Also Known As:
Sami, North Sámi (sápmi or sámegiella), Northern Saami, Norwegian Sami, pohjoissaame, Nordsamiska, Nordsamisk, северносаамский язык, Same, Saami, Lapp, Sámegiella, davvisámegiella, "Northern Lapp", "Northern Lappish", "Norwegian Lapp", Cohkkiras (Jukkasjarvi) variety
Dialects & Varieties
- Sea (Coast) in Norway
- Duortnus (Torne) in Sweden and Norway
- Finnmárku (Finnmark) in Norway and Finland
North Sámi in Norway: An Overview of a Language in Context
North Sámi in Norway: An Overview of a Language in Context
Vulnerable
20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~ 17,000 - 32,000
Native Speakers Worldwide
Speakers
Native or fluent speakers:
No results found.
Second-language speakers and learners
No results found.
Semi-speakers or rememberers
No results found.
Children:
No results found.
Young adults
No results found.
Older adults
No results found.
Elders
No results found.
Ethnic or community population
No results found.
Year information was gathered
No results found.
Comments on speakers
"In 1988 the Norwegian Parliament, adopted an amendment, Section 110 A, to the Norwegian constitution. This amendment states that the Norwegian state has the duty and responsibility to provide and ensure the conditions for the Sámi people to preserve and develop their culture, language and way of life. According to the Sámi Act the Norwegian and Sámi language have equal status, which in practice means the area of, Sámegiela hálddášanguovlu ‘the Administration Area for Sámi language’.
Location and Context
Countries
Norway; Sweden; Finland; Russia
Location Description
"The North Sámi are in the majority in the following municipalities in Norway: Guovdageaidnu (in Norwegian Kautokeino), Kárášjohka (Karasjok), Deatnu (Tana) and Unjárga (Nesseby). The municipalities of Porsáŋgu (Porsang) and Gáivuotna (Kåfjord) also have a noticeable concentration of North Sámi people. In addition North Sámi speakers live outside the central North Sámi speaking area, especially in the cities."
Government Support
Sámi Parliament in Norway
Institutional Support
No results found.
Speakers' Attitude
"The negative attitudes towards the Sámi languages, which arose in the era of Norwegianisation and were also transmitted among the Sámi themselves, partly still exist. Gradually however, the attitudes among the Sámi people have changed to a more positive direction and in some regions linguistic revitalisation has taken place, and the prestige and social status of the Sámi language has grown."
Other Languages Used By The Community
Kven, Finnish, Swedish
Number of Other Language Speakers:
None
Domains of Other Languages:
None
Writing Systems
Standard orthography:
No results found.
Writing system:
No results found.
Other writing systems used:
No results text.
Comments on writing systems:
No results found.
Recent Resources
The collection of links containing texts written in Northern Sami.
Mii leat sámit.
We are the Sámi.