Njahcogáhtta, Sivakkakatu and Taimenkatu are three of Kiruna’s new minority-language street names approved by the city council this week.

The problem that many Swedes are not expected to be able to pronounce the new names does not matter, according to Irene Kuhmunen, chair of the Kiruna Sami Association – who instead suggests that they start using AI services for the purpose.

On Monday, politicians decided that the streets in a newly built residential area in Kiruna will be named in Sámi, Mäenkieli and Finnish – instead of the usual Swedish.

– This shows the reality of the languages around us in Kiruna municipality, which we should be proud of, said Åsa Larsson Blind from the Sami List.

However, not everyone thought that the new street names were a particularly good idea – pointing out, among other things, that several of them were very difficult to pronounce for those who do not belong to the respective minority group, and that problems can arise in contact with authorities and other actors if there is confusion about which place is actually referred to.

– Do we always have to be the experimental municipality, do we always have to be the first to try something new? asked an irritated Magnus Gustafsson from the Center Party.

“For the Swedish speakers there is AI”

In the end, there was a kind of “compromise” where the two most complicated names were replaced by names in the minority languages that the politicians deemed somewhat easier to pronounce. Irine Kuhmunen, head of the Kiruna Sami Association, is delighted with the decision.

– We’ll finally have Sami names in Kiruna. In Kiruna, all the mountains, hollows and bogs already have Sami names and now we will also have streets with Sami names, she says.

She takes the criticism that Swedish speakers will not be able to pronounce the new names in stride – and encourages them to use technical solutions and aids.

– For Swedish speakers, there is AI. You can use AI, she laughs.