A Suntanned Swede and a Ball-Skilled Croat

Abstract

This paper analyses mutual perceptions and stereotyping of Swedes and Croats as they are attested in language resources– dictionaries and text corpora. The descriptions of selected words related to Swedes and Croats in dictionaries and the context in which they appear in the corpora were analysed. The analysis included semantic domains, value (positive/negative), and elements of stereotyping. Additionally, the circumstances that may have influenced the emergence of stereotypes were discussed. While dictionary descriptions proved to be mostly neutral, examples of positive and negative stereotyping about both ethnic groups were found in the corpus material. Negative stereotypes about Croats as immigrants in Sweden were particularly pronounced.