Torne Valley dialects

Torne Valley dialects (Finnish: Tornion murteet, Meänkieli: tornionlaaksonvarieteetti,[1] Swedish: Tornedalsvarietet[2]) are a Finnic variant spoken in Sweden and Finland.

[4] Although the independent status of Meänkieli as a distinct Finnic language is sometimes disputed due to its high mutual intelligibility with Finnish.

[5] The Torne Valley dialects spoken in Pajala, Övertorneå and Haparanda form the basis of the standard Meänkieli literary language[4] and the two other variants of Meänkieli are much more endangered than the Torne Valley dialects.

[6] Meänkieli is primarily considered a separate language in Sweden due to historical, sociological and political reasons arising from the creation of the 1809 border between Sweden and Finland.

[7][5] The Torne Valley dialects are spoken in Enontekiö, Kolari, Muonio, Pello, and Ylitornio in Finland.