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Professor’s portrait: Beyond the words – Linnea Gustafsson explores the underlying message of language

Language is alive and reflects our identities and interpersonal relationships. By constantly questioning and exploring the underlying message of language, Linnea Gustafsson, Professor of Swedish Language at Halmstad University, looks beyond words and studies the use of language in our society.

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“Nicknames are more than just a shortening of a first name. They are part of our identity and carry a strong emotional charge."

Linnea Gustafsson, Professor

With a background that includes studies on personal names as well as impoliteness in the language, Linnea Gustafsson has established herself as a researcher in Swedish linguistics with a focus on the importance of language for identity. Most of her research is found in the field of socio-onomatics, which deals with the connection between names and society.

As a student, Linnea Gustafsson wrote her first essay on personal names. She was studying to become an upper secondary school teacher, and after graduating, her interest in languages led to research. In her dissertation Novation i norr, which she presented at Umeå University in 2002, she investigated how completely new first names and name patterns were introduced in the area of the Swedish town Skellefteå in 1791–1890.

Naming reflects social strata

“During the 1700s, there was a great scarcity of names in Sweden, so a lot of people had the same first name. But during the 1800s, new names began to appear, and it was fascinating to see how the naming could reflect the social strata in society”, says Linnea Gustafsson.

By analysing an extensive material of about 85,000 people, she came to the conclusion that parents who belonged to the bourgeoisie were often the first to use completely new names, often with inspiration from other language areas or the almanac of the time. However, the farmers, who were least inclined to give their children new names, were when they did, more creative and imaginative. For example, they came up with the names Friord, Hyrvald, Courumame, Esperina and Mallelina.

A person with long hair dressed in a white t-shirt and a black vest looking into the camera. Photo.

Linnea Gustafsson was appointed Senior Lecturer in Swedish Language at Halmstad University in 2007.

Nickname more than a short version

Another part of Linnea Gustafsson’s research is about nicknames, which resulted in the book “Moderna vardagliga binamn i Sverige” (2016) [Modern Everyday Bynames in Sweden, editor’s translation]. It’s a deep dive into how nicknames serve as a tool to create and strengthen relationships and how they can be loaded with meanings beyond their superficial playfulness.

“Nicknames are more than just a shortening of a first name. They are part of our identity and carry a strong emotional charge. It’s interesting to see how nicknames can reflect and reinforce social ties, and how they are used to both include and exclude”, says Linnea Gustafsson.

This research shows that both men and women are given nicknames, but in partly different contexts. While men’s nicknames are more likely to arise in public environments such as at school, women’s nicknames are more often created in the most intimate environments, such as within the family or in relationships.

Nicknames can act as a social code that can change the entire meaning of what is said. One example that Linnea Gustafsson highlights is how a parent’s use of a nickname for the child can signal that what is said should be perceived in a peer way and not in a parental way.

“It can be a subtle but powerful signal that communication is now taking place on a more equal level.”

Another research track in name research is commercial names, where Linnea Gustafsson has investigated both the boundary between name and appellative (other nouns), as well as the naming of makeup products. In the latter field of research, it is shown how companies use names to signal desired values, such as sustainability, luxury or exclusivity, to the customer.

About Linnea Gustafsson

Linnea Gustafsson was born in 1967 and grew up in Gislaved. She studied to become an upper secondary school teacher in Swedish and French and studied for a bachelor’s degree in Nordic languages at Umeå University. Her undergraduate education also included studies at the Université Lille III Charles-de-Gaulles in France.

Linnea Gustafsson obtained her PhD in Nordic languages in 2002 at Umeå University with the thesis ‘Novation in the north. New baptismal names and naming patterns in the Skellefte area 1791–1890’. She then worked as a senior lecturer at Umeå University before being employed as a senior lecturer in Swedish language at Halmstad University in 2007. There she was also appointed associate professor of Nordic languages in 2016.

Linnea Gustafsson has written a large number of scientific articles and books, primarily in personal name research, but also in other fields, such as pragmatics and sociolinguistics. She is one of two editors of the Nordic Journal of Socio-Onomastics, which published its first issue in 2021. From 2023, Linnea Gustafsson has been elected as a corresponding member of The Royal Gustavus Adolphus Academy for Swedish Folk Culture.

Linnea Gustafsson will be inaugurated as Professor of Swedish Language at the Academic Ceremony at Halmstad University on 15 November 2024.

Aggressive tone on social media threatens democracy

Recently, Linnea Gustafsson, together with a doctoral student, has investigated how impoliteness is expressed on X (which was called Twitter when the studies started).

“The aggressive tone that exists online is a societal problem that means that certain professional groups, such as journalists, who are an important democratic cornerstone, are easily attacked on social media”, says Linnea Gustafsson.

So far, research has shown that journalists on X are attacked in a systematic way by right-wing extremist forces, and that the journalists themselves are co-creators in the aggressive threads, but that they use impoliteness more implicitly than their opponents. The research will be further developed through a study on differences between female and male journalists.

In addition to researching, Linnea Gustafsson teaches, where her commitment to the subject rubs off on the students.

“The students think it’s exciting, perhaps because language is something that is so close to all of us.”

Linnea Gustafsson is also part of developing the subject of the Swedish language at the University, which she finds both challenging and fun.

Text: Karin Bergstrand

Portrait photo: Dan Bergmark

Top photo: iStock

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