This study investigates processes for dialect change in two seemingly similar rural villages (Torsby and Edsbyn) in two separate dialect areas in Sweden. The aim is to describe dialect change since the 1940s, and to explain the reasons for the different processes by using sociolinguistic and culture analytical methods. In both Edsbyn and Torsby the dialects are levelling towards the standard, but with different momentum. In Edsbyn, the dialect is much more standardized than in the signifi- cantly more stable Torsby. In a Swedish context, the linguistic stability in Torsby is striking. The culture analysis reveals that part of the explanation for the difference between Edsbyn and Torsby is the way the citizens perform belongingness. The Edsbyn informants consider themselves as part of a larger north Swedish area, whereas the Torsby informants primarily display a very local be- longingness. In other words, there seems to be a connection between how large a region a person considers him- or herself to be part of, or feels belongingness to, and how important the dialect is. In this case, the smaller the region, the more important the dialect. In the article, we suggest that the reason for the separate processes of dialect change in Edsbyn and Torsby is the informants’ orientations to place and dialect.