L2. More on languages around the Pite River in Sweden, published December 2025
Neither this article, nor the photos included herein, have been published elsewhere. This article is also unrelated to my other publications which discuss Pitemål and is unrelated to my other publications that discuss Sámi languages.
This article contains the following sub-sections:
I. Languages of the Pite Valley, including Pite Bondska (Pitemål), Pite Sámi and Ume Sámi, with a table of words in these languages (includes text, a photo showing Storforsen/Sto:rfåschn and a table)
II. A table of some Pitemål words & new Pitemål sample sentences (includes a photo of Svensbyn/Schwensboj and a different table)
I. Languages of the Pite Valley, including Pite Bondska (Pitemål), Pite Sámi and Ume Sámi, with a table of words in these languages (includes text, a photo showing Storforsen/Sto:rfåschn and a table)
The Pite Valley is a long valley located in the north of Sweden, flowing into the Bay of Bothnia. The lower parts of this valley are dominated by vast boreal forests, small rocky mountains, lakes, and settlements around the Pite River, whilst its entrance to the Bay of Bothnia brings one to an archipelago of islands. Further up the valley, one comes across waterfalls, and higher terrain, until one eventually reaches the higher reaches of the Pite River in the Scandinavian Mountain Range.
There are several languages spoken along this valley. Today, Norrland dialects of Swedish dominate, but historically the language of the lower Pite Valley was Pite Bondska, known as Pijtmå:L, a Bondska language, Bondska being a group of Nordic or North-Germanic languages related to, but distinct from Swedish. Sámi people also live in these areas, and often come under the Swedish term skogsamer, for these Sámi have historically lived in the boreal forest and have been quite mobile, and less connected to reindeer husbandry, unlike other Sámi groups. Their own language is Ume Sámi, a nearly extinct Sámi language.
In the upper parts of the Pite Valley, the separate Pite Sámi language is spoken. Pite Sámi is more defined to the upper parts of the Pite Valley, whereas Ume Sámi was more widely used across forest Sámi communities in the Pite Valley and much further to the south.
Photo below: the Pite River and its waterfalls at Storforsen, Pitemål: Sto:rfåschn,"the big waterfall". I noticed the presence of Ume Sámi culture in this area,
The table below shows words in Ume Sámi, Pite Sámi, Pitemål, Swedish and English. I do not personally speak any Ume Sámi nor Pite Sámi, but these Ume and Pite Sámi language words all have relatively similar equivalents in Northern Sámi, which I speak to a very limited degree. The equivalent Pitemål words show how the local Germanic language differs greatly from the Uralic languages, and also from Rikssvenska Swedish.
| Ume Sámi | Pite Sámi | Pitemål | Swedish | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| sámiengiälla | sámegiella | samisk | samiska | Sámi |
| várrie | várre | fjäll | fjäll | fell, mountain |
| guöllie | guolle | fisk | fisk | fish |
| juhka | jåhkå | äLv | älv | river |
| giälla | giella | språok, må:L | språk | language |
| gïjđđa | gidda, girra | våor | vår | spring (season) |
| lühkkie | lågev | ti: | tio | ten |
| guökttie | guäkkte | to: | två | two |
| biädnja | biena | hund | hund | dog |
Photo below: a large stone in the forest, or in Pitemål: en sto:r stäjn ine skåogom, in Swedish: en stor sten i skogen. Such wild places were sometimes associated with the trölla, "elves", by Pitemål speakers.
II. A table of some Pitemål words & new Pitemål sample sentences (includes a photo of Svensbyn/Schwensboj and a different table)
Below is a table showing other examples of Pitemål words, with their Swedish and English equivalents.
| Pitemål | Swedish | English |
|---|---|---|
| å̄t vå̄ra | att vara | to be |
| å̄t hå̄va | att ha | to have |
| å̄t djǟra | att göra | to do |
| å̄t rèngen | att regna | to rain |
| nää | nej | no |
| et | inte | not |
| ī jär | jag är | I am |
| vǟ vå̄ra | vi är | we are |
| ī faåor | jag for (jag gick) | I went |
| vǟ fàåor | vi for (vi gick) | we went |
| ī tökk omm | jag tycker om | I like |
| bjǟRn | björn | bear |
| fLekka | flicka | girl |
| tröll | troll (älva) | an elf like being (not a troll in the more traditional Nordic sense) |
| schwä̀jtes | svettas | to sweat |
| fjö:Ln | fjärden, fjorden | the fjord |
| mötje | mycket | much |
| ållte | alltid | always |
| kannsche | kanske | maybe |
Photo below: the historic village of Svensbyn, in Pitemål: Schwensboj, taken on Pitemålsdagen, in Pitemål: Pijtmå:Lsda:n, a day celebrating the Pitemål language at Schwensboj. This photo shows the more typical lowland, forested landscapes, although with small agricultural areas, where most Pitemål speakers have historically lived.
1. hǟ vār raåoLit å̄t vå̄ra nea ÄLvsbojn - It was great to be in Älvsbyn (literally: "down Älvsbyn)
2. ī nȫges räjs dijt å̄ter - I must travel there again
3. ī tökk mötje omm fåLke ötva PijtäLva - I like a lot the people around the Pite River
4. ī vel frå̀åg mäjr omm PijtäLva - I wish to ask more about the history of the Pite River
5. jēna jär Ståorfåschn - here is Storforsen (the waterfall, photo of which is further up this article)
Note that the town of ÄLvsbojn, in Swedish: Älvsbyn, is often just referred to as Bojn in Pitemål, and if one is going to ÄLvsbojn one would say nea Bojn or opa Bojn "down town" or "up town", depending on if the direction the person comes from is upstream or downstream from ÄLvsbojn.
Note that I have recently been publishing a fair number of articles on different websites that concern Nordic languages, including one on an entirely new website. The new website (not the website you are currently on) will contain a focus on other languages of the North and elsewhere, not focused on in my other websites and publications. I have only published one article so far on the new website (not the website you are currently on), the new article is titled: More on languages around Narvik & more on the Narvik dialect & other topics, published 25/11/2025, and is available at the following web address: https://www.languages-of-linnunrata.co.uk/more-on-languages-around-narvik-more-on-the-narvik-dialect-other-topics-published-25-11-2025