Finnish

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A language of Finland

ISO 639-3
fin
Alternate Names
Suomi
Population

4,700,000 in Finland (1993). 30,000 speakers of Tornedalen Finnish. Population total all countries: 4,994,490.

Location

Also in Canada, Estonia, Norway, Russian Federation, Sweden, United States.

Language Maps
Language Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (2000, Constitution, Article 17(1,2)).

Classification
Uralic, Finnic
Dialects

Central and North Pohjanmaa, Häme (Tavast), Peräpohja, Savo (Savolax), South Pohjanmaa, Southeastern Finnish (Finnish Karelian, Finnish Karjala), Southwestern Finnish. Southeastern dialects called, Karelian, in colloquial Finnish are distinct from true Karelian [krl] (1988 T. Salminen). Finnish is closely related to Karelian [krl] and Livvi [olo]. In the Russian Federation eastern dialects merge gradually into Karelian.

Typology

SVO

Language Use

About 300,000 also use Swedish [swe].

Language Development
Fully developed. Bible: 1642–1991.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Finnish
Writing
Braille script. Latin script, primary usage.
Other Comments

Christian.

Also spoken in:

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