Finland's language strife
Encyclopedia
The language strife was one of the major conflicts of Finland's national history
and domestic politics. It revolved around the question of what status Swedish—the language which since the Middle Ages had been the main language of administration and high culture in Finland
—and, on the other hand, Finnish—the mother tongue of the majority of Finns—should have in political, cultural, educational, and other national arenas. The strife began in the latter half of the 19th century, continuing well into the 1920s and 1930s. The language question has today lost its inflammability as Finnish has got a status as dominant language of Finland, but there is still public debate about issues such as to what extent Swedish-majority administrative units should be kept separate and to what extent knowledge of Swedish should be a prerequisite for different positions.
(and Latin
) became dominant over Finnish
as the most-used language of administration and higher education among the Finns. Immigration of Swedish peasants to Finland's coastal regions also boosted the status of Swedish. In 1809 Swedish was spoken by 20% of the people in Finland and 80% of the citizens of the capital of Helsinki. Johan Vilhelm Snellman became a chief initiator of the language strife during the 1850s with a goal to use the Finnish language in nation building. As a result Finnish gained an official language status comparable to that of Swedish and many Swedish speaking families changed their language to Finnish. Finnish was the mother tongue of about 85 % of the Finnish population in 1880.
As a result of the Finnish War
, Sweden ceded Finland to Russia in 1809. Finland became an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire
, and initially the Swedophone ruling class retained their status and ancient rights, and Swedish remained the sole language of administration, and, with Latin, the language of higher education. With the autonomous status, forming of a Finnish nation became an important issue and the political and cultural elite became interested in things truly Finnish, including the language. Some thought that a nation should have a language of its own, thus Finnish, while others thought that Swedish was an important link to Western Europe and feared that losing that language would lead to Russification.
ic Finnish nationalism
in the 19th century. The publication in 1835 of the Finnish national epic
Kalevala
first stirred the nationalism that later led to Finland's independence from Russia.
A significant contribution to the Finnish
national awakening from the mid-19th century onwards came from the members of the mostly Swedish-speaking upper classes deliberately choosing to promote Finnish culture and language. These people, known as the Fennomans, Fennicize
d their family names, learned Finnish, and made a point of using it both in public and at home. However, another faction of the Swedish-speaking elite
, the so-called Svecomans, did not wish to abandon Swedish, and strove against the Fennoman ideology and Fennoman-inspired reforms.
Beginning in 1863 Finnish gained an official language
status comparable to that of Swedish, and within a generation Finnish clearly dominated in government and society in Finland. Inevitably, this situation made for conflict between the supporters of the two languages. In the beginning, the conflict only involved the upper social strata, but the population at large was drawn into it after universal suffrage
was implemented in 1906.
and the Åland crisis
, which further aggravated the language dispute, sharpening it into a prominent feature of domestic politics during the 1920s and 1930s.
In the newly independent Finnish constitution of 1919, Finnish and Swedish were given equal status. The language strife thereafter centered on this and on the role of Swedish in universities, particularly regarding the number of professors working in Swedish. Then, at the resettlement of over 420,000 Karelia
n refugees after the Winter War
against the Soviet Union (1939–1940), the Swedish-speaking minority feared that the new Finnish-speaking settlers would change the linguistic balance of their neighborhoods. These issues were ultimately settled by the Fennoman Prime Minister and later President of Finland
Juho Kusti Paasikivi
, in a way that was too generous to attract criticism from the language minority.
History of Finland
The land area that now makes up Finland was settled immediately after the Ice Age, beginning from around 8500 BCE. Most of the region was part of the Kingdom of Sweden from the 13th century to 1809, when it was ceded to the Russian Empire, becoming the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland. The...
and domestic politics. It revolved around the question of what status Swedish—the language which since the Middle Ages had been the main language of administration and high culture in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
—and, on the other hand, Finnish—the mother tongue of the majority of Finns—should have in political, cultural, educational, and other national arenas. The strife began in the latter half of the 19th century, continuing well into the 1920s and 1930s. The language question has today lost its inflammability as Finnish has got a status as dominant language of Finland, but there is still public debate about issues such as to what extent Swedish-majority administrative units should be kept separate and to what extent knowledge of Swedish should be a prerequisite for different positions.
Background
As the area nowadays known as Finland was gradually incorporated in the Swedish Realm from the 13th century onwards, SwedishSwedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
(and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
) became dominant over Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
as the most-used language of administration and higher education among the Finns. Immigration of Swedish peasants to Finland's coastal regions also boosted the status of Swedish. In 1809 Swedish was spoken by 20% of the people in Finland and 80% of the citizens of the capital of Helsinki. Johan Vilhelm Snellman became a chief initiator of the language strife during the 1850s with a goal to use the Finnish language in nation building. As a result Finnish gained an official language status comparable to that of Swedish and many Swedish speaking families changed their language to Finnish. Finnish was the mother tongue of about 85 % of the Finnish population in 1880.
As a result of the Finnish War
Finnish War
The Finnish War was fought between Sweden and the Russian Empire from February 1808 to September 1809. As a result of the war, the eastern third of Sweden was established as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland within the Russian Empire...
, Sweden ceded Finland to Russia in 1809. Finland became an autonomous grand duchy within the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, and initially the Swedophone ruling class retained their status and ancient rights, and Swedish remained the sole language of administration, and, with Latin, the language of higher education. With the autonomous status, forming of a Finnish nation became an important issue and the political and cultural elite became interested in things truly Finnish, including the language. Some thought that a nation should have a language of its own, thus Finnish, while others thought that Swedish was an important link to Western Europe and feared that losing that language would lead to Russification.
Nationalism and the question of language
Finnish eventually recovered its predominance in the country after the birth of FennomanFennoman
The Fennomans were the most important political movement in the 19th century Grand Principality of Finland. They succeeded the fennophile interests of the 18th and early 19th century.-History:...
ic Finnish nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
in the 19th century. The publication in 1835 of the Finnish national epic
National epic
A national epic is an epic poem or a literary work of epic scope which seeks or is believed to capture and express the essence or spirit of a particular nation; not necessarily a nation-state, but at least an ethnic or linguistic group with aspirations to independence or autonomy...
Kalevala
Kalevala
The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology.It is regarded as the national epic of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature...
first stirred the nationalism that later led to Finland's independence from Russia.
A significant contribution to the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
national awakening from the mid-19th century onwards came from the members of the mostly Swedish-speaking upper classes deliberately choosing to promote Finnish culture and language. These people, known as the Fennomans, Fennicize
Fennicize
Fennicization or finnicization is the changing of one's personal names from other languages into Finnish...
d their family names, learned Finnish, and made a point of using it both in public and at home. However, another faction of the Swedish-speaking elite
Elite
Elite refers to an exceptional or privileged group that wields considerable power within its sphere of influence...
, the so-called Svecomans, did not wish to abandon Swedish, and strove against the Fennoman ideology and Fennoman-inspired reforms.
Beginning in 1863 Finnish gained an official language
Official language
An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other jurisdiction. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration. However, official status can also be used to give a...
status comparable to that of Swedish, and within a generation Finnish clearly dominated in government and society in Finland. Inevitably, this situation made for conflict between the supporters of the two languages. In the beginning, the conflict only involved the upper social strata, but the population at large was drawn into it after universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
was implemented in 1906.
After independence
After Finland's independence in 1917, relations with Sweden unexpectedly became strained in connection with the Finnish Civil WarFinnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...
and the Åland crisis
Åland crisis
The Åland crisis was one of the first issues put up for arbitration by the League of Nations on its formation. The Åland Islands' population's demand for self-determination was not met and sovereignty over the islands was retained by Finland, but international guarantees were given to allow the...
, which further aggravated the language dispute, sharpening it into a prominent feature of domestic politics during the 1920s and 1930s.
In the newly independent Finnish constitution of 1919, Finnish and Swedish were given equal status. The language strife thereafter centered on this and on the role of Swedish in universities, particularly regarding the number of professors working in Swedish. Then, at the resettlement of over 420,000 Karelia
Karelia
Karelia , the land of the Karelian peoples, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for Finland, Russia, and Sweden...
n refugees after the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
against the Soviet Union (1939–1940), the Swedish-speaking minority feared that the new Finnish-speaking settlers would change the linguistic balance of their neighborhoods. These issues were ultimately settled by the Fennoman Prime Minister and later President of Finland
President of Finland
The President of the Republic of Finland is the nation's head of state. Under the Finnish constitution, executive power is vested in the President and the government, with the President possessing extensive powers. The President is elected directly by the people of Finland for a term of six years....
Juho Kusti Paasikivi
Juho Kusti Paasikivi
Juho Kusti Paasikivi was the seventh President of Finland . Representing the Finnish Party and the National Coalition Party, he also served as Prime Minister of Finland , and was generally an influential figure in Finnish economics and politics for over fifty years...
, in a way that was too generous to attract criticism from the language minority.
Further reading
- Michael C. Coleman, "'You Might All Be Speaking Swedish Today': Language Change in 19th-century Finland and Ireland," Scandinavian Journal of History, March 2010, Vol. 35 Issue 1, pp 44–64
See also
- Fennoman movement
- Svecoman movement
- Mandatory SwedishMandatory SwedishIn Finland, Swedish is a mandatory school subject for Finnish-speaking pupils in the last three years of the primary education . It is also mandatory in high schools, vocational schools, and vocational universities. Furthermore, all Finnish-speaking university graduates must demonstrate a certain...
- Language revivalLanguage revivalLanguage revitalization, language revival or reversing language shift is the attempt by interested parties, including individuals, cultural or community groups, governments, or political authorities, to reverse the decline of a language. If the decline is severe, the language may be endangered,...
- Language policyLanguage policyMany countries have a language policy designed to favour or discourage the use of a particular language or set of languages. Although nations historically have used language policies most often to promote one official language at the expense of others, many countries now have policies designed to...