Real Language, Real Literature: Problems of Authenticity in Modern Finnic Minority Literatures

Alongside the nation-state languages Finnish and Estonian, their sister varieties - such as Meänkieli in Sweden, Kven in Norway, Karelian in Finland and Russia, Veps in Russia, or Võro in southern Estonia - are now either recognized or striving for recognition as minority languages. Developing literary standards and literatures raises questions of authenticity: is language a naturally existing part of ethnic identity or something that must be cultivated and formally studied? Should literature offer realistic depictions of the life and multilingual language use of minorities, or should it serve the puristic goals of language planning and language-based identity building? The ways in which literary and mimetic multilingualism can relate to the linguistic reality of minorities are still in need of further research.