ABSTRACT
This chapter reflects upon the growing role of English as a language of communication between both officials and citizens of the Nordic countries. This is a divisive issue. For many Scandinavian enthusiasts, the mutual comprehensibility of the three Scandinavian languages – Danish, Norwegian and Swedish – distinguishes and defines the Nordic region. As such, the official bodies of Nordic cooperation (the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers) use Scandinavian as their working languages. At the same time, reducing “Nordicness” to a matter of language runs the risk of relegating speakers of Finnish or Icelandic into second tier Nordic citizens. Exploring cultural, historical, social, and political hierarchies between the Nordic languages, as well as the role of the small Nordic countries in the global cultural space, the chapter argues that the English language can have an inclusive and democratizing effect on intra-Nordic relations.
