Languages of Finland

Finnish

Finnish is a Finnic language which is part of the broader Uralic language family.^[3] It is one of the two national languages along Swedish; its official status is granted by Section 17 of the Constitution of Finland.^[4]: 4 It is the main language of education, media, and administration. As of 2024^[update], it is spoken as a first language by 84.1% of the population.^[5]

Excluding transcontinental countries, Finland is one of the four European countries whose majority language is not Indo-European. As a Finnic language, Finnish is closely related to the Estonian and Karelian languages. As a Uralic language, it is also more distantly related to the Sámi languages and Hungarian. It has been influenced the most by Swedish,^[6] historical stages of other Germanic languages,^[7] and—to a lesser extent—by Baltic languages^[8] and Russian.^[9] The language displays systematic vowel harmony, with a set of front and back vowels.^[3]: 257 It is an agglutinative language,^{[10][11]: 49} and its unmarked sentences most typically follow the subect–verb–object word order.^[3]: 257 As is typical in Uralic languages,^[3]: 334 grammatical gender is absent.^[11]: 7

Finnish has a high degree of linguistic variation. It has regional dialects and informal spoken varieties (puhekieli) that are distinct from the standard register, known as yleiskieli—or, when written, as kirjakieli, lit. 'book language'.^[12][13][14]

Swedish

Swedish is a North Germanic language which is part of the Indo-European language family. It holds co-official status with Finnish, as stated in Section 17 of the Constitution.^[4]

Swedish, along with Finnish, is a compulsory subject in all schools,^[15][16] and all students must start studying Swedish in sixth grade at the latest.^[17]

The national Finnish broadcaster Yle has a dedicated Swedish-language department called Svenska Yle.^[18] There are nine Swedish-language newspapers in Finland—of which Hufvudstadsbladet is the only national daily, and some of them are part of the Minority Dailies Association. Public authorities, especially in bilingual municipalities, are required to provide services and information in both languages, and Swedish-speakers may use Swedish with all state bodies, including courts and emergency services.^[19] Public TV broadcasting in Åland is handled by Ålands Radio and TV. Åland has two newspapers, Nya Åland and Ålandstidningen.^[20]

As of 2024^[update], 5.1% of the population of Finland speaks Swedish as its first language,^[5]down from 13% at the beginning of the 20th century.^[21] In 2012, 44% of Finnish citizens with another registered primary language other than Swedish could hold a conversation in this language.^[22] First-language Swedish speakers are mostly concentrated in the Ostrobothnia and Uusimaa regions, as well as Åland and the area around Turku (Åboland). The region with the highest percentage of first-language Swedish speakers is Åland (85.2%),^[23] where Finnish (spoken by 4.5%)^[23] is not official. The four largest Swedish-speaking municipalities in mainland Finland, in absolute numbers, are those of Helsinki, Espoo, Porvoo and Vaasa.^[24] In Helsinki, currently 5.5% of the population are native Swedish speakers and 18.3% are native speakers of languages other than Finnish and Swedish.^[25]

The Swedish varieties of mainland Finland (known as Finland Swedish, Swedish: finlandssvenska) have been influenced by Finnish in phonology and some vocabulary.^{[26]: 155–156} Standard Swedish in Finland closely follows the written standard in Sweden,^[27]: 14 although it has phonetic differences due to Finnish influence.^[26] Most notably, Finland Swedish lacks tone, voiceless plosive aspiration, retroflex consonants, and the sj- and tj-sounds are pronounced [ɕ ~ ʃ ~ ʂ] and [tɕ ~ tʃ] respectively.^{[28][29][26]: 155} These differences are not present in most Åland dialects, which are closer to Central Swedish.^[30]: 31

There is a rich Finland-Swedish literature, including authors such as Tove Jansson, Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Edith Södergran and Zacharias Topelius.^[31] Runeberg is considered Finland's national poet^[32] and wrote the national anthem "Vårt land"^[31]: 312 in Swedish; it was only later translated to Finnish.

History

Historically, Swedish was the sole language of the administration under both Swedish and Russian rule, until Tsar Alexander II's language decrees of 1863 and 1902 made Finnish official in the Grand Duchy of Finland.^[33] Russian served as a third co-official language with Finnish and Swedish between 1900 and 1917, although practical use was limited.^[33][34]

Sámi languages

The Sámi languages are a group of Uralic languages spoken by the indigenous Sámi people in an area that traditionally covers northern Fennoscandia;^[3]: 103 this area is known as Sápmi.^[35][36] Three Sámi languages are spoken in Finland: Northern Sámi, Inari Sámi and Skolt Sámi.^[37] The Sámi languages are recognized as indigenous by Section 17 of the Constitution of Finland, which grants them the right to "maintain and develop their own language and culture."^[4]

The Basic Education Act of 1998 grants the right to have Sámi languages as media of instruction in grades 1–9 within the Sámi homeland.^[38] Total-immersion programmes for ages 1–6, known as language nests (kielipesä), are active for all three Sámi languages in Finland; there are twelve nests in total.^[39] They have been particularly successful for revitalization of Inari Sámi.^{[40][3]: 103}

Finland has fewer Sámi-language print media outlets than Norway or Sweden, and most Northern Sámi-language media is published or broadcast within Norway.^[41] Yle, the national broadcasting company in Finland, handles most online news, television and radio and in the Sámi languages,^[42] and its Sámi-language projects are often in collaboration with national broadcasting companies in Norway and Sweden.^[41] The first Sámi-language publication in Finland was the Northern Sámi magazine Sápmelaš (1936–2011).^[42] The regional newspaper Lapin Kansa has included Sámi-language news in its print and online editions since 2012.^[42][43] Other currently active Sámi-language publications in Finland include the Inari Sámi periodical Anarâš,^[44] and the academic journal Dutkansearvvi Dieđalaš Áigečála.^[45]

The use of the Sámi languages in administration is regulated by the constitution and the Sámi Language Act of 2003,^[46][47] whereby Sámi speakers have the right to use their language before authorities in the Sámi homeland, as well as nationwide bodies like Kela, the Finnish Tax Administration and DVV.^[46] They also have the right to official documents in their Sámi language when dealing with a government office.^[46] Additionally, authorities in the homeland must ensure customer service and interpretation in Sámi.^[46] However, due to insufficient funding, outdated legislation and lack of awareness among staff, these rights are not always guaranteed.^[48][49]

As of 2024^[update], the total number of Sámi speakers in Finland is 2,077, or 0.04% of the population,^[5] out of an estimated total of 8,000–10,000 Sámi people living in Finland.^[50][51][52] The municipalities where Sámi is recognized as 'native' are Enontekiö, Inari, Utsjoki and Sodankylä.^[37] Northern Sámi is spoken in all Sámi municipalities of Finland, and it is the most widely spoken Sámi language, both in Finland and worldwide.^[3]: 147 Inari Sámi is the only Sámi language spoken exclusively within the borders of Finland, around Lake Inari.^[3]: 178 Skolt Sámi is also spoken in the Inari municipality.^[53] Inari and Skolt Sámi are estimated to be spoken by roughly 400 and 300 people, respectively.^[53]

Northern Sámi is classified as a Western Sámi language, while Inari and Skolt Sámi are Eastern.^[3]: 104 As Uralic languages, they are distantly related to Finnish.^[54] All three have had extensive contact with Proto-Germanic, Proto-Norse and Scandinavian languages, as well as Finnic languages; they have also had some influence from Baltic and Slavic languages.^[3] Sámi and Finnish have borrowed words from one another throughout their history.^[54][55] The Sámi languages are typologically similar to Finnish, although they tend to have richer consonant gradation and vowel alternation, and fewer noun cases (nine at most).^[3][56]

The Government of Finland has a history of assimilating the indigenous Sámi people into the Finnish-speaking majority.^[57] Systematic language assimilation began in the 17th century, and teaching and speaking Sámi in schools was forbidden until the 1970s.^[58]

Karelian

Karelian is a Northern Finnic language.^[3]: 242 It is recognized as a non-regional (ei-alueellinen) language under Part II of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages since November 2009.^[59][60] The language is not taught in schools, although it has been offered as elective courses at the University of Eastern Finland since 2009.^[61] Yle provides some online content and limited TV programming in Karelian,^{[62][61]: 18} and occasional private publications exist, such as the bilingual magazine Oma Suojärvi.^[61]: 19 Local authorities do not recognize Karelian as a separate language due to its lack of recognition in the constitution.^[61]: 9

Statistics Finland does not register Karelian as a separate language. State bodies (Kotus, Ministry of Justice) indicate that the number of Karelian speakers in Finland is approximately 5,000.^[63][64] According to Anneli Sarhimaa, the Karelian Language Society estimated in 1995 that there are around 5,000 fluent speakers and another 20,000 with at least some knowledge of the language,^[60]: 1 while her 2017 estimates place the number of fluent speakers at 11,000.^[65]: 4 She also states that "the standard assumption is that the majority of the speakers of Karelian in Finland are elderly people".^[60]: 1

Karelian, although described as autochthonous,^[3]: 269 is now recognized as non-regional because there is no significant concentration of Karelian speakers within a specific region due to the evacuation of Finnish Karelia in the 1940s.^{[66][30]: 68} Until the Winter War, Karelian was spoken in the historical Border Karelia region on the northeastern shore of Lake Ladoga.^[60] The Greater Helsinki area and Joensuu have been identified as significant centres in 2017.^[65]: 5 The latter city functions as the national hub for Karelian-language research, teaching and events, thanks to state funding to the University of Eastern Finland.^[61]

As a Northern Finnic language, Karelian is closely related to Finnish. They two languages are mutually intelligible at elementary levels of everyday communication.^[60]: 6 Before World War II, the Karelian varieties traditionally spoken in Finland were Southern Karelian and Livvi-Karelian; refugees from Russia who moved to Finland before World War II also spoke Northern Karelian. As of 2011^[update], Livvi-Karelian was the most widely spoken variety in Finland, although Northern and Southern varieties were also present.^[60] Karelian has had extensive contact with Russian, which has had a significant influence on the language.^[30]: 66

The Karelian language is different from dialects of the Finnish language that are sometimes labelled South Karelian.

Romani

The Romani language in Finland is called Kalo or Kàlo.^[63][67][68] It has been spoken in Finland for roughly 450–500 years.^[69][70] It has been significantly influenced by other languages in Finland, such as Finnish and Swedish.^[69] Finnish Romani is spoken by about 3,000–4,000 people,^{[a][63][71][72]} and the number of its speakers has dropped by almost 40% over the past fifty years.^[63] The number of speakers diminished drastically after World War II.^{[citation needed]} Most Finnish Roma speak Finnish or Swedish in their day-to-day life.^[73]

Finnish municipalities may organize education in Finnish Kalo, if there is a sufficient number of Romani children to form a group.^[74] A significant challenge to this is the lack of Finnish Kalo teachers.^[75]: 29 According to the Finnish constitution, Finnish Romani have the right to practise their language and culture.^[4]

Sign languages

In Finland, two sign languages are recognized: Finnish Sign Language and Finland-Swedish Sign Language. Both belong to the Swedish Sign Language family.^[76]

Finnish Sign Language is the most commonly used sign language in Finland. The Finnish Association of the Deaf (Kuurojen liitto) estimates that 5,500 people use Finnish Sign Language as their mother tongue, 3,000 of whom are deaf.^[77] Finland-Swedish Sign Language has around 300 signers, and is severely endangered.^[76][2][78]

English

Most Finns are able to have a conversation in English.^[81] English is the first language of 0.7% of the Finnish population.^[5]

Russian

The Russian language is the most spoken immigrant language in Finland (1.8%).^[5] Finland applies Part II of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages to Russian,^[82] though this does not grant protected status in Finland.^[83]: 38

Estonian

As of 2024, there were 49,563 people in Finland who spoke Estonian as their native language, making up approximately 0.9% of the total population.^[5]

Arabic

As of 2024, 43,534 people speak Arabic in Finland, representing approximately 0.8% of the total population.^[5]

Nationwide

By region

More information Percentage of language speakers by region (2024), Region ...

Percentage of language speakers by region (2024)[91]
Region	Finnish	Swedish	Sámi	Foreign
Åland	4.5%	85.2%	0.0%	10.3%
Central Finland	94.4%	0.2%	0.0%	5.5%
Central Ostrobothnia	86.4%	8.7%	0.0%	4.9%
Kainuu	94.0%	0.1%	0.0%	5.9%
Kanta-Häme	93.0%	0.4%	0.0%	6.6%
Kymenlaakso	91.4%	0.7%	0.0%	7.9%
Lapland	94.1%	0.3%	0.9%	4.7%
North Karelia	93.3%	0.1%	0.0%	6.6%
North Ostrobothnia	95.1%	0.2%	0.0%	4.6%
North Savo	94.6%	0.1%	0.0%	5.3%
Ostrobothnia	39.9%	49.4%	0.0%	10.7%
Päijät-Häme	91.8%	0.4%	0.0%	7.8%
Pirkanmaa	92.2%	0.4%	0.0%	7.4%
Satakunta	93.7%	0.4%	0.0%	6.0%
South Karelia	90.4%	0.2%	0.0%	9.4%
South Ostrobothnia	95.3%	0.3%	0.0%	4.3%
South Savo	94.0%	0.2%	0.0%	5.8%
Southwest Finland	83.4%	5.6%	0.0%	11.0%
Uusimaa	73.7%	7.2%	0.0%	19.0%
Mainland Finland	84.5%	4.6%	0.0%	10.8%
Finland	84.1%	5.1%	0.0%	10.8%

Close