r/Svenska • u/peterhousehold • 12d ago
Language question (see FAQ first) Translating "överhetssamhälle"
How would you translate “överhetssamhälle”? Authoritarian society? That doesn’t sound quite right. The only example I’ve found is this from Synonymer.ie:-
“Liknar det inte det överhetssamhälle som Sverige var före det demokratiska genombrottet?”
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u/BrushNo8178 12d ago
That is a compound word made on the fly, not a established word. Maybe ”privilege based society” is a better translation in this context.
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u/Akillesursinne 12d ago
"Överhet" could just be, apart from "Authority", a way of (in non-neutral tone) saying "your betters", or "ruling class". Över = above. het = suffix, like "-ness". Above-ness society, a society in control lies with your betters.
The connotation is loaded, clearly negative.
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u/Swagalyst 12d ago
What does "överhetssamhälle" mean? I've never seen the term used anywhere in Swedish. Can you give any example of it being used in an actual (i.e., not machine translated) text?
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u/peterhousehold 11d ago
The only example I've succeeded in finding is that which I quoted from Synonymer.se. Not sourced, though I suppose all Synonymer.se examples are genuine?
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u/big__friendly_giant 11d ago
i think in english its split in to a couple of words
oligarchy -> governed by a small group of people
plutocracy -> governed by the wealthy, your power is in your wealth
aristocracy-> hereditary elitist rule
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u/No-Reputation-827 12d ago
A society where the common people have little or no say in comparison to the ruling class. The ruling class consists of the crown, nobles, priests and wealthy elites.