Defining an Ecological Niche: The Use of 'Dialect' or 'Language'

A definitional issue ('language' or 'dialect') became an important element for language planning in the Torne Valley in Sweden where Meänkieli, a former Finnish dialect, was recognised by the Swedish state as a minority language. Dialects are not usually acknowledged and are viewed as being outside a language ecology, and are not planned in the same way as languages are. The recognition of Meänkieli as a language rather than a dialect in the Swedish minority languages legislation is an important language-planning decision with the potential to affect the whole linguistic ecology of the Torne Valley.