Are you trying to decide which language to learn? Let’s see if you get any inspiration as we continue our series of articles on languages spoken in different countries around the world. Today, let’s look at Finland. You might be surprised to learn just how many languages are spoken in Finland, and that just might help you decide what language you want to learn next!
What Languages are Spoken in Finland?
Finland’s History and Geography
Finland, officially know as the Republic of Finland, is situated in the North of Europe. It shares a border with Sweden and the Gulf of Botnia to the west, Norway to the north, Russia to the east, and the Baltic Sea to the south. Its geological position gives it a extensive border with Russia to the east with a long coastline to the west and south on the Gulf and the Sea. The topography of Finland is characterized by its lakes (around 188,000) and vast forests. The capital, Helsinki, is on the southern coast of the country.
Before its independence, Finland was under Swedish domination for several centuries, from the Middle Ages to the beginning of the 19th century. In 1809, during the Napoleonic Wars, Finland was ceded by Sweden to Russia under the Treaty of Fredrikshamn after the Finnish War. Finland then became an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire, with a high degree of autonomy.
After the Russian Revolution in 1917, Finland took the opportunity to declare its own independence on December 6, 1917.
During World War II, Finland fought the Soviet Union in the Winter War (1939-1940) and in the Continuation War (1941-1944). Even though Finland wasn’t an ally of Nazi Germany, they cooperated with them in the fight against the Soviet Union during the War of Continuation.
After World War II, Finland adopted a policy of neutrality. They maintained cautious relations with the Soviet Union in order to preserve their independence.
Finland joined the European Union in 1995, strengthened its ties with other European nations.
All of these events had a direct impact on the country’s current linguistic landscape.
Finland’s Official Languages
Finland has two official languages: Finnish and Swedish. Both languages hold the same status, and both are used in government, education, and other official domains.
Finnish is spoken by the majority of the population, while Swedish is the maternal language of only 5.6% of Finns. Swedish is mostly found in the regions bordering Sweden, other areas on the west coast, and some areas in the south. Around 46.6% of the population has some knowledge of Swedish.
Are Finnish and Swedish Similar?
No, they aren’t linguistically similar. These languages come from different linguistic families, so even their origins are different.
Finnish
This language is a part of the Finno-Ugric language family, which belongs to the Uralic language branch. Finnish isn’t related to Indo-European languages like English, French, or German. Its grammatical structure and its vocabulary are very different from Indo-European languages. However, it is closely related to Estonian, and the two languages share many characteristics and vocabulary. The only other related languages are Hungarian, Sámi (Lappish), Permian, and Mordvin. The last ones listed are spoken by small groups in Siberia and in the south of Russia, making these languages far spread across a map.
Swedish (in Finland)
Swedish is a Nordic language, like Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese. Nordic languages are a sub-category of Germanic languages, which all falls under Indo-European languages. The Swedish spoken in Finland isn’t very different from standard Swedish.
This coexistence of two languages in Finland goes back to the country’s history, which included periods of Swedish domination before their independence. The presence of Swedish as the other official language is maintained to reflect on and respect the linguistic diversity of Finnish society. Even so, the result is that Finland maintains two very distinct languages, as we’ve seen here.
Are all Finns bilingual?
No, not all Finns are bilingual in Finnish and Swedish. While Swedish is one of the two official languages in Finland, the majority of Finns speaks Finnish as their first and primary language. An estimated 5.4 million people speak Finnish, while the proportion of Swedish speakers is much smaller.
Whether Swedish is compulsory in schools depends on the region and educational context. In regions where the Swedish-speaking population is large, Swedish is taught as a second language. This is the case in certain parts of the west and south coasts in Finland. On the other hand, in regions where the presence of Swedish speakers is minimal, the teaching of Swedish isn’t as prominent.
The co-official status of these two languages in Finland is a recognition of cultural and linguistic diversity, but bilingualism isn’t universal among the Finns. The large majority of the population is essentially monolingual in Finnish.
What Other Languages do They Speak in Finland?
Besides Finnish and Swedish, quite a few other languages are spoken in Finland as well. Let’s see below what other languages are spoken in different communities.
Russian
Due to its geographical proximity to Russia, there is a significant community of Russian speakers in Finland, especially in the urban areas.
Sámi Languages
Although not officially recognized, Sami has a protected status in Finland, as it’s the language of the Sámi people in the north. Less than 2,000 people speak this language, primarily in Lapland. It’s important for the Finnish not to completely lose this language as a part of their history, which is why they’ve chosen to protect the language and keep it alive.
Finnish Kalo
This dialect of the Romani language has also received protected status as the language of the Romani people in Finland, however, it is also not officially recognized. Less than 2,000 people in Finland speak this language, but the importance of its preservation has also been recognized.
English
It’s not an official language, but English is widely spoken in Finland, especially by the younger generation and in professional settings. The majority of Finns have a good grasp of English.
What Language Should You Learn Before Going to Finland?
As we’ve seen here, Finnish is the language spoken by most people in Finland, but learning it can be difficult for English speakers. As we’ve already discussed in another article, Finnish is one of the hardest languages to learn in the entire world. That being said, English is widely spoken there. In fact, the majority of Finns speak English fluently, making it an effective alternative to communicate with natives, even without a high level of Finnish.
That being said, we always recommend learning some words and basic expressions in the official language of the country you’re visiting. That way, you can speak with locals, cover your needs, and show your interest in their history and culture.
For More Information
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