Finnish Language World Famous

After living here in Finland for 21 years,I can quite honestly say without reserve that Finland and The Finnish Language is a calm and peaceful place to live and settle.As with most countries Urban scrawl has appeared in the larger cities within the country,especially Helsinki.The Finnish language is probably the most difficult language in the world to learn

Finnish Lifestyle& Finnish Language

The one want that all Finns have,is to get back to the nature.As has been said to me so many times”We love our beautiful countryside with its many peaceful lakes and dark forests.We also love our Finnish language

Athough Finnish families tend to be small these day`s;I believe through economic reasons,life for most  people’s lives revolves around the home and family.The average age of a Finnish woman giving birth for the first time is yrs old

The life of most families take on a relaxed and easy-going lifestyle.Finnish people are known to be hard workers.Those living in cities may find it more stressful,so seek to travel to their country cottages, alternatively some choose to travel abroad 2 or 3 times a year.The idea is to get as far away from the place where you work and live.also to learn other languages apart from the Finnish language. We are careful to stay close to a Sauna though.Apart from the Finns speaking the Finnish language many Finns speak several others that they are proud to say they learnt from television

Finnish Language is Not The Only Language Spoken in Finland

One very nice thing in Finland,is that the country is bi-lingual.The languages being FFinnish language and Swedish   language. The people in Lapland speak saami.It is a minority language,though many are found in the south of the country.A point of interest is the language J.J tolkein used in the Lord of the Rings was rooted in the Finnish language.There is also a minority gypsy population,that again have thee own language.Finnish is the main language though.The Finnish Language is very difficult to learn,ranking as one of the hardest languages in the world to learn.I still get poked with-”My 6 year old speaks better than you”.Finnish humour,as the Finn`s prefer silence to speaking their own Finnish language,that is until alcohol is consumed.Then you cannot stop them

Swedish speaking Finns

The Swedish speaking Finnish population tend to talk in a major key,whilst the Finnish speaking Finns speak in a clearly different minor key.

Finland isn`t the only country in Europe to have several different languages.Switzerlandactually has four official languages. Finns generally believe Swedish speaking Finns to be proud and inheritors of vast wealth.They also see that all Finn-Swedes know one another.Ironically,this is due to the Finno-Swedish calling themselves “The Finno-Swedish Duckpond”

Saami in Finland

The Saami People of Lapland

The Saami Languages are very old in Scandinavia.Finnish people refer to them as Lapps.Historically they were nomadic people.There  are about 7000 Saami people out of 120,000,that actually live in Finland.Sweden and Norway are home for many.As a result of reindeer farming or herding,the Saami people can be seen moving independently,throughout Scandinavia.

There are threeSaami languages spoken in Finland.Skolt,North Saami and Inari.One point to note here: None of these tree languages understand each other.Unless of course they actually study and learn the other tongue.To this day,only a few n Finland speak Saami as their mother tongue.- about half of Saami people

Since 1992 the Saami people have had the rights tu use their language in both offices,hospitals,and shops It is such a shame that a language has to nearly die,before laws are put in place to keep an indigenous persons heritage and ways.

When the Saami people are first seen,some insensitive people have been known to laugh at the clothes they wear.Traditionally Saami people wear colourful clothes.There music is called jojk,and its a style of verse melody,principally to express feelings of Sorrow,love or hate.I have a friend who is Saami and it is very

moving when she sings.Some music you just don`t have to understand the words to feel what is being expressed.

Romaani People

A Romaani lady in Dress

TheRomaanilanguage is also officially recognised in Finland.Romaani stems from the Indo-European language group.Romaani has many sub dialects and is spoken widely around the World.Estimated figures of Romaani people in Finland is  10.000,There have been Romaani people in Finland for 500 years.There is some concern that the language may disappear,so in trying to stop this happening:in 1989 Romaani was taught in a few comprehensive schools

and has now been extended since 1999 to teachingRomaani in Upper secondary schools.So the Finnish Language is very diverse and rich