Language, names, words and phrases
Many years of hard assimilation and the World War II led to a change of language from Sami to Norwegian for many Saami inhabitants of North Troms county. Saami was regarded as a “kitchen language”, and for many years the people were not allowed to use it outside their homes.
The introduction of State legislation about Saami language in Kåfjord (1992) revived an interest in learning the language more deeply and more widely throughout the Saami area.
Saami, Kven and Norwegian heritage affects the way people speak in the region, and the language is also spiced with old Norwegian, Swedish and English.
