2. Finland, country located in
northern Europe. Finland is one of
the world’s most northern and
geographically remote countries
and is subject to a severe climate.
Nearly two-thirds of Finland is
blanketed by thick woodlands,
making it the most densely
forested country in Europe.
Finland also forms a symbolic
northern border between western
and eastern Europe: dense
wilderness and Russia to the east,
the Gulf of Bothnia and Sweden
to the west.
3. Area: 338,145 km2
Population: 5,595,981 (2021)
Capital: Helsinki (since 1812)
Largest cities: Turku,
Tampere, Oulu, Espoo,
Jyvaskyla, Vantaa, Kouvola
Phone code: 358
Languages: Swedish, Finnish
Heads of State : Sanna
Marin (Prime Minister), Sauli
Niinisto (President)
4. • There are seven (or eight)
major dialects in Finland:
• western: south-western
(actually Finnish, or Suomi),
Yemsky (khame),
transitional between them
south Bothnian, middle and
North Bothnian, northern;
• eastern: Savosky, south-
eastern.
5. The formation of the Finnish people at
the end of the 1st half of the 2nd
millennium AD was a complex process of
unification of the Baltic-Finnish tribes
Suomi (in Russian chronicles — sum),
Khame (Old Russian name-em), Savo and
Western Karelians. The classification of
Finnish dialects is based on their genetic
correlation with these tribes.
6. Traditionally, Finnish dialects differ in a
number of phonetic features. The most striking
example of the difference between Western
and Eastern dialects is the d sound. In Eastern
dialects, the d sound is often omitted or
replaced by a semivowel consonant (aidat —
aijat, vedessä — veessä); in Western dialects, r
or l is pronounced instead of d (aidat — airat,
vedessä — velessä).
The ts affricate is not typical for both
Western and eastern dialects. For example, the
word metsä ("forest") is mostly pronounced
mettä in Western dialects, and mehtäin Eastern
dialects
7. In addition to phoneticones, Western and
Eastern dialects have morphological
differences, in particular, the sets of
personal pronouns differ sharply.
Meaning
Standard
fin. language
Western dialects
Eastern
dialects
I minä mä/mää/mnää minä/mie/miä
you sinä sä/sää/snää sinä/sie/siä
he/she hän hän hää
we me me(t) myö
you te te(t) työ
they he he(t) hyö
8. • The vocabulary of Western and eastern dialects reveals
significant lexical discrepancies. Since the development
of Finnish writing was influenced by both groups of
dialects, the Finnish literary language can use words that
go back to both Western and Eastern dialects.
Western dialects Eastern dialects Meaning
ehtoo ilta evening
karitsa vuona the lamb
orpana serkku cousin/cousin
sonni härkä bull
lanka rihma thread
takki nuttu jacket
9. The dialect differences persist to varying
degrees throughout the entire territory
of modern Russia. Of Finland especially in
rural areas and small towns, and the
dialects themselves serve as an important
component of regional identity. Still
among the Finns believe that speakers of
different dialects differ in character and
temperament.
