The communicative means of communication between the peoples of this country, the state languages of Finland have a long history. Officially, they are considered Finnish and Swedish, but many speakers of other dialects and adverbs live in the country of Suomi.
Some statistics and facts
- 92% of the country's inhabitants consider Finnish their native language. The second - no more than 6%.
- About 6% of Finnish citizens speak Swedish at home, and almost 41% of those surveyed call it the second language.
- The official languages of minorities in Finland are Sami, Gypsy and Karelian.
- The main languages of immigrants in Finland are Estonian and Russian.
- Among foreigners, English is the most widespread in Suomi. German is in second place, and very few Finns speak French.
- Only fewer than 3,000 Sami are native speakers of the three Sámi 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 related to each other, both territorially, economically and politically.
History and modernity
Having been under Swedish rule for seven centuries, Finland only received its native language as an official language in 1809. 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 legislatively enshrined in the decree of Emperor Alexander I.
Finnish became the official language of Finland in 1892, after all officials were obliged to speak it and issue documents.
Swedish also continues to be public and is taught during the three years of the school curriculum - from grades 7 to 9.
Several municipalities bordering Russia have come up with an initiative to replace the Swedish lessons with Russian, but the government has not yet approved the project.
Tourist notes
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 fluent in. In hotels of large cities and tourist information centers, maps and public transport directions are available in English and even in Russian.
