Swedish language

The Swedish language forms a number of dialects where there are different groups. Some dialect groups have so different accents so for a foreigner, they may sound as different languages. People from different locations may not fully or even partly understand eachother if they talk in their own local dialect. Regardless of representations that are otherwise "scholarly" showed elsewhere, here is a view of the dialect groups in Sweden.

Each dialect groups has numerous of sub dialects and some dialects are mixes by two or more dialects between dialect groups that are geographically close, hence overlapping.
In the following text, the word *mål is an older scandinavian word meaning language or dialect.

- Sveamål.
A region in mid east Sweden around Stockholm (capital). When this dialect type is more neutral in its accent, it is usually called riksscvenska (or standard Swedish) and has been the "dialect" that has dominated in radio and tv. In spite of such an official dialect tradition, other dialects are accepted and has become occuring more in the national radio/tv. "Rikssvenska" is perhaps the accent that sound more "clean" than other dialects but also more neutral.
- Norrländska.
North-landic dialects in north(-east) Sweden, mainly in Norrland. Related to Sveamål.
- Gotländska.
Spoken on Gotland, island east of south Sweden with a very distinct own dialect prosody. Diphtongs are used, that is found in ancient Swedish and Old Norse.
(I have once heard one of the swedish dialects in west Finland where the pronounciation showed similarities to the types in Gotland. The source is on the net and if I have time, I will put a link to that recording here).
- Sydsvenska mål
The south part of sweden was Danish until 1658. So until then, the people actually spoke danish, though not equal to the danish in Denmark by the time. In the northern parts of the "South", the dialects may sound as mixed with Götamål.
- Skånska.
In the very south of Sweden. The region is called Skåne. was also was Danish until 1658. Diphtongs are used, foremost in the very south and south-west. By sources I once read, these diphtongs are supposed to have emerged in the 15th century, even though they were used in ancient danish/old norse that once was spoken in this region, but for some hundred years disappeared.

External link - Scanian dialects

- Götamål
Above the very south part of Sweden. The region is called Götaland. A region with Göteborg (Gothenburg, 2nd capital of Sweden). Linguistically, in some of the north western parts, it shares some dialect fields with norwegian dialects in south east Norway. Some areas in this region in border to Norway, was Norwegian land until the 15th century.
In official dialect group illustrations, this group spans from the west to east coast however I think this is not fully correct since the east part of region of Götaland was not norwegian like the west part was.
- Nordvästmål.
In the north west there are several sub groups as well though they share a lot with dialects in (north-)east Norway, where some of these regions one were norwegian, Jämtland as one of them.
- Östsvenska mål.
In Finland there several swedish dialects, with two sub-groups, in south Finland and mid-west Finland. nearly all of these dialects have adapted to a finnish accent.

Among some side dialects(/languages) that have kept an old character there is one that stands out.
- Älvdalska.
A small region in central Sweden. Spoken only by about 3000 people. Should not be classified as a dialect of today because it has very old features as of ancient Swedish. Many words and grammatical structures are preserved and therefore its closest sibling is icelandic even though it has been by Swedish too.

External link -

Elfdalian/Älvdalska

External links

Introduction to Swedish
English - Swedish dictionary
Swedish language
Swedish phonology
Modern Swedish
History of Swedish language
Swedish Dialects
Swedish Dialect samples