The great great grandson of Old Norse, Sweden had two major growth spurts. Old Swedish is when the language was in adolescence. This was the earliest form of the language, dating as far back as the 9th century and being recorded up to the early 16th century. In its modern form, the language has reached adulthood and is known as New Swedish.

But it went through a number of changes before it became the language it is today. It was a constantly evolving language during the Middle Ages. It could wake up one day and not even recognize itself. But thanks in part to the language's teenage rebellion against Danish domination, as well as the Reformation and the translation of the Bible into Swedish, the language began to become standardized in the 16th Century. Then, in 1786 the Swedish Academy was established with a goal to baby sit the language and make sure it had proper development. The language remained fairly consistent from that point on.

Swedish Language Programs

Like any younger brother, Swedish learned heavily from its siblings. It adapted a number of words from Low German in the Middle Ages, High German in the 16th and 17th centuries, French in the 18th century, and English in the 20th century.

Swedish is a relatively simple language. Nouns have three forms - singular, plural, and possessive. They have two genders - the nonneuter, or common, class, which includes masculine, feminine, and common nouns, and the neuter class, which has nouns used for broad categories like countries and substances, as well as many abstract nouns.

Swedish is widely regarded as one of the musically talented languages in the family. To speak it is almost to sing it, resulting partly from the use of pitch accents, which besides sounding nice often help in differentiating the meanings of homonyms.

Countries In Which Swedish Is Spoken:
Swedish is, not surprisingly, the official language of Sweden, and is one of the official languages of Finland. It is spoken by 9 million people, albeit 8.5 million of them live in Sweden. The other 500,000 can be found in Finland, Norway, or Estonia.

You speak Swedish and didn't even know it!
There are a number of words in English that were borrowed originally from Swedish. If you've ever said nickel, hoot, ski, or smorgasbord, you were speaking Swedish without knowing it.

Swedish Literature
It is believed that early Swedish literature flourished during medieval times, but few written traces exist. The earliest known Swedish literature was religious and appeared in the 12th century. Saint Bridget of Sweden was the key author. Bishop Thomas of Strängnäs wrote noteworthy poetry in praise of liberty during the 15th century, and Olaus Petri's theological and historical works in the 1500's began the linguistic transition to modern Swedish.

Career Opportunities:
There are numerous career opportunities for those possessing a mastery of the Swedish language, including many with government agencies. These include the FBI, the U.N., and offices in Washington, D.C. There are also teaching and research opportunities at colleges and universities. Plus, since the language holds such esteem in the world of writing, it would be a good language for any fiction writer to master.

Online Resources:
http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/hello/swedish.html
(Accessed March 28, 2005)

"Swedish Language"
http://www.Encyclopedia.com
(Accessed March 28, 2005)