SummaryThe The Sami languages are one among the five minority languages spoken in Sweden. The other minority languages include Finnish, Yiddish, Romany Chib and the Torne Valley Finnish. In my assignment, I will discuss the origin of the tongue. Key issues were facing the language. The methodology used in the study and results of the survey.
Introduction
The Saami people speak Sami languages in Northern Europe. The countries include Sweden, Finland, Norway and stretches towards Russia. The native speakers of this language are cited to be approximately 30000 over the years (1992-2013). There are names words used to refer to the Sami languages. They include Saami, Saame, Same and Saamic.
Background of Sami Language
The languages are part of the Uralic language family. Traditionally it is considered that its existence in the Uralic family was narrowly connected to the Finnic languages. This view is, not supported by some academics. The Sami languages exist in two groups, that is, hose in the eastern and those in the western. However, these branches are distributed into more subgroups. The existent subgroups can still be further subdivided into individual groups. There, however, exist some limitations in language between Northern Sami, Inari Sami, and Skolt Sami. These speakers are unable to comprehend what the other is saying other without a long practice of the language.
Saami Language at Present and Future
To evade embarrassments, the people of minority languages tend to speak and familiarize themselves with languages that are more dominant. The people of the Sami language have not been an exception to this norm. Those who are optimistic have carried a research and concluded that the tongue might eventually die if not taught to children in the next a hundred years. IT has, however, been disputed by pessimists who claim already the language is not spoken by over 90 percent of the original tribe. The years for its extinction thus may not take that long.
Some of the failures that have led to the Sami language movement towards destruction is because of its speakers being smaller in numbers. They, therefore, have not been able to defend themselves against assimilation by the dormant languages. Some reasons that have been given, the Sami people do not live close to each other. Therefore, they cannot have schools that the speaking of the language is taught. Further, if they lived close to each other, they would have no problem speaking the language at work among themselves.
Legislative laws put up in 1992, the Saami language law. It put aside some areas to belong to the Saami administrative districts. It was meant to ensure they lived closer together to encourage them to speak more. The municipalities that were not included in the proposed district were those who of the Saami distinct subgroups. They hence felt unappreciated and their services as considered useless. They decided to move away further since they were considered as rejects. Such actions led to dispersals among the Saami. They moved to different parts of the world, especially those ones that did not discriminate against them.
Conclusion
It is inevitable to say that legal protection has proven to be inadequate. To save the language, clear policies for implementing and maintenance support ideologies must be worked out. The rights of non-Saami speakers are considered stronger than those ones of the Saami, even in areas that were traditionally occupied by them. It should be looked upon by the persons responsible for reviving the language. Language is spread in a natural and inhibited environment. Therefore, policies must address issues such as discrimination on language basis to allow natural pervasiveness.
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