Stockholm university

Forum for Language and Literature

Do you love languages? We do! Welcome to the Forum for Language and Literature – a ground-breaking initiative where education meets research. With us, you can explore new perspectives, enrich academia, and make an impact on society. Immerse yourself in the captivating world of languages and literature and discover how they shape everything from art to science!

Here, we gather everything related to language and literature within education and research at the Faculty of Humanities, Stockholm University.

We offer one of Sweden’s most extensive language selections! You can choose from nearly 600 courses and programmes in language and literature, at basic and advanced level, with many also covering the cultures related to each linguistic area. You can study most languages as independent courses or opt for one of our numerous bachelor’s, master's and doctoral programmes. The majority are conducted in Swedish, but some are available in English as well.

If you are aiming for an academic career, you can pursue research-level studies and earn a PhD in one of our 16 doctoral disciplines within language and literature. You can write your thesis in Swedish or English, or any of the subject languages.

The field of research is broad and diverse, often interdisciplinary. There are 18 research disciplines within the Language research area, and Literature is also available within the Humanities research area.

The new Forum for Language and Literature at Stockholm University celebrated the European Day of Languages with an inaugural event at the Accelerator Art Gallery on 24 September 2024. Guest speaker, linguist Patrik Hadenius, noted that learning languages can be challenging, but we need to improve in emphasising the joy and benefits of language proficiency. He also shared insights into a language museum currently being planned in the Swedish capital.

Astrid Söderbergh Widding, then President of Stockholm University, welcomed everyone in a pre-recorded message since she was unable to attend the inauguration in person. Stefan Helgesson, Dean and Deputy Vice President for Human Science, emphasised that language has an important place in society and Stockholm University conducts research and education in more languages than most other Swedish universities.

Stefan Helgesson, Laura Álvarez López, Catrin Norrby, Patrik Hadenius standing next to each other.
Stefan Helgesson, Laura Álvarez López, Catrin Norrby, Patrik Hadenius. Photo: Pia Nordin.

Laura Álvarez López, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, who chairs the steering group leading the work of the Forum for Language and Literature, announced the second round of funding for collaborative initiatives which can be applied for this autumn. Communications Officer Pia Nordin introduced the newly launched Swedish webpage, designed to gather and showcase research and education in language, literature and culture at Stockholm University.

Full article in Swedish: ”Språk är jobbigt, lustfyllt och väldigt viktigt”

 

Education

Curious about studying a language? At Stockholm University, our language programmes go beyond fluency – immerse yourself in the culture, literature and history of languages too. Dive into courses that bring to life different eras, exploring texts from past to present while refining your speaking, comprehension and writing skills. Experience language in depth!

If you are interested in languages, literature and culture, Stockholm University offers flexible paths tailored to your needs. Choose a structured programme or design a unique degree by mixing courses across 34 language subjects, as well as the subjects Literature, and Language Informatics, at both undergraduate and advanced levels. Already working? Expand your professional development with our convenient options for continuing education, including evening and online courses.

With over 50 specialisations, there’s something for everyone. What’s more, you can explore practical experience through internships, enrich your studies with summer or international courses and seize the chance to study abroad for a truly global perspective on language and culture. See each section below for details.

Find courses and programmes

See the "Find courses and programmes" section below.

Word cloud languages in different colours.

Our courses offer a flexible approach to your studies, allowing you to create a personalised programme, advance your education if you already hold a degree, or gain specialised skills for career development. Each course ranges up to 30 ECTS, and subjects cover a variety of areas to deepen your knowledge and broaden your expertise.

The courses are offered in the following subjects or course specializations (subject then in brackets). Some courses are only offered in Swedish.

*Summer course also available.
**Summer course only. See the section "Summer courses" below.

  • Arabic
  • Asian Languages and Cultures
  • Baltic Languages
  • Bilingualism
  • Central Asian Studies
  • Chinese
  • Classical Greek
  • Classical Languages
  • Czech
  • Danish* (Scandinavian Languages)
  • Dutch
  • English
  • Faroese** (Scandinavian Languages)
  • Finnish*
  • French*
  • German
  • Gothic Language (Scandinavian Languages)
  • Greenlandic** (Scandinavian Languages)
  • Icelandic** (Scandinavian Languages)
  • Indology
  • Interpreting in Spoken Languages (Translation Studies)
  • Italian*
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Language Education
  • Language Informatics
  • Languages of Europe (Linguistics)
  • Latin*
  • Latvian (Baltic Languages)
  • Linguistics
  • Literature in Old Swedish (Scandinavian Languages)
  • Literature Studies
  • Lithuanian (Baltic Languages)
  • Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
  • Modern Greek
  • Norwegian* (Scandinavian Languages)
  • Old Gutnish Language (Scandinavian Languages)
  • Old Icelandic Norse (Scandinavian Languages)
  • Old Norse (Scandinavian Languages)
  • Polish
  • Portuguese
  • Romance Languages
  • Russian*
  • Scandinavian Languages
  • Scandinavian Languages Historical Profile (Scandinavian Languages)
  • Sign Language (Linguistics)
  • Sign Language Interpreting (Translation Studies)
  • Slavic Languages
  • Spanish*
  • Swedish*
  • Swedish as a Second Language*
  • Swedish as a Foreign Language* (Swedish)
  • Swedish Language in the Middle Ages (Scandinavian Languages)
  • Swedish Literature in Old Swedish (Scandinavian Languages)
  • Swedish in Finland** (Scandinavian Languages)
  • Translation (Translation Studies)
  • Ukrainian (Slavic Languages)
  • Viking-Age Texts (Scandinavian Languages)

Find courses and programmes

See the "Find courses and programmes" section further down this page.

Group of people by a desk at an office.
Photo: Boggy, MostPhotos.

Many of our language programmes offer you the chance to gain real-world experience through internships that directly connect to your studies. Imagine interning for a few weeks at a company, government agency or organisation where you can refine your language skills and develop professional skills like interpreting or communication strategy. Some departments even offer international internships, allowing you to immerse yourself in a country where the language you are studying is spoken.

Internship placements can either be arranged by the department or by students themselves  with support available throughout. You will be guided by an on-site supervisor to ensure a meaningful experience and some departments allow you to join research projects led by faculty members, providing valuable exposure to academic research.

Popular programmes with internship options include the Bachelor’s Programme in Linguistics, the Swedish Language Consultancy Programme, the Bachelor's Programme in Professional Communication, and the Master's Programmes in Asian Studies and  Middle Eastern Studies (the first three are conducted in Swedish, and the latter two programmes in English). Studying German? You can do an internship in Germany! Plus, students and doctoral candidates can apply for an Erasmus+ scholarship to support internships abroad. See our "Study abroad" section further down this page for more details.

Embrace the opportunity to learn beyond the classroom and kick-start your career with hands-on experience! See the respective department’s website under Education > Courses and programmes, for their selection of internship courses or contact the relevant study counsellor.

See links under the section "Find courses and programmes" below.

Students walking up a green hill on Iceland.
Nordkurs summer course on Iceland. Photo: Branislav Bédi.

Summer courses are offered both on campus or online. In the Nordkurs summer courses, you travel to one of the neighbouring Scandinavian countries for a three-week course in language and literature – knowledge in Swedish or another Scandinavian language is required.

There are several subjects at Stockholm University that provide summer courses abroad, which are accessible through different departments but not organised by Stockholm University. For example, there are summer courses for teachers aimed at enhancing language teaching skills.

For detailed information about summer courses, please visit the respective department’s website via the links on our Swedish page or contact the relevant study counsellor.

Forum för språk och litteratur > Utbildning > Sommarkurser (Education > Summer courses)

Happy student holding flags.
Photo: Kostiantyn Postumitenko, MostPhotos.

In our international courses, you study parts of or the entire course in another country. The course content is the same as the corresponding course in Sweden and you apply to Stockholm University via antagning.se as usual. Some courses do not require knowledge of Swedish.

See the respective department’s website under Education > "Study abroad" for their selection of international courses or contact the relevant study counsellor. See links to the departments under the "Find courses and programmes" section below.

If you prefer to study abroad through an exchange agreement, see the "Study abroad" section below.

Young man and woman at train station.
Photo: Angel Nieto.

Studying abroad for one or two semesters opens doors to unique experiences, allowing you to dive into new academic environments, expand your cultural horizons and advance your language skills – all while earning internationally recognised qualifications. It is also a perfect way to conduct field studies in preparation for your degree project, gaining insights and perspectives that enrich your research.

At Stockholm University, you have several options for exchange studies to suit your goals and interests. You can join an exchange through your department’s agreements, take advantage of the University’s central partnerships or explore studying abroad independently as a "free mover." Additionally, students can apply for Erasmus+ scholarships to support international internships through the Erasmus+ programme.

Whichever path you choose, studying abroad offers a chance to connect with people from around the world, enhance your learning and take your studies in a global direction.

We offer some bachelor's programmes within Language and Linguistics offered in English. The links below lead to the Course catalogue:

Bachelor's Programme in Latin American Studies with specialization in Portuguese

Bachelor's Programme in Latin American Studies with specialization in Spanish

For the bachelor's programmes offered in Swedish, please see our Swedish page:

Forum för språk och litteratur > Utbildning. Choose "Kandidatprogram".

We offer around 20 master’s programmes conducted in English within Language and Linguistics, Literature, and Computer and Systems Sciences. Our master’s degree programmes are all structured according to the Bologna process for international comparability and compatibility. The links below lead to the course catalogue:

Master's programmes within Language and Linguistics

Master's Programme in AI and Language

Master's programmes within Literature

For the master's programmes offered in Swedish, please see our Swedish page:

Forum för språk och litteratur > Utbildning. Choose "Masterprogram".

Stockholm University and the Swedish Institute offer scholarships for master's students coming from countries outside of EU/EEA/Switzerland and who are required to pay tuition fees for studies. In addition, various organisations and foundations around the world offer scholarships for studies abroad.

Scholarships for studies at Stockholm University

The EFNIL Master's Thesis Award

An annual competition to find the best master's theses in Europe in the field of language use, language policy and multilingualism.

EFNIL Master's Thesis Award

EFNIL = European Federation of National Institutions for Language

Search the digital course catalogue

In the digital course catalogue on the University's main site, you can search for all courses and programmes offered by Stockholm University, regardless of the subject or department that offers them. You can sort by interest area, such as Languages and Linguistics (language subjects), Arts and Humanities (with Literature), and Computer and System Sciences (with Language Informatics).

Find courses and programmes

The department websites also have a search function solely for their courses and programmes – see department links further down this page.

Subject pages in the digital course catalogue

On the subject pages in the digital course catalogue on the University's main site, you will find information about the subject, job market and career, education offered in the subject with links to course and programme pages, as well as subject research, responsible department and contact persons.

Language and Linguistics: All language subjects

Arts and Humanities: the subject Literature

Computer and System Sciences: the subject Language Informatics

Department websites

Each department has information on its own website regarding the courses and programmes they provide under the section Education: Study with us, Courses and programmes, New student, During your studies, Study abroad, Incoming exchange students, Degree, and Contact (e.g. study counsellors, course administrators, directors of studies).

Each department has a search function for its own courses and programmes under the section Education > Courses and programmes.

Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies > Education

Department of Culture and Aesthetics > Education

Department of English > Education

Department of Linguistics > Education

Department of Romance Studies and Classics > Education

Department of Slavic and Baltic Studies, Finnish, Dutch and German Education > Education

Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism > Education

Department of Teaching and Learning > Education

 

PhD studies

Installation and promotion ceremon i City Hall.
Installation and promotion ceremon i City Hall. Photo: Ingmarie Andersson.

At Stockholm University, PhD studies in language and literature are offered at eight departments within 16 doctoral subjects, as well as the Doctoral School in the Humanities. See the sections below.

 

 

You can pursue PhD studies in the subjects of: Asian Languages and Cultures, Baltic Languages, Bilingualism, Classical Languages, English-language Literature, English Linguistics, Finnish, German, Language Didactics, Linguistics, Literature Studies, Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, Romance Languages, Scandinavian Languages, Slavic Languages, and Translation Studies.

See the sections on Language and Humanities on the Faculty of Humanities website:

The departments provide education at the PhD level > Humanities

Old books from the University Library.
Old books from the University Library. Photo: Niklas Björling.

The Faculty of Humanities at Stockholm University offers doctoral-level courses, opportunities to undertake projects within PhD studies, and a Doctoral School Programme consisting of three, two-day conferences.

Doctoral school in the Humanities

 

Read more about doctoral studies in Sweden, faculty information, the departments' education at PhD level, the graduation ceremony, and opportunities abroad for PhD students.

PhD studies at Stockholm University

25 April: Thesis defence in Scandinavian Languages

 Word Pairs and Other Syndetic Constructions in Old Norse Poetry
Giorgio Basciu, PhD student in Scandinavian Languages, Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism. The defence will be in English.

16 May: Thesis defence in Translation Studies

Style in subtitles: A dialogical approach to characterisation in subtitled film and television drama
Lova Meister, PhD student in Translation Studies, Institute for Interpreting and Translation Studies. The defence will be in English.

30 May: Thesis defence in German

"Widersinn als Widerstand? Zur postironischen Politik der deutschsprachigen Literatur (2013-2018).
Nataša Muratova, PhD student in German, Department of Slavic and Baltic Studies, Finnish, Dutch and German. The dissertation will be in German. 

6 June: Thesis defence in Scandinavian Languages

Motion metaphors in Swedish political speeches 
Milena Podolšak, PhD student in Scandinavian Languages, Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism. The defence will be in English.

 

Research

Two persons in studio and control room. Coloured speech waves on computer screen.
Språkstudion Language Resource Center recording studio. Photo: Lena Katarina Johansson.

High-quality research is conducted at the Faculty of Humanities across a wide range of disciplines and interdisciplinary fields. There are 18 research subjects within the Language research area and subjects such as Literature Studies are included within the area of Humanities. Many researchers are involved in different projects in collaboration with other departments at Stockholm University, with other national and international schools and institutions, and with companies, authorities or organisations.

Research at the Faculty of Humanities

Research subjects within area language.

You can either go directly to the overview page listing all research subjects at Stockholm University (where you will need to actively select the Language tab or Humanities tab) or use the links below to go directly to each main research area page. They provide information about the research area, research subjects, research projects, researchers, research groups and networks associated with the subject, as well as news and events related to it.

All Research subjects at Stockholm University (the research catalogue)

Area of Language

The different research areas (research subjects in parentheses):

Asian Languages and Cultures
(Japanese Language and Culture, Chinese Language and Culture, Korean Language and Culture)

Baltic Languages
(Baltic Cultural Heritage Studies, Baltic Sociolinguistics, Baltic Language History)

Bilingualism
(The Bilingual Individual, Multilingualism and Society, Swedish as a Second Language)

Classical Languages
(Greek Literature, Greek Linguistics, Latin Literature, Textual Criticism/Philology in Classical Languages)

Dutch
(Second and Third Language Acquisition in Dutch, Children’s and Young Adult Literature in Dutch, Dutch Linguistics, Dutch Translation Studies)

English
(English-Language Literature, English Linguistics)

Finnish
(Multilingualism, Finnish Linguistics, Finnish Literature Studies, Minority Language Research, Finnish)

French
(Second Language Acquisition in French, French Discourse Analysis, French Philology, French Historical Linguistics, French and Francophone Literature, French Cultural Studies, French Linguistics, Canadian Studies)

German
(Second and Third Language Acquisition in German, Multilingualism in German, Culture, Politics, and Society in German, German Literature Studies, Language Didactics in German, German Linguistics)

Italian
(Second Language Acquisition in Italian, Italian Philology, Italian Historical Linguistics, Italian Literature, Italian Linguistics)

Linguistics
(General Linguistics, Child Language Development, Computational Linguistics, Phonetics)

Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures
(Middle Eastern and North African Studies)

Portuguese
(Second Language Acquisition in Portuguese, Portuguese Sociolinguistics, Portuguese Literature, Portuguese Linguistics)

Sign Language
(Multilingualism among the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Sign Language Linguistics)

Slavic Languages
(Bohemistics, Polish Studies, Russian Studies, Slavic Linguistics)

Spanish
(Second Language Acquisition in Spanish, Spanish Discourse Analysis, Spanish Philology, Spanish Literature, Spanish Linguistics)

Swedish and Scandinavian Languages
(Interaction in Multilingual Sweden, Structure of Swedish and Scandinavian Languages, Swedish as a Second Language, Swedish and Scandinavian Language History, Text and Discourse in the Swedish Language Community)

Translation Studies
(Interpreting, Translation)

Human Sciences

Literature
(Children’s and Young Adult Literature, Early Modern Literature, Gender Perspectives on Literature, Comparative and Transnational Perspectives in Literature, Historicity and Historiography of Literature, Literature and Philosophy, Media, Materiality, and Literature, Modern and Contemporary Literature, Posthumanism and Ecocriticism)

The links below lead to the research pages of each department, featuring their specific research areas and subjects, research projects, researchers, research groups and networks, publications, conferences, seminars and colloquia.

Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies > Research

Department of Culture and Aesthetics > Research

Department of English > Research

Department of Linguistics > Research

Department of Romance Studies and Classics > Research

Department of Slavic and Baltic Studies, Finnish, Dutch and German > Research

Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism > Research

Department of Teaching and Learning > Research

Blogs, podcasts and apps

The Department of Special Education runs a blog in Swedish "Lek och språk" (Play and language), which covers research on special education interventions in preschool.

Blogs and podcasts at the University (the University's main site)

There is an app in Swedish, "Svenska runstenar" (Swedish Rune Stones).

Film, radio and TV

SU Play provides films about research.

SU Play > Language ​​(the University's main site)

Black and white pic. Book shelfs with books. A table with chairs.
Interior from the Library of Stockholm University, Kungstensgatan 47, in 1909–1912. Photo: Stockholms Stadsmuseum.

Publications are registered in the publication database DiVA and are sometimes available as full text/downloadable PDFs. The links below lead to the publication pages of each department (which retrieve information from DiVA):

Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies > Publications

Department of Culture and Aesthetics > Publications

Department of English > Publications

Department of Linguistics > Publications

Department of Romance Studies and Classics > Publications

Department of Slavic and Baltic Studies, Finnish, Dutch and German > Publications

Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism > Publications

Department of Teaching and Learning > Publications

Search the Publication database DiVA

 

Career opportunities

Strong language skills are essential for professions such as interpreter, translator and language teacher. Being able to speak multiple languages provides a significant competitive advantage in various fields including journalism, political science, economics, museums, libraries, publishing, media, culture, public administration, industry, trade, and tourism, among others.

Language skills are especially important for those considering an international career. Lawyers, economists, doctors and journalists are also expected to use English. However, English alone is often not enough—adding additional languages gives you an edge in any field.

Knowledge of language didactics is beneficial for teachers, and anyone involved in pedagogical tasks related to language in government or the education sector can also gain from learning more about language didactics.

With language technology, you learn theories, technologies and methods to analyse, process, understand and generate human languages. Thanks to the rapid advancements in AI, this field is highly relevant for research and development in industry and organisations, benefitting society as a whole.

Understanding bilingualism and multilingualism is valuable across most sectors of the job market, including schools, universities, businesses, government agencies, and organisations, particularly for roles related to recruitment, administration and human resources.

Hear from our alumni (all subjects) (the University's main site)

The European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) works to match EU institutions with high performing professionals and graduates.

EU Careers, EPSO = European Personnel Selection Office

 

Conferences and seminars

A group of people being creative
Photo: Gabby Baldrocco, Mostphotos.

Stockholm University hosts national and international conferences in language and literature research. The departments offer seminars and colloquia for researchers, PhD students and master’s students. These sessions allow researchers to present and discuss their work, often together with invited researchers from other universities, companies, organisations, and government agencies with whom we collaborate.

 

Here, you will find information about the conferences, seminars and colloquia on the website of each responsible department. For dates of the various events, please see the section above titled “Find conferences, seminars, and colloquia in the event calendars.”

The research area for each seminar and colloquium is listed in parentheses below. (For subdivisions into research subjects, see the Research section above.) Most seminars and colloquia are conducted in Swedish.

The Colloquium for German and Dutch (German and Dutch). [Calendar]

The Colloquium for Scandinavian Philology (Swedish and Scandinavian Languages)

The Grammar colloquium (Swedish and Scandinavian Languages)

The Colloquium of Language Usage (Swedish and Scandinavian Languages)

The Higher seminar in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Asian Languages and Cultures, Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures)

The Higher seminar in Baltic Languages (Baltic Languages). [Calendar]

The Higher seminar in Comparative Literature (Comparative Literature). [Calendar]

The Higher seminar in English Language Studies (English)

The Higher seminar in English Literature (English)

The Higher seminar in Finnish (Finnish). [Calendar]

The Higher seminar in Language Didactics (Didactics)

The Higher seminar in Linguistics (Linguistics)

The Higher seminar for Polish (Slavic Languages). [Calendar]

The Higher seminar in Research on Bilingualism (Bilingualism)

The Higher seminar for Russian and Czech (Slavic Languages). [Calendar]

The Higher seminar in Scandinavian Languages (Swedish and Scandinavian Languages)

The Higher seminar in Sign Language (Linguistics)

The Higher seminar in Translation Studies (Translation Studies)

The Interaction seminar (Swedish and Scandinavian languages)

The Interdisciplinary seminar (Comparative Literature, Cultural Heritage Studies, etc.)

The Interpretation arena (Translation Studies)

The Interpretation seminar (Translation Studies)

Monday lectures in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (Asian Languages and Cultures, Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures)

The Old Text seminar (Comparative Literature, Cultural Heritage Studies, etc.) [Calendar]

The Olle Josephson seminar (Swedish and Scandinavian Languages)

The Phonology colloquium (Swedish and Scandinavian Languages)

The Romance seminar (Romance Languages) [Calendar]

The Talk, Interaction and Multimodality (TIM) seminar (Didactics, Swedish and Scandinavian Languages, Bilingualism)

 

Networks

Networks. Hands and pieces of jig saw puzzle
Photo: Aleksandr Davydov, MostPhotos.

Many of our researchers are involved in networks at Stockholm University as well as other universities, government agencies, companies and organisations.

These networks are usually found under Research Groups in the research catalogue. See the section below titled “Find the networks.”

 

 

Resources and infrastructure

The language and literature/culture departments at Stockholm University provide resources for staff including libraries, laboratories, studios and more. For both students and staff, resources include the Language Learning Resource Centre, Stockholm University Library and the Academic Writing Service.

Students sitting around tables, talking to the staff standing up.
Workshop with the Academic Writing Service at the Student Department, Student House (Betahuset). Photo: Jens Olof Lasthein.

The Academic Writing Service provides English-language support for writing and study skills. They give talks and seminars and offer individual guidance. Their services are available free of charge to all students at Stockholm University.

Academic Writing Service

 

 

Students standing by computers in the University Library.
The University Library. Photo: Lena Katarina Johansson.

The language departments have their own libraries, which primarily serve as a resource for researchers and teaching staff. Only employees of the respective department can borrow books from these libraries.

Stockholm University Library

Stockholm University Library provides resources for students, researchers and other interested parties, regardless of subject.

Stockholm University Library

Teachers and students in one of the Language Studio's computer rooms.
Språkstudion Language Learning Resource Centre. Photo: Lena Katarina Johansson.

Språkstudion Language Learning Resource Centre is the place to practise, teach and research languages at Stockholm University. The centre collaborates with all language departments to ensure the right materials, media tools and environments for language practise and linguistic analysis. It is open to students and staff at the Faculty of Humanities.

Språkstudion Language Learning Resource Centre is an independent unit within the Department of Linguistics.

Språkstudion Language Learning Resource Centre

Two persones with caps and electrodes, and a researcher in the background.
Experiment at SUBIC. Photo: Jens Olof Lasthein.

SUBIC is a multidisciplinary infrastructure dedicated to research on brain structure and function, as well as other fields benefitting from imaging microstructures. SUBIC’s infrastructure supports Swedish research with state of the art imaging technologies, including MRI, EEG, TMS, and X-ray microscopy. SUBIC's equipment is valuable for fundamental and applied academic research within humanities, social sciences, law and natural sciences.

SUBIC is an independent unit within the Department of Linguistics.

Stockholm University Brain Imaging Center (SUBIC)

Person signing SPRÅK (language).
Joel Bäckström at the Department of Lingiustics signing SPRÅK (language) in Swedish Sign Language.

The Swedish Sign Language Dictionary is the largest, research-based lexical database of Swedish Sign Language. The database is continuously updated with new signs, example sentences and descriptions.

Swedish Sign Language Dictionary

 

 

Stockholm University has its own text corpus and collaborates with, for example, the Language Bank of Sweden (Språkbanken) at the University of Gothenburg. They create opportunities to study digital text and speech materials using tools and methods at the intersection of language technology and AI.

Examples of disciplines which could make use of this infrastructure are language technology, linguistics, digital humanities and social science, social robotics and artificial intelligence. The four divisions – Språkbanken Text, Språkbanken Tal, Språkbanken Sam and Språkbanken Clarin – cover the main areas of language-based expression.

Språkbanken Text

Språkbanken Tools and Resources

From speech to sign – learning Swedish Sign Language as a second language

What happens when adults learn sign language as a second language? This project examined second-language learning of languages expressed in a different modality than the speaker's first language.

From speech to sign – learning Swedish Sign Language as a second language

Project Runeberg

Project Runeberg is a volunteer effort to create free electronic editions of classic Nordic (Scandinavian) literature and make them openly available on the internet.

Project Runeberg

Stockholm University Strindberg Corpus (SUSC)

The Stockholm University Strindberg Corpus (SUSC) consists of seven novels by August Strindberg. The novels are annotated for parts-of-speech with morphological analysis and lemmas. The corpus is freely available. Responsible is the Department of Linguistics.

See Corpora and Resources at the Department of Linguistics

Swedish Sign Language Corpus

The Swedish Sign Language Corpus is a database for the Swedish Sign Language. The corpus is produced by sign language speakers to facilitate teaching and research on sign language. Responsible is the Department of Linguistics.

Swedish Sign Language Corpus

SweLL – Research infrastructure for Swedish as a second language (L2)

The text corpus SweLL (Swedish Learner Language) is a unique infrastructure for the collection, digitisation, normalisation, and annotation of learner production, at the moment containing approximately 600 L2 learner texts at different learner levels, and with plenty of metadata on texts and learners. The corpus makes it possible to search for various types of linguistic structures, without researchers having to guess what such a structure might look like, since a parallel normalised version is available. SweLL is a collaboration between the Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism and the Department of Linguistics at Stockholm University, the University of Gothenburg, Uppsala University and Umeå University.

SweLL – Infrastructure for L2 Swedish

The Swedish Literature Bank

The Swedish Literature Bank (Litteraturbanken) is a co-operation between the Swedish Academy, the National Library of Sweden, the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, the Language Bank of the University of Gothenburg, the Swedish Society for Belles Lettres, and the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland.

The Swedish Literature Bank

Tisus text corpus

Essays written by L2 Swedish learners as part of a Tisus exam are available from the Language Bank of Sweden (Språkbanken) at the University of Gothenburg. Tisus – Test in Swedish for university studies – is a qualifying test in Swedish for university and college studies in Sweden.

Tisus text

Tisus

Contact: Peter Lundkvist at the Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism

The Interpreting Studio at the Institute for Interpreting and Translation Studies (TÖI) (Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism), is the first and only professional interpreting studio for training interpreters in Sweden.

The studio has several soundproof interpreting booths with associated equipment and all necessary technology needed for professional interpreter training. The interpreting booths are used both by interpreting students who interpret between two spoken languages and by students studying to become sign language interpreters.

The Interpreting Studio [link will follow]

Director of the Multilingualism Laboratory, José Alemán Bañón. Photo: Pia Nordin
Director of the Multilingualism Laboratory, José Alemán Bañón. Photo: Pia Nordin.

The Multilingualism Laboratory at the Centre for Research on Bilingualism (Department of Swedish Language and Multilingualism) has space and equipment for experimental and other data collection through behavioural experiments, electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potentials (ERP), and eye tracking.

The Multilingualism Laboratory

 

Person sitting in a room with walls of sound-absorbing material
The Phonetics Laboratory. Photo: Lena Katarina Johansson.

The Phonetics Laboratory of the Department of Linguistics provides facilities and equipment for experimental studies in speech acoustics, production and perception.

The Phonetics Laboratory

 

 

 

 

The studio with cameras, tv screen,, green screen, computer. Thomas and Joel working.
Thomas Björkstrand and Joel Bäckström filming in the Sign Language Studio.

The Sign Language Studio at the Department of Linguistics is a recording studio used to film sign language in use. One of the aims is to capture the three-dimensional nature of the language. The studio is used to film paired conversations and signs for sign language dictionaries. Both researchers and higher education students can book the studio. Collaborations are also sometimes initiated with parties external to the university.

There are five cameras in the studio where participants can be filmed separately – from the front, the side and from above, or both participants can be filmed together. A green screen is available for filming signs for sign language dictionaries.

Responsible for the Sign Language Studio is Joel Bäckström, Department of Linguistics.

 

Theme page with a language focus

Tower of Babel with colourful boxes with gibberish languages, beaming out from the tower.
Tower of Babel. By DALL·E after AI-promt by Laura Álvarez López.

Do you want to read the latest research news on the theme of language, literature and culture? Or see films and read about ongoing research projects? Perhaps you would like to learn about the latest findings in education? Check out the theme page "Language, Literature, and Culture," featuring news articles, films, stories and events.

Theme page: Language, Literature, and Culture

 

The European Day of Languages is celebrated on 26 September every year. The aim is to promote the importance and fun of language skills and that linguistic diversity is worth celebrating. The day has been celebrated annually since 2001 at the initiative of the EU and the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France.

The European Day of Languages

 

Call for funding

The Forum for Language and Literature announces funding once a semester for interdepartmental courses and programmes as well as qualified research and collaboration initiatives.

Information about calls for proposals can be found on the Swedish staff website (Medarbetarwebben) and in the news section of the Swedish theme page Language, Literature and Culture (Språk, litteratur och kultur). Calls for funding are also published in our newsletter (see the Contact section below).

See the Swedish page of Forum for Languages and Literature > Calls for fundings:

Forum för språk och litteratur > Utlysning av medel

The Board of Human Science will receive SEK 2 million annually for five years (2024–2028) to strengthen languages at the Faculty of Humanities within the framework of the Forum for Language and Literature (LinguaLitForum), which was established in spring 2024.

  • The primary focus will be on operational development and measures that provide synergies and promote a comprehensive approach to languages.
  • The funds are intended to create new collaborations and synergies in education and research.

The decision was taken by the University Board and then President Astrid Söderbergh Widding for the 2024 financial year.

 

Contact

Newsletter

Do you want to know more about what is happening in the fields of language, literature and culture at Stockholm University? Subscribe to our newsletter, which is usually sent twice every semester.

Click here to subscribe to the newsletter

Comments, requests, questions and suggestions

Do you have comments, requests, questions or suggestions about news, events and activities or about the content of this website or the newsletter? Please contact Communications Officer Amanda Gonzalez Bengtsson:

kommunikation.lingualitforum@su.se

Forum activities and calls for funding

Do you have questions about the Forum for Language and Literature's activities and call for funding? Please contact the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Chair of the Forum, Laura Álvarez López:

lingualitforum@su.se

Web address

su.se/lingualitforum

Steering committee

The Forum for Language and Literature is led by a steering committee comprised of representatives from different language departments at Stockholm University.

  • Laura Álvarez López, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Humanities (HumFak)
    Department of Romance Languages and Classics (RomKlass)
  • Monika Gänssbauer
    Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (IAM)
  • Thomas Götselius
    Department of Culture and Aesthetics (IKE)
  • Annika Johansson
    Department of Slavic and Baltic Languages, Finnish, Dutch and German (Slabafinety)
  • Henrik Liljegren
    Department of Linguistics (Lingvistik)
  • Tore Nilsson
    Department of Didactics (IÄD)

Poster and postcard

Would you like to help us spread the word about the Forum for Languages and Literature? We have posters and postcards to hand out. The poster (in Swedish) is in A3 format, but you can also print it in smaller formats (A4, A5).

Poster LinguaLitForum (499 Kb)

For postcards (in Swedish), please email: kommunikation.lingualitforum@su.se

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