| Sweden |
 lagom... 'moderation, balance, just right…'  lagom [pron. lar-gom], according to many Swedes, is the essence of Swedish-ness. Lagom is an example of the double edge of cultural discourse. It can be negative; as in - Swedish and lagom (average, drab, a bit boring); or positive; as in - lagom is best (the golden mean, just right, perfect). "Lagom means according to the law (lag = law)" Swedish Academy's official definition. "In the old days Vikings would sit around a big table as a lag (lag = team) and share a bowl of mead (beer). The bowl had to go around the team (om = around) in order that everyone get their fair share, hence lagom - around the team." Popular folk definition. 76% of Swedish people consider lagom as positive; and 24% negative. Swedish poll, SVT, 2007. "Contrary to what many Swedes believe, the lagom concept exists in many languages." Lagom finns bara i Sverige: och andra myter om språk, (Lagom is Only Swedish, and Other Myths of Language, 2009) by linguist Mikael Parkvall. "My favourite Swedish word is skitstövel (crap-boot = an unsavoury or untrustworthy fellow). I use it a lot." Will Ferrell, American actor married to Swede. MUSIC OF SWEDEN Calle Schewens vals by Evert Taube. THIS IS THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY SWEDEN  Location: Europe Status: UN Country Capital City: Stockholm Main Cities: Gothenburg, Malmö, Uppsala Population: 8,732,000 Area: 449,960 km2 Currency: 1 Swedish krona = 100 öre Languages: Swedish Religions: Lutheran Protestant |
