An Old Language with a New Status. Some Aspects of the Kvens' Identity in the Borderland

Kvens are one of the groups which are recognized as minorities in Norway. Both the definition and the ethnonym of "Kven" are very controversial. According to the most common definition Kvens are the descendants of the Finnish immigrants to Norway. One should remember however that we can meet opposition if we use the word "immigrants" because in the case of Kvens we are often talking about migration within northern Scandinavia prior to the establishing of state borders as we know them today. The term Finnish is not generally accepted either. Researchers and those members of the group who emphasize the ethnic variety in today's Finland are particularly skeptical about this name. Nevertheless, many representatives of the group called Kven are of the opinion that "Kven" and "Finnish" mean the same. They protest also against being called Kvens because this word was once used by the Norwegian majority with a pejorative connotation. Among the contemporary definitions of Kvens the following very often appears: "Kvens are the Finnish-speaking people who came to Norway before 1900 and the descendants of those people" (Skarstein 2002: 85). This definition may also evoke opposition because Kven has been recognized as a separate language in Norway since 2005 and the distinguishing between Kven and Finnish is very important for many researchers and language users. In this article I will address the issue of language as an important identity creating factor. After I have given the most important information about the hardly known minority group I will present a short description of the Kven language's classification and status in Norway - both earlier and nowadays. Then I want to present how the Kven language is used while creating the Kven identity.