The Role of Maps and Bordering Practices in a Minoritised-Language Context – The Case of Meänkieli

This study analyses current bordering practices related to Meänkieli, one of Sweden’s national minority languages. After the border between Sweden and Finland was established in 1809, the language variety in Sweden began to evolve into its own distinct language, Meänkieli, becoming separate from Finnish dialects. Currently, Meänkieli is endangered, but efforts toward its revitalisation are underway. This study adopts a decolonial approach and combines insights from sociolinguistics, linguistics, critical cartography, and history. The data consist of a corpus of approximately 30 maps, seven of which are analysed in detail. The methodology is multimodal, examining the maps on three levels: micro (e.g. borders depicted in the maps, use of colours), meso (e.g. intended audience, origin), and macro (e.g. underlying ideologies, purpose). We identified five broad categories in which maps and borders are used: (1) for reclamation purposes by activists and cross-border organisations, (2) as an administrative tool of the Swedish state, (3) as a knowledge production tool by community members or linguists, (4) to undermine the independent status of Meänkieli, especially in Finnish contexts, and (5) to innovatively represent complex linguistic and geopolitical realities. Our classification can be applied to maps depicting other cross-border minoritised languages.