Media Language Planning During a Pandemic – the Influence of Covid-19 on Language Recommendations to Swedish Media in Finland

Authors

  • Jenny Stenberg-Sirén University of Helsinki

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53779/SFJK2096

Keywords:

media language planning, Finland-Swedish, Covid-19, coronavirus, minority language media, pluricentric language

Abstract

A global crisis, like the Covid-19 pandemic, can change not only societies but also languages by a great input of new terminology. For speakers of a minority language, media is in a key position to provide them with these new words in their own language. In the case of Finland-Swedish, the Swedish media in Finland is helped by professional language advisers in this language planning task. This study analyses the media language management in Finland-Swedish media, through a content analysis of language recommendations published between February 2020 and April 2021, as well as interviews with media language advisers. The analysis shows that about a quarter of the language recommendations published during these 15 months are coronavirus-related. The topics in the recommendations follow the development of the outbreak in Finland, showing how closely the language advisers work with the news organizations. Contrary to normal situations, the Finland-Swedish media language advisers could not fully rely on the language recommendations from Sweden, due to their different Covid-19 strategies. Instead, the norm authorities were experts in ministries and official institutions, illustrating how language planning is done collectively. The Finland-Swedish journalists rely heavily on the media language recommendations, showing a certain linguistic insecurity, which according to Muhr (2012) is typical for speakers of non-dominant varieties of a pluricentric language.

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Published

13-12-2021

How to Cite

Stenberg-Sirén, J. (2021). Media Language Planning During a Pandemic – the Influence of Covid-19 on Language Recommendations to Swedish Media in Finland. Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe, 20(2), 87–116. https://doi.org/10.53779/SFJK2096