Tilltal (Tillgängligt kulturarv för forskning i tal, ‘Accessible cultural heritage for speech research’) is a multidisciplinary and methodological project undertaken by the Institute of Language and Folklore, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and The Swedish National Archives in cooperation with the National Language Bank and SWE-CLARIN [1]. It aims to provide researchers better access to archival audio recordings using methods from language technology. The project comprises three case studies and one activity and usage study. In the case studies, actual research agendas from three different fields (ethnology, sociolinguistics, and interaction analysis) serve as a basis for identifying procedures that may be simplified with the aid of digital tools. In the activity and usage study, we are applying an activity-theoretical approach with the aim of involving researchers and investigating how they use – and would like to be able to use – the archival resources at ISOF. Involving researchers in participatory design ensures that digital solutions are suggested and evaluated in relation to the requirements expressed by researchers engaged in specific research tasks[2].In this paper, we focus on one of the case studies, which investigates the process by which personal experience narratives are transformed into cultural heritage [3], and account for our results in exploring how different types of text material from the archives can be used to find relevant sections of the audio recordings. Finally, we discuss what lessons can be learned, and what conclusions can be drawn, from our experiences of interdisciplinary collaboration in the project.

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.

Stundligen företar vi människor oss sånt som vi inte alls funderar över. Vi gör det bara.

Har du tänkt på att vi i mötet med en gammal bekant gärna börjar med att reda ut när vi sågs senast? Och kanske när vi kommer att stöta på varandra igen?

Eller har du funderat på i vilken ordning vi tar av och på kläderna i ett omklädningsrum med andra personer runt oss? Har du undrat över hur vi människor hanterar köande, cyklande, särskrivningar eller hur vi hälsar på varandra? De här sakerna är nämligen exempel på sånt vi oftast företar oss utan att reflektera över det särskilt mycket.

Boken Sånt vi bara gör handlar om olika kulturellt och socialt betingade vardagshandlingar. Volymen bjuder på 91 korta, koncentrerade texter skrivna av forskare inom humaniora. Utifrån egen och andras forskning berättar de engagerat och lättillgängligt om sånt vi bara gör. Varje text kompletteras med en faktaruta med lästips för den vetgirige.

Sånt vi bara gör kan läsas för nöjes skull, men boken passar också utmärkt som diskussionsunderlag i studiecirklar liksom i gymnasie- och högskolans undervisning med kultur och språk i fokus.

In 1967, Barbro Klein conducted interviews with the Swedish American Carl Nelson, born in 1878, who was an important informant for the Swedish folklore collector Karl Gösta Gilstring. Drawing inspiration from Klein’s work on legend and belief, her perspective on narratives as performances, as well as her transcription methods, this article analyzes stories told during Klein’s interviews and contextualizes them with correspondence between Nelson, Gilstring, and Klein.

Literary scholar Mary Louise Pratt argue that the travelogue that took shape in the 18th century, still influence travel writing of today (2008:50, 197). Inspired by Pratts work, the article addresses this issue and examine 150 web-published reports from birdwatching trips conducted and reported in the years 2010 to 2015. The purpose is to analyze the genre and the narrative roles it offers. What are the genre features of the Swedish reports on birdwatching trips, and what narrative roles are expressed in them?

Despite differences in destinations and lengths of the tours, the birdwatchers' travel reports share several common features. One is the equation of birds and humans, with the landscape often dehumanized. Another common feature is the combination of personal stories with objective descriptions, extensive lists of bird species, as well as photographs and illustrations. Yet another common feature is that despite the reports being about birdwatching tours, the birds rarely take the main roles, even though they are described as the highlights. Instead, it is the tour leader and participants, and the way nature is presented to the travelers, that constitute the dramatic vein of the reports.

The article conclude that the birdwatchers' travel reports are shaped by the formal and stylistic paradigm that characterized the travelogue of the 18th century, as well as the narrative roles that the genre offers. The travel reports from birdwatching journeys contain traces of the connected and overlapping narrative roles of the man on-site, the reporter and the guide, but are mainly structured by the narrative role of the adventurer and the scientist.  

Around the world, John the Baptist's Day is celebrated, such as St. John in Ireland, St. Hans in Norway, and San Juan in Spain (Sant Joan in Catalan) and midsummer in Sweden. This article focuses on how people who identify as Swedish and live wholly or partially in Mallorca celebrate Midsummer and the local tradition of Sant Joan. Do they integrate the traditions, or do they keep them separate? Which elements do they consider important, and which are less significant? How are these linked to Sweden and Swedishness?

The article is based on material collected during fieldwork in Mallorca in June 2023, as well as on material from folklore archives and websites describing Midsummer and Sant Joan celebrations.

In the article, tradition is considered a process of interpretation, where meaning is assigned in the present by referencing the past. The concept of tradition is combined with the concept of social positioning, which draws attention to Swedishness as a position that can be assumed by (and assigned to) some and not others.

For Swedes living in Mallorca who celebrate Midsummer, the common denominator is the food they eat and the fact that they do so together with other Swedes. If children are involved in the Midsummer celebration, additional elements are often included, such as a maypole decorated with leaves and flowers, flower crowns, strawberries, and traditional dances.

Swedes living in Mallorca seem to rarely participate in the local Sant Joan celebrations, even though this tradition is one of the most important on the island. A comparison between Midsummer and Sant Joan reveals that the traditions share several similar elements, which could easily be combined into a single tradition. However, Midsummer and Sant Joan are kept separate, likely because they play a key role in the creation of national identity for Swedes and Catalans, respectively.

Uteblivna eller digitala sammankomster, utomhusfiranden och julpynt som tröst – julen 2020 blev annorlunda för många. Susanne Nylund Skog har tittat närmare på de berättelser som skickats in via Isofs frågelista om jul och nyår i pandemitider.

This article analyzes how Christmas celebrations are described in diaries, written around Christmas 2020. Three aspects of the Christmas celebrations are investigated; firstly, how they are demarcated in time and space, secondly, the importance of food and decorations such as the Christmas tree, and thirdly the social community and the feelings it creates. In this study, the Christmas celebrations created in the diaries are regarded as expressions of traditions, processes where the past is used and recreated in the present with the purpose of maintaining social relationships and feelings of belonging and thankfulness. The article concludes that in the diaries a Christmas composed of cooking, decorating and social interaction with relatives is depicted. The diary writers show creativity and ingenuity when it comes to maintaining and recreating traditions, while at the same time creating possibilities for meetings and social interaction, despite the special situation during the Corona pandemic. Future research can tell whether any of these adjustments of the celebrations will remain or not.

"Denna artikel tar sin utgångspunkt i en aspekt av fågelskådning; jakten på sällsynta arter. Att snabbt ta sig till en plats för att se en sällsynt art (en raritet) kallas i fågelskådarkretsar för att dra och om många drar samtidigt skapas ett drag. Eftersom fåglar är oförsägbara varelser som utan förvarning kan röra sig från en plats till en annan, behöver också skådaren på jakt efter rariteter vara i ständig beredskap för att omedelbart ge sig av på snabba och strapatsrika resor. I fågelskådarkretsar florerar otaliga historier om fågelskådare som för att få se rariteter, eller arter de ännu inte sett, lämnar allt och hals över huvud ger sig av. Med utgångspunkt i sådana berättelser om drag vill jag lyfta fram och diskutera centrala teman i fågelskådandets praktik. Syftet är att med fokus på relationen mellan berättelse och sammanhang undersöka de funktioner och betydelser berättelserna har i fågelskådarkretsar. Materialet utgörs av samtalsintervjuer, litteratur och tidskrifter om fågelskådning, samt svar på en internetbaserad frågelista. I artikeln framgår att berättelser om drag fungerar som grupp- och självpresentationer där skådares rykte regleras. Berättelserna är på så vis ett slags hårdvaluta och entrébiljetter till gemenskapen i fågelskådarkretsar."

I Isofs arkiv finns ett rikt material om luciafirandets brokiga och föränderliga historia. En ny webbfrågelista visar att luciatåget är en levande tradition och luciafirandet en högtid som många uppmärksammar och uppskattar.