In the section on the question What language is spoken in Finland, asked by the author flush the best answer is Official 2 languages ​​- Finnish and Swedish.
Finnish (suomi, suomen kieli- refers to the Baltic-Finnish branch of the Finno-Ugric family (more precisely, a group) of languages ​​​​and is classified as an agglutinative language. The Finno-Ugric languages ​​\u200b\u200band Samoyedic languages ​​\u200b\u200b(Enets, Nenets, Nganasan, Selkup) make up the Uralic language family .
The writing is based on the Latin alphabet.
Finnish is spoken by the majority of the population of Finland (92%), as well as ethnic Finns living outside Finland - in Sweden and Norway, among the Finnish diaspora in the USA, Estonia, Russia. Finnish is the official language of Finland and also an officially recognized minority language in Sweden (both standard Finnish and Meänkieli is Finnish in the Swedish region of Tournedalen).
The majority of Russian Finns are Ingrian, who moved in the 17th century to the territory of the modern Leningrad region. Ethnic Finns also live in Karelia.
Source: I have been living in Finland for over 10 years.
¤ Elena ¤
Genius
(50146)
I do what gives me pleasure and do not judge me!

Answer from Victoria[expert]
in Finnish, but also in Swedish and English

Answer from Partition[guru]
Suomi has two official languages ​​- Finnish and Swedish. Some Finns also know English, less often French.

Answer from Verg[guru]
in Japanese, they sailed from there :)))

Answer from squint[guru]
you will not believe)))))

Answer from Maria Kokoreva[guru]
Finnish, maybe Swedish

Answer from Galchonok[active]
in Finnish

Answer from Boris[guru]
in Chukhonian

Answer from Vikulichka[newbie]
in Finnish it's Finns

Answer from GroovY[guru]
either Finnish or some other thread Turkidurkistan

Answer from Maria[master]
in Finnish)

Answer from Ilya Gushtyuk[newbie]
in Finnish

Answer from Ekaterina Hirvonen[newbie]
fluent English, naturally Finnish, someone in Swedish.

Answer from _JULY_[active]
Finnish nature

Answer from Ivan[guru]
Finnish

Answer from Ilya Pletnev[newbie]
Swedish

When traveling to a new country, many of us wonder what language is spoken there. Which is quite understandable, because in any case you will have to communicate with people - be it with local residents or service personnel. In this article, we find out what language you need to know in order to be understood in Suomi, and knowledge of English will come in handy.

Official language

Finland is one of the few countries in the world where two official languages, Finnish and Swedish, are officially recognized. Swedish is formally equal to Finnish, but in recent years there has been a tendency to use it less frequently in everyday life.

Statistics show that Finnish is spoken by about 5.5% of the total population. The third place (0.8%) in terms of distribution belongs to the mighty Russian language, since the Russian ethnic group, numbering about 50,000 people, is the largest. There are even fewer Estonians in Finland, so the Estonian language is almost never found on city streets (0.3%).

In the history of the country, the Swedish and Finnish languages ​​have always had a strong connection, which could not but be reflected in its national traditions. This fact is explained very simply: for almost six centuries Finland was under the control of Sweden, which subsequently led to its cultural dependence.

A few years after the revolution that took place in 1917, which resulted in the creation of an independent state (until this year, Suomi was in the orbit of Russian influence), the Swedish language was legally equalized with Finnish, which it remains to this day.

In the school system, the study of Finnish and Swedish is compulsory.

Features of the Finnish language

The history of the Finnish language goes back centuries. It is not so easy to study it on your own, because it is quite difficult. There are only 16 cases in the grammar! But spelling is not difficult - as it is heard, it is written.

The Finnish alphabet appeared in 1540. The alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet and 3 independent letters Å, Ä, Ö. The letter Å, called Swedish O, is pronounced the same as Finnish O and only occurs in proper names. For example, Åbo.

Finnish pronunciation is easy. The main stress in words almost always goes on the first syllable, and the secondary one - on any other, except for the last one. There are a lot of vowels in words, and their abundance gives speech a certain rhythm and beautiful melody.
The Finnish alphabet has 8 vowels and 19 consonants. At the same time, consonants can convey about 30 sounds. There are no words in Finnish that have 3 consecutive consonants. For example, the Swedish strand (“shore”) in Finnish sounds like ranta. The category of gender is absent as such, there is only singular and plural.

It is noteworthy that in everyday life the Finns say "you" to each other. "You" is used only in relation to the elderly or in dialogue with customers. One of the highlights of the Finnish language is the unusual name of the countries. So, Russia is Venyaia, Germany is Saxa, and Estonia is Viro. For the Russian ear, the Finnish language has a lot of funny expressions. For example, one cafe in Helsinki is called "Kakku Galeria". Kakku is not at all what you think. This word is translated as a bun or cake. From the same series: pukari - a bully, a fighter; pukki - goat; sukunimi - surname; sukkameli - jealous and envious; khuilata - to rest.

Is English required in Finland?

The Finnish education system provides for in-depth study of foreign languages. The first one is English. Unlike Swedish, it is added in the 3rd grade. Thanks to EU membership, English has become widespread over the past decade.

So, when entering a number of universities, you may be required to have a TOEFL certificate. If the purpose of your trip to Finland is tourism, be sure that diligent study of English here will bear fruit. Many Finns perfectly understand and communicate in this language. However, this only applies to those who live in large cities.

In conclusion, we want to give a little advice: if you do not speak Finnish, stock up on a good phrasebook and remember English. His knowledge in Finland will come in handy!

For many foreigners, Finland, which, by the way, the Finns themselves call "Suomi", is the birthplace of Santa Claus, who lives on the Korvatunturi mountain in Lapland. However, most tourists come to Finland not to meet Santa Claus - they are primarily interested in Finnish nature, fishing, and first-class Finnish ski resorts.

Finland is located in Scandinavia in northern Europe. Finland borders Sweden to the west, Norway to the north and Russia to the east. The Gulf of Finland separates Finland from Estonia. In the west and south, Finland is washed by the Baltic Sea.

86% of the territory of Finland is occupied by forest, in which pines, spruces and birches mainly grow. The Finnish landscape is mostly plains and hills with some mountains. The biggest peaks in Finland are Mount Halti (1328 m) and Mount Ridnitsohkka (1316 m).

Finland is a country of "a thousand islands and lakes". Indeed, this is a true statement, because in Finland there are 179,584 islands and 187,888 lakes. The largest lake in Finland is Saimaa.

Most of the Finnish islands are located in the southwest of the Turku archipelago, and the Åland Islands are located further from the coast.

The capital of Finland is Helsinki, which is now home to about 600 thousand people. Helsinki was founded by the Swedes in 1550.

Finland has two official languages ​​- Finnish and Swedish. The Saami language has a special status in the country.

More than 78% of Finns are Lutherans (Protestants) belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. More than 1% of the Finnish population consider themselves Orthodox Christians.

According to the constitution of 2000, Finland is a parliamentary republic, headed by the President, elected by direct universal suffrage for 6 years.

Legislative power is vested in the unicameral Parliament (Eduskunta), which consists of 200 deputies. Members of the Finnish Parliament are elected for 4 years.

The main political parties in Finland are the Social Democratic Party, the True Finns Party, the Center Party, the Union of the Left, and the Green Party.

Finland is located at the same latitudes as Siberia and Greenland, but this Scandinavian country has a much milder climate due to air currents from the Atlantic. The climate in Finland is continental and maritime in coastal areas. Winters in Finland are cold with a lot of precipitation (snow) and summers are warm.

The warmest month in Finland is July (average air temperature is +22C), while the coldest months are January and February (average air temperature is -9C).

The average air temperature in Finland: - January - -8C
- February - -7C
- March - -5C
- April - +3C
- May - +11C
- June - +9C
- July - +14C
- August - +17С
- September - +15C
- October - +11C
- November - 0С
- December - -4С

In the west and south, Finland is washed by the Baltic Sea. The Gulf of Finland separates Finland from Estonia, and the Gulf of Bothnia separates Finland from Sweden. The temperature of the Baltic Sea largely depends on the warm current of the Gulf Stream. The average water temperature of the Baltic Sea near the coast of Finland in winter is about 0C, and in summer - + 15-17C.

Finland is a country of "a thousand islands and lakes". Finland has 179,584 islands and 187,888 lakes. The largest lake in Finland is Saimaa.

Many tourists come to Finland to go fishing. In Finnish rivers and lakes, grayling, rainbow trout, pike, perch, whitefish are found in large numbers. There are a lot of salmon in the rivers of Lapland. For fishing in Finland, you need to obtain a special permit (for this you need to pay a certain amount of money).

But, of course, fish in Finland are also caught in the Baltic Sea (perch, sea trout, salmon, whitefish).

People on the territory of modern Finland appeared in the Stone Age. Around 5000 B.C. people in the territory of modern Finland already knew how to make pottery. In 2500 B.C. agriculture appeared in the coastal regions of Finland. In the Bronze Age, the inhabitants of Finland had contacts with different tribes of Scandinavia, which is confirmed by archaeological finds.

Although Finland is located in Scandinavia, the ancestors of modern Finns can hardly be called Vikings. Historians refer to the Vikings as the military squads of the ancestors of modern Danes, Swedes and Norwegians.

In 1155, the first missionaries from Sweden arrived in Finland, and the country is part of the Kingdom of Sweden.

In the 16th century, among the Finnish nobility, the main language was Swedish, and Finnish was spoken by local peasants. During the Protestant Reformation, Finns gradually become Lutherans. In 1640, the first Finnish university was founded in Turku.

In the XVIII century, as a result of two wars between Sweden and Russia, the territory of modern Finland was occupied by Russian troops.

In 1809, as a result of another war between Sweden and Russia, the lands of Finland became part of the Russian Empire.

On December 4, 1917, after the October Revolution in Russia in 1917, the Finnish Senate signed the Declaration of Finnish Independence, which was approved by the Parliament on December 6. Thus the Republic of Finland was formed.

From November 1939 to March 1940, the Finnish-Soviet war continued, as a result of which Finland had to return part of its territory to the USSR. Wanting to return the lost lands and acquire new territories, Finland entered the war against the USSR on the side of Germany in 1941. However, in 1944 Finland withdrew from the war and made peace with the USSR.

In 1955, Finland became a member of the UN, and in 1991 it was admitted to the EU.

Finland is the birthplace of Santa Claus (aka Joulupukki, in Russia and Ukraine he is known as Santa Claus). Every Finnish child is sure that Santa Claus lives on the Korvatunturi Mountain in the town of Savukoski in Lapland. There are a lot of reindeer in Lapland. Indeed, why shouldn't Santa Claus live where his reindeer are?

Finns celebrate Christmas from 24 to 26 December. A traditional Christmas dish is rice pudding.

Now more than 140 different countries have borrowed Finnish Christmas traditions, and every year they are becoming more and more popular.

The main products of Finnish cuisine are fish, meat, mushrooms, potatoes, rye bread, vegetables, dairy products. Swedish, German and Russian culinary traditions have had a noticeable influence on Finnish cuisine.

Mammi - oven-baked porridge with milk and sugar;
- Kalakukko - fish baked in bread;
- Mustamakkara - black pudding with lingonberry jam;
- Mykyrokka - soup with dumplings;
- Lihapullat - salmon fish soup;
- Perunamuusi - mashed potatoes;
- Leipäjuusto - cow cheese;
- Hernekeitto - dried pea soup;
- Kaalikääryleet - cabbage rolls with beef or pork.

Traditional alcoholic drinks in Finland are Lakka (berry liqueur), Kilju (Finnish homemade vodka), and Sahti beer.

The Finns have always been very careful about their history. Therefore, we advise tourists in Finland to definitely see:

1. Suomenlinna Fortress in Helsinki
2. Port of Rauma on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia
3. St Olaf's Castle
4. The old church in Petäjävesi
5. Museum of Finnish Architecture on the island of Seurasaari
6. Helsinki Cathedral
7. Koli National Natural Park
8. Temppeliaukio Church in Helsinki
9. Castle of the Knights in Turku
10. National Museum of Finland in Helsinki

The largest Finnish cities are Helsinki, Tampere, Vantaa, Espoo, and Turku.

Finland is known for its great ski resorts. Hundreds of thousands of tourists come to Finland every winter to ski in this Scandinavian country. The top ten ski resorts in Finland include, in our opinion, the following:

1. Levi (Levi)
2. Ruka (Hand)
3. Pyha
4. Yllas (Yllas)
5. Talma (Talma)
6. Himos (Himos)
7. Tahko (Tahko)
8. Pallas (Pallas)
9. Ounasvaara (Ounasvaara)
10. Luosto (Luosto)

Tourists from Finland usually bring products made of wood, glass, deer horns and skins, scissors, clothes, dishes, glassware, Sami hats with national ornaments, children's slippers from Lapland, Lapland folk dolls, Lapland sweaters and pullovers, plaid from reindeer wool, Santa Claus figurines, Sami beads and bracelet, Finnish knives, Finnish fishing set, Finnish berry liqueur.

The communicative means of communication of the peoples of this country, the state languages ​​have a long history. Officially, Finnish and Swedish are considered to be them, but many speakers of other dialects and dialects live in the country of Suomi.

Some statistics and facts

• 92% of the country's inhabitants consider Finnish as their native language. The second - no more than 6%.
• About 6% of Finnish citizens speak Swedish at home, and almost 41% of respondents call it their second language.
• The official minority languages ​​in Finland are Sami, Romani and Karelian.
• The main languages ​​of immigrants in Finland are Estonian and Russian.
• Among foreigners, English is the most widely spoken in Suomi. German is in second place, and very few Finns speak French.
• Only less than 3,000 Saami speak the three Saami languages. The same number no longer speak the dialects of their ancestors.
• At least 30 thousand of its inhabitants can speak Karelian in Finland. At least twice as many citizens of the country are fluent in Russian.

The two official languages ​​in Finland are the result of historical events during which the two peoples were very closely connected with each other both territorially, economically and politically.

History and modernity

Being under Swedish rule for seven centuries, Finland only in 1809 received as an official mother tongue. Until the beginning of the 19th century, the only state was Swedish. The further stay of Finland as part of the Russian Empire brought the need to study Russian, which was legally enshrined in the decree of Emperor Alexander I.
Finnish became the state language of Finland in 1892, after all officials were obliged to speak it and issue documents.
Swedish also continues to be the state language and is taught during the three years of the school curriculum - from grades 7 to 9.
Several border municipalities have taken the initiative to replace Swedish lessons with Russian, but the government has not yet approved this project.

Note to the tourist

In the southeast and south of the country, there is a high probability of meeting Russian-speaking employees of hotels, restaurants, shops and just passers-by on the streets. In other regions, you will have to explain yourself in English, which the Finns are good at. In hotels in large cities and information centers for tourists, maps and public transport directions are available in English and even in Russian.

Let's try to find out what language is spoken in Finland. Among the numerous languages ​​spoken in this country, Finnish, Swedish, and also Russian are in the lead. At different historical stages, the state languages ​​of Finland changed. What language do modern Finns speak? Together we will look for the answer to this question.

Features of municipalities

In monolingual municipalities only Finnish or only Swedish is used. For bilingual options, Finnish is considered the main language, a minority of the population of the municipality speaks Swedish. A variant with an inverse relationship is also possible, that is, the Finnish language acts as a secondary way of communication.

History pages

Finding out what language is spoken in Finland, let's turn to the history of the country. Until 1809, Swedish was the only official language in Finland. Until 1917, the Grand Duchy of Finland was part of the Russian Empire, so during this period three languages ​​were used in the country: Finnish, Swedish, Russian. What was the main language in Finland at that time?

Russian was used for office work, Finnish was at the development stage, and Swedish was losing ground. German was also used in Vyborg.

Alexander 1 signed a decree in 1908 on record keeping in Finland in Swedish. The emperor ordered the Russian language to be introduced into schools. All officials entering the state, military service in this country should also own it.

In the middle of the nineteenth century, the obligatory knowledge of the Russian language for officials was abolished.

What language has been spoken in Finland since 1858? During this period, the first secondary school is created, in which education is carried out on

Since 1863 lectures have been given at the University of Helsingfors in Finnish. It was at this time that Finnish and Swedish were considered official in the country. There is an increase in the number of Finnish newspapers, and a Finnish-language culture is developing.

In 1892, Finnish was proclaimed the state language in the country, and in 1922 Swedish was added to it. At the end of the twentieth century, the Sami language has a special status. For example, all important decisions and government decrees that are directly related to Sami issues must be translated into this language.

Modernity

What language is spoken in Finland today? For the vast majority of the inhabitants of this country, Finnish is the native language. Approximately five percent of the population communicates in the Swedish dialect, less than one percent consider Russian as their native language.

Tatar, Karelian languages ​​are used by approximately 1.8% of the population. About four thousand citizens of this northern country communicate in Finnish sign language.

Distinctive characteristics of languages

Finding out what language is spoken in Finland, we note that it is the Finnish language that is recognized as the official language in the country. Having appeared in the nineteenth century, it is formally the main one in the country.

Swedish is taught from the third grade in six municipalities: Imatra, Tohmajärvi, Savonlinna, Puumala, Lappeenranta, Mikkeli. The Russian language is offered to schoolchildren from the seventh grade, training is carried out at the request of children and their parents.

In modern Finland, there are three varieties of Northern Sami, Inarisaam, Northern Sami, Koltta Sami. In many kindergartens and educational institutions of the Sami region, the educational process is carried out in the Sami language. Special state programs have also been developed aimed at preserving linguistic traditions and passing them on to the younger generation. The Constitution of the country has a special section in which the rights of the Saami population are officially enshrined.

Conclusion

Although several languages ​​are currently spoken in Finland, there is a real risk of losing some of them. For example, only five and a half thousand Finns speak Finnish kalo. This language is used by the Finnish gypsies (kale), who came to the country from Scotland.

About thirty thousand inhabitants of modern Finland communicate in the Karelian language. Researchers note a gradual trend towards an increase in their number, which is associated with the mass migration of Karelians to the country.

The Russian-speaking minority on Finnish territory is also growing rapidly. Russian has become the third most widely spoken language in Finland over the past few years. Currently, it does not have the official status of the state language, but about 65 thousand people in 2012 (according to the results of statistical studies) communicated in this Scandinavian country in Russian.