Latgalistikys kongresu materiali, III. 2011. - Latvijas Universitāte

there are 12 different variants of the dialect. Acknowledgment of only one
of them could thus make the others disappear, while a kind of “common
Övdalian” would be no one’s mother tongue. Another fact that speaks
against Övdalian’s recognition is the fear that such a change could divide
the municipality which is inhabited by Övdalians, Sami-people and people
speaking Norwegian dialects.
When deciding whether a language variety should be raised to the
status of a minority language the question appears where the borderline
between a dialect and a language is. In the case of Övdalian one would
have to decide whether other unique dialects as e.g. vernaculars from
Mora, Orsa or Överkalix should also receive the status of a language, yet
the decision is not based on purely linguistic criteria, which makes it so
intricate. Moreover, the opponents of Övdalian’s recognition express
doubts whether teaching materials have to be translated into minority languages
and whether authorities should provide translators and interpretters
as it is stated in the Charter (see Josephson 2007; Reinhammar 2007).
The adherents of raising Övdalian’s status stress that the Charter offers
a list with proposals out of which the state can choose those that satisfy
requirements of the language and therefore it can be applied very individually.
As a response to the previously cited doubts, Övdalian’s enthusiasts
claim that there is no need for using Övdalian in contact with authorities
today as all Övdalian-speaking people are fluent in Swedish as well.
Therefore Övdalian’s acknowledgment first and foremost is going to support
its introduction at schools so that children with Övdalian as a mother
tongue are not going to forget their language and that the right to preserve
one’s mother tongue is safeguarded. Schools and teaching materials do not
have to be monolingual (in Övdalian) since the knowledge of Swedish is
equally important. Another point in favour of Övdalian’s recognition is the
new standardised orthography, which has proved that the dialect has already
a written variety. Finally its acknowledgement is going to help to
develop the dialect, to raise its status and to get financial support for cultural
activities and education.
As it can be observed, the main dilemma is maybe not whether
Övdalian is a language or a dialect, but what benefits are associated with
its recognition as a minority or regional language according to the Charter
and how such recognition can help to save threatened linguistic varieties.
If by raising Övdalian’s status, the variety can be offered protection and
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