acquired sign language skills from birth and have received formal education, while others have had limited exposure to language and have never attended school. Due to a scarcity of interpreters proficient in different sign languages and many deaf migrants lacking knowledge of such languages, it becomes imperative for them to participate in courses aimed at learning Swedish Sign Language (STS). This enables effective communication with the Swedish Migration Agency and other authorities through STS-interpreters. They are also required, similar to other migrants, to acquire proficiency in reading and writing Swedish. Paradoxically, Sweden imposes the same education duration requirements on deaf migrants as hearing who only learn one language. Consequently, deaf migrants encounter challenges in attaining sufficient language proficiency level for successful integration into Swedish society. The paper highlights challenges and emphasizes the importance of addressing the unique language-learning needs of deaf migrants to facilitate their successful integration.

Developing summative assessment literacy: Novice language teachers' perceptions in Sweden and Finland

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to investigate summative assessment (SA) perceptions and the sources of summative assessment literacy for novice second/foreign language teachers in Sweden and Finland. Data were collected through a questionnaire (N = 27) and a semi‐structured interview (N = 22) from a group of novice teachers who graduated from two Swedish universities and one Finnish university. Descriptive and content analysis of the data reveal that novice teachers perceive themselves to have a good understanding of most of the basic SA areas. They consider teacher education as the main source of their conceptual understanding while they attribute their skills mostly to experience in schools. Swedish and Finnish teachers present both similar and varied perceptions of the role of teacher education in developing their summative assessment literacy. Context and implications Rationale for this study What summative assessment literacy pre‐service teachers acquire during teacher education, and how this literacy reflects on their teaching are critical questions in understanding novice teachers' learning and use of summative assessment in schools. This study investigates the perceptions and experiences of novice teachers of second/foreign languages in Sweden and Finland. Why the new findings matter The findings provide an understanding of novice language teachers’ perceptions on key components of summative assessment and the sources and processes enabling development of this literacy. Insights into theoretical and practical aspects of summative assessment that novice teachers need are expected to guide teacher education programmes in realigning their programmes respectively. Implications for teacher educators and policy makers Novice language teachers are confident about their theoretical knowledge of summative assessment but need to develop skills to put their knowledge into practice. Hands on exercises through content‐specific materials and tasks are critical in developing skills such as test construction, grading, analysis of exams and exposure to national tests. Special needs and diverse sociocultural contexts should be taken into consideration in teacher education. Steering documents should make the summative assessment requirements and expected competencies clearer to guide TE programmes in organising learning experiences for pre‐service teachers.

Finding continuers in Swedish Sign Language

Abstract In this paper, I use methods from corpus linguistics and computer vision to find candidates for continuers – that is, conversational markers that signal comprehension and encouragement to the primary speaker/signer to continue – in a corpus of Swedish Sign Language (STS). Using different methods based on distributional patterns in conversational turns, I identify a small set of manual signs – particularly the sign JA@ub ‘yes’ – that exhibit the characteristics associated with continuers, such as occurring frequently in repeated sequences of overlapping but noncompetitive turns. The identified signs correspond to those found in previous research on manual backchannels in STS, demonstrating that quantitative, distribution-based approaches are successful in identifying continuers. In a second step, I employ methods from computer vision to analyze a subset of the corpus videos, and find that the continuer candidates show interesting form characteristics: they are small in visible articulation and thus conversationally unobtrusive by often being articulated low and with little movement in signing space. The results show that distribution-based approaches can be used successfully with sign language corpus data, and that the nature of continuers exhibits similarities across modalities of human language.

Swedish speech and language pathologists reflect on how their clinical practises align to everyday language and communication skills of children with developmental language disorder

This study aims to extend current knowledge about the possibilities and challenges encountered by Swedish speech and language pathologists (SLPs) in targeting everyday language and communication in children with developmental language disorder (DLD). To explore this matter, unstructured focus groups were conducted where 15 SLPs, working with children with DLD, shared their views on the alignment between their clinical practices and children’s everyday lives. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, which resulted in five themes: It’s everyday life that matters; As an SLP, you’re not a part of the child’s everyday life; How do we merge the different worlds?; Resources at home vary, and The employer sets the framework for clinical practices. The SLPs stressed the importance of targeting everyday skills and needs, but they experienced themselves as being detached from the children’s daily context. Collaboration with caregivers and (pre)school staff was emphasised; however, the resources and capacity of the caregivers and staff varied, and this was experienced as a challenge for providing the most appropriate care. Some children and their families were situated in a multifaceted context and needed more extensive care, and this group was described as increasing. However, the services that the SLPs were able to offer varied and were largely regulated by organisational constraints. Individualised services are crucial for ensuring a positive development for children with DLD and for empowering caregivers to be effective collaborative partners in intervention. Therefore, it is essential for SLPs to have the time and resources to ensure high-quality care.

Proverbs of Comparative Semantics on Poverty and Wealth in Swedish and Russian Languages: Structural and Linguacultural Approaches

This study identifies similarities and differences in the structural organization and cultural attitudes expressed in Swedish and Russian proverbs of comparative semantics on poverty and wealth. It provides a classification of linguistic units (35 Swedish and 60 Russian proverbs) based on their expression of identity, comparison, contrast, and syntactic organization. The research reveals that in the Swedish language, proverbs expressing comparison with adjectives in the comparative degree have quantitative advantages, while in the Russian language, proverbs expressing contrast prevail. Similar cultural attitudes in Swedish and Russian proverbs of comparative semantics on poverty and wealth include:(1) The wealthy person’s material status is incomparably higher than that of the poor, but the poor person surpasses the wealthy in moral terms.(2) The wealthy always desire more, being unsatisfied with their wealth.(3) Laws operate differently for the rich and the poor.(4) Wealth is fleeting if not used wisely.Differences lie in specific cultural attitudes. For instance, Swedish proverbs focus on the wealthy person’s daughter as a coveted prize for those seeking easy enrichment, while Russian proverbs intensify certain qualities of individuals based on their degree of poverty / wealth (the poorer a person is, the more generous, wise, intelligent, brave, cunning they are, etc.).

Scaffolding attention and perseverance skills in a diverse population of preschool children in Sweden

In two interventions, 139 and 52 preschool children, age 4–6, from low-SES communities in Sweden, used a play-&-learn game in early mathematics for 10 weeks, about 20 min at a time. 50 % of the participating children were Swedish second language speakers with low language proficiency and about 20 % had learning vulnerabilities in the form of developmental language disorders and neurocognitive diagnoses. In contrast to teachers' predictions ahead of the interventions, game log data and teacher observations regarding children's sustained attention and perseverance – core elements of ‘learning-related behaviors’ – suggest that a majority of children, including children with reported learning difficulties, did well with respect to sustained attention and perseverance. It is proposed that the interventions allowed children with learning difficulties to demonstrate – and practice – these skills to a larger degree than expected. A relative difference in outcome between the two interventions is interpreted as an effect of differences in structured guidance and scaffolding by teachers and peers. Educational relevance statementThe two intervention studies reported in the paper engaged preschool children, age 4–6, in using a play-&-learn educational game in early mathematics for 10 weeks, about 20 min at a time. The children were from environments with low SES indexes. A substantial part of the participants were Swedish second language speakers with low language proficiency and some children had different neurocognitive diagnoses. Ahead of the intervention studies teachers raised doubts regarding the intervention setup, predicting that many children would not be able to stay sufficiently focused on the learning activities. Teachers also predicted that many children would have difficulties to engage in the learning activities as long as 20 min and to hold out all through the intervention period. In contrast to the predictions the data suggests that a majority of the children – including children with learning difficulties – managed well. Specifically, most of the children who encountered substantial challenges in gameplay, again including children with learning difficulties, showed high degrees of perseverance as well as sustained attention. In practical terms the results, together with similar and related results, suggest that high-quality early math activities can have a dual benefit and promote not only growth of math skills, but also growth of central basic skills such as perseverance and sustained attention. With the pressure many preschool teachers experience regarding pedagogical requirements, it may ease their burden to know that growth of more than one important skill can be targeted by one and the same intervention.

Fences of the Nation: Boundaries, Elites and Jewish Emancipation in Sweden, c. 1838–1870

ABSTRACT Nineteenth-century Swedish-Jewish history has sometimes been classified as a peripheral adjunct to German-Jewish history. This article discusses the boundaries set up by Swedish-Jewish emancipationists in their struggle to be defined and accepted as Swedes. By defining themselves as Swedes and using the Swedish language, Swedish-Jewish emancipationists distanced themselves from the German language, while at the same time maintaining good relations with German-Jewish communities. Distancing themselves from so-called Ostjuden, but also helping them through poor-relief and other expenditure, is also discussed in relation to how Swedish-Jewish emancipationists defined themselves as belonging to the Swedish nation, and not a ‘Jewish nation’.

Acoustic and Articulatory Visual Feedback in Classroom L2 Vowel Remediation.

This paper presents L2 vowel remediation in a classroom setting via two real-time visual feedback methods: articulatory ultrasound tongue imaging, which shows tongue shape and position, and a newly developed acoustic formant analyzer, which visualizes a point correlating with the combined effect of tongue position and lip rounding in a vowel quadrilateral. Ten Czech students of the Swedish language participated in the study. Swedish vowel production is difficult for Czech speakers since the languages differ significantly in their vowel systems. The students selected the vowel targets on their own and practiced in two classroom groups, with six students receiving two ultrasound training lessons, followed by one acoustic, and four students receiving two acoustic lessons, followed by one ultrasound. Audio data were collected pre-training, after the two sessions employing the first visual feedback method, and at post-training, allowing measuring Euclidean distance among selected groups of vowels and observing the direction of change within the vowel quadrilateral as a result of practice. Perception tests were performed before and after training, revealing that most learners perceived selected vowels correctly already before the practice. The study showed that both feedback methods can be successfully applied to L2 classroom learning, and both lead to the improvement in the pronunciation of the selected vowels, as well as the Swedish vowel set as a whole. However, ultrasound tongue imaging seems to have an advantage as it resulted in a greater number of improved targets.

Epistemic Reciprocity Through a Decolonial Crip Literacy in Accommodated Language Education for Adults

Abstract This linguistic ethnography was conducted in accommodated language education in Sweden, aimed at adult learners with deafness, hearing impairment, post-traumatic stress disorder, migration stress, or intellectual disability, here, focusing on the latter group, who attended Swedish language learning courses. We empirically investigate a decolonial crip literacy, by connecting language education to epistemic reciprocity. The decolonial lens is understood with regard to the marginalized and dis-abled body, under-represented in Applied Linguistics. More specifically, we focus on teacher positionality and ethical stance-taking among three of the teachers, to contribute an in-depth and situated account of a decolonial crip literacy, as counteracts of ableism and linguicism, and an orientation toward epistemic justice. Based on our linguistic ethnographic data, we suggest that the decolonial crip literacy project engages with disability-as-difference, positioning the dis-abled body as knower, via epistemic reciprocity, which is communicated through a multiplicity of communicative resources, materialities, and creativity. The paper contributes both to the theorizing of injustice in language education and to alternatives in pedagogical practice.

Sign language interpreters’ experiences of remote interpreting in light of COVID-19 in Sweden

The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the work of sign language interpreters from mostly face-to-face assignments to remote interpreting. The overall aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of interpreters working between spoken Swedish and Swedish Sign Language (STS) during the adjustment to remote interpreting (RI) due to COVID-19. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 26 sign language interpreters and analysed with qualitative content analysis. The interpreters represented 19 of the 21 regions in Sweden. The results of the analysis revealed five themes: (a) a comparison of interpreting settings; (b) adaptability; (c) social relations and interaction; (d) technical equipment; and (e) sustainability. Within the themes’ multifaceted experiences of both positive and negative aspects from a micro to a macro level were reported. This rather new setting for interpreters is still in transformation; thus, follow-ups are necessary.

Finnish reported speech and Swedish intratextual translations in 17th-century court records

Abstract This paper studies on multilingual administrative writing in Sweden during the early modern era of emerging national language ideology within the domain of court writing. The source material for this study consists of lower-court records from Finnish-speaking areas of the Swedish realm c. 1620–1700. The court system in Sweden was reformed in 1614 with the establishment of appellate courts that scrutinized the sentences passed by lower courts. Court records were written in Swedish, the official language of administrative writing of the period, but certain segments, notably represented speech, could be rendered in Finnish. This required textual mediation between the prescribed Swedish language of the court protocol, and the non-standard spoken Finnish in the courtrooms. The aim is to examine the embedding strategies, retention patterns, and textual mediation in the multilingual writing of 17th-century Finnish court scribes. The results show that Finnish is retained for especially pertinent or untranslatable witness statements. At the end of the 17th century, the use of parallel Swedish translations and clarifications to Finnish items increased. It is argued that this increase is due to the imposition of autocracy in 1680 and a concomitant push towards monolingual Swedish uniformity within the entire realm.

Health literacy and its association with mental and spiritual well-being among women experiencing homelessness.

Low health literacy (HL) has been linked to low self-rated health, reduced efficacy of behaviour change, and challenges in preventing, treating, or managing health conditions. People experiencing homelessness are at risk of poor HL; however, few studies have investigated HL in relation to mental and spiritual well-being among people experiencing homelessness in general, or women experiencing homelessness specifically. This cross-sectional study of 46 women experiencing homelessness in Stockholm, Sweden, recruited during the period October 2019-December 2020, aimed to examine how HL was associated with mental and spiritual well-being among women experiencing homelessness. Participants answered questions about socio-demographic characteristics (age, length of homelessness, education) and digital technology (mobile phone/the Internet) use, in addition to Swedish language versions of three questionnaires administered through structured, face-to-face interviews: the Communicative and Critical Health Literacy Scale, the General Health Questionnaire 12 and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being. Data were analysed using linear regression, which revealed statistically significant associations between HL and mental well-being (p = .009), and between HL and spiritual well-being (p = .022). However, neither socio-demographic characteristics nor digital technology use were significantly associated with HL. In conclusion, promoting HL may improve mental and spiritual well-being in this vulnerable population. An advisory board of women with lived experiences of homelessness (n = 5) supported the interpretation of the findings and emphasised the need to consider HL in relation to basic needs such as 'housing first'. Moreover, health information and services should be accessible to people with different degrees of HL.

Better letter: iconicity in the manual alphabets of American Sign Language and Swedish Sign Language

Abstract While iconicity has sometimes been defined as meaning transparency, it is better defined as a subjective phenomenon bound to an individual’s perception and influenced by their previous language experience. In this article, I investigate the subjective nature of iconicity through an experiment in which 72 deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing (signing and non-signing) participants rate the iconicity of individual letters of the American Sign Language (ASL) and Swedish Sign Language (STS) manual alphabets. It is shown that L1 signers of ASL and STS rate their own (L1) manual alphabet as more iconic than the foreign one. Hearing L2 signers of ASL and STS exhibit the same pattern as L1 signers, showing an iconic preference for their own (L2) manual alphabet. In comparison, hearing non-signers show no general iconic preference for either manual alphabet. Across all groups, some letters are consistently rated as more iconic in one sign language than the other, illustrating general iconic preferences. Overall, the results align with earlier findings from sign language linguistics that point to language experience affecting iconicity ratings and that one’s own signs are rated as more iconic than foreign signs with the same meaning, even if similar iconic mappings are used.

Interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation for immigrants with chronic pain who need language interpretation.

To investigate outcomes in patients with chronic pain after participation in an interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation programme with language interpreters, and to investigate the outcomes in women and men separately. Prospective multi-centre cohort study. Ninety-five patients in Sweden with chronic pain who have insufficient knowledge of the Swedish language. Duration and intensity of pain, anxiety and depression, health-related quality of life and fear of movement were evaluated before and after the programme. Patients were compared with a reference group comprising Swedish-speaking patients participating in an ordinary interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation programme. Before the interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation programme with language interpreters, all variables except pain duration differed significantly to the detriment of the studied group. The studied group showed significant improvements after the interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation programme with language interpreters, with regards to pain intensity, depression and fear of movement. The reference group improved significantly for all variables.The women in the studied group showed significant improvements for the same variables as the whole group, while the men in the studied group did not improve in any of the variables. This study indicates that patients with chronic pain, and especially women, who have insufficient knowledge of Swedish seem to benefit from participating in an interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation programme with language interpreters. The result may be of value for the further development of rehabilitation programmes with language interpreters.

Language as a medium for inclusion and exclusion: Supporting multilingualism in a Swedish minority language ECEC setting in Finland

Language awareness and multilingualism in early childhood education has received much attention in recent years. The aim of this article is to shed light on challenges and tensions in supporting multilingualism in a minority language ECEC setting in Finland. Of special interest are situations where children not yet proficient in Swedish or Finnish are included or at risk of being excluded. The study was conducted in Southern Finland where many children attending Swedish ECEC come from bilingual Finnish-Swedish homes. The qualitative data consists of interviews with 74 teachers and staff working in 18 Swedish ECEC. Also, participant observations of children aged 3–5 interacting with peers were conducted. The results show that children are aware of language differences and use language as a means for inclusion and exclusion of peers during play. The high degree of freedom in children’s free play, without the participation of adults, makes it difficult for staff to create a common praxis or linguistic strategies. Furthermore, the results indicate that ECEC staff need more guidelines on how to actively support the children’s development of Swedish while supporting children’s bilingualism or multilingualism.

Linguistic diversity in transition: Shifting language orientations in the Swedish ECEC curricula

This article explores the dominant language orientations within the Swedish national curricula for early childhood education and care (ECEC), with a focus on multilingualism, an approach traditionally embraced in Sweden but recently under strain. Through documentary analysis of relevant policy documents over a period of 30 years, the research utilizes Ruíz’ (1984) analytical framework that identifies three orientations towards language in education policies: language-as-a-right, language-as-a-problem, and language-as-a-resource. The findings indicate first that language is seen as a positive resource, and multilingualism has been consistently embedded in curricular policy discourses even though there are shifts in the presence and emphasis of such discourses across time. Second, the differences in how much value is placed on diverse languages used in preschools, and their perceived associated functions, reflect changes in educational and social goals of ECEC. Finally, the findings identify a general shift in policies towards the prioritisation of competence development and Swedish language proficiency for future educational, social, and economic purposes. The article argues for a more comprehensive language policy approach and a policy orientation that helps preschool teachers to value and support multilingualism.