There are English translations of all the phrases, plus sound, which has been professionally recorded by native speakers. Just cuz I grew up around it. Despite the fact that Swedish is the official second language in Finland, English is in great demand. Finnish does not have to be a difficult language. [9] This is the Karelian language which has several dialects, and not a Karelian dialect of the Finnish language. This is mainly due to the demand from the business community and the fact that there is a high standard of living in Finland, meaning many people can afford to pay for the luxury of private English lessons. You will have no problems getting by with English in Finland with anyone under the age of 60, whether in the capital Helsinki or anywhere else in the country. Språkkunskap i finland Official languages in Finland : Finnish, Swedish Sub-titling of films & TV: Yes An interactive visualisation of language knowledge in Europe, based on the latest Europe-wide survey of languages in Europe by the European Commission. Places often have different names in Finnish and in Swedish, both names being equally official as name of the town. The Finnish language dates back about 500 hundred years and is closely related to Estonian and a little less closely related to the Sami languages. Finns follow all the traditional sports religiously, and every now and then new competitions come along, like carrying a wife, throwing a cell phone, or dancing tango. Outside these areas there are some towns with significant Swedish-speaking minorities not reaching the criteria. But how widely spoken is English there? Every one I came in contact with spoke english fluently. As we start to head more to the north of Europe as we become closer to the top of the list. The main language in Australia is English, but there are other cultures such as French, Russian, German and Italian. However, it still always helps to have a few basic phrases to at least show appreciation for the locals and the culture. The subtitles can encourage and make it easier to learn languages, and the respondents of the Nordic countries appreciate the subtitles (93% of the Finns), so this would mean that they are used to hear different languages on TV. Finns tends to be shy and economical with words, but very friendly and loyal once you get to know them. How Widely Spoken is English in Gibraltar? Can an American or British tourist get by in Finland without needing any Finnish?eval(ez_write_tag([[468,60],'howwidelyspoken_com-box-3','ezslot_3',107,'0','0'])); English is quite widely spoken in Finland, though not quite as prevalent as the other Scandinavian countries. They live mostly in the western part of Finland and on Åland (Finnish Ahvenanmaa) . In Finland, approximately 4.9 million people speak Finnish as theirfirst language, and more than 0.5 million people speak it as a second language.Finnish is also spoken in Sweden, Norway, Eastern Karelia and Ingria (inRussia), and even in the USA and Australia. Today it is one of the two main official languages, with a position equal to Finnish in most legislation, though the working language in most governmental bodies is Finnish. Both Finnish and Swedish are compulsory subjects in school with an exception for children with a third language as their native language. When you speak the language, you will become acclimatised more easily and will be more at home in Finland. We have, though, a small population (a few thousand) in the north of Finland, Lapland and they speak Sami, a … You don’t need to know any Finnish as an international student in Finland. [4] Swedish is a North Germanic language, closely related to Norwegian and Danish. Culture. There are also several official minority languages: three variants of Sami, Romani, Finnish Sign Language and Karelian. The universal account of tourists who visit there is that Finnish is not needed as English is widely enough spoken pretty much everywhere for get you by. That said, in spite of all of this talk of English fluency, the Finns in general are not known to be the most talkative population in the world. But how widely spoken is English there? There are also several official minority languages: three variants of Sami, Romani, Finnish Sign Language and Karelian. You can find some American products in supermarkets (French’s mustard, Heinz ketchup, Doritos, Listerine, and others). Swedish was the language of the administration until the late 19th century. Continue browsing or click to consent. They don’t like over the top greetings or compliments, or any drama in general in personal interactions. The rating was revealed in the fourth edition of the EF English Proficiency Index on Friday. Currently 5.9%[5] of the population of Helsinki are native Swedish speakers and 15% are native speakers of languages other than Finnish and Swedish.[6]. As a subbranch of Indo-European, it is also closely related to other Germanic languages such as German, Dutch, and English. link to How Widely Spoken is English in Malaysia? No clue. Could it be related to the practices, such as subtitles on TV ? A more recent estimate is that there are 5000 first language speakers in Finland but the size of the language community is 30,000.[8]. There are six major linguistic categories spoken in Africa. Written Finnish dates back approximately 500 years. I'm traveling to Tampere, Finland, and just wondering what the language barrier will be like. Like most languages, you can learn to speak Finnish with time, effort, and dedication. Don't let it stop you from asking anyone questions in English … Media related to Languages of Finland at Wikimedia Commons, European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, Names of places in Finland in Finnish and in Swedish, Europeans and their languages, situationen 2012, "Decrease in the number of persons speaking national languages as their native language accelerated", Change in the regulation by the president of Finland about European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, 68/2009 27.11.2009, http://pxnet2.stat.fi/PXWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vrm__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_11rl.px/?rxid=726cd24d-d0f1-416a-8eec-7ce9b82fd5a4, Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, Universal Declaration of Linguistic Rights, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Languages_of_Finland&oldid=998858100, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 January 2021, at 09:56. The Sami languages have an official status in the northernmost Finland, in Utsjoki, Inari, Enontekiö and part of Sodankylä, regardless of proportion of speakers. Runeberg is considered Finland's national poet and wrote the national anthem, "Vårt land", which was only later translated to Finnish. But I probably could learn the basics in about a year. You can also get a Nordic Phrasebook which will see you through Finland and neighboring Scandinavian countries. That said, Finns will always help you out if asked. Everyone but the old and very young can at least understand English, if not speak it. [10] The Russian language has no official status in Finland, though historically it served as the third co-official language with Finnish and Swedish for a relatively brief period between 1900 and 1917. If you are travelling to Finland and do not speak Finnish, you'll have no problems getting help if you need it in English. A successfully completed language test is a prerequisite for governmental offices where a university degree is required. I had absolutely no trouble at any point speaking in English. link to How Widely Spoken is English in Malta? Finland is one of those countries where you really should be fine with English and be able to get by without any Finnish. I read in another response someone claiming Finns are the worse English speakers in Europe. The Swedish dialects spoken in Finland mainland are known as Finland-Swedish. Just under three quarters of Finns report being able to speak English, many of them fluently, which is a very high proportion in itself and compares favorably to most other countries outside of Scandinavia. Do’s and don’ts in Finland Finns may appear shy and serious, but their humor is dry and sarcastic, and they are opinionated and competitive. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'howwidelyspoken_com-box-4','ezslot_10',110,'0','0'])); Even from these basic phrases you already see some of the complexity in the Finnish language, since many words are pronounced very differently to how they appear on screen. The four largest Swedish-speaking communities in Finland, in absolute numbers, are those of Helsinki, Espoo, Porvoo and Vaasa, where they constitute significant minorities. Finland has a population of just under 5.5 million people, and almost 70% of its adult population speak high-level English. They are a low key bunch of people so more personal greetings and warmth is reserved for established friends and family rather than strangers. Can tourists from America, the UK... Malta is a picturesque and scenic small Island off the south coast of Italy, with one of the best climates in all of Europe and very good tourist attractions and cuisine. All municipalities outside Åland where both official languages are spoken by either at least 8% of the population or at least 3,000 people are considered bilingual. Mostly everyone speaks english in the Scandinavian countries. Wikipedia says not many people speak English, but another source I know says that 50% do. With approximately 4,868,751 speakers which translate to 88.88% of Finland's population, the Finnish language is widely spoken by the majority in the country. Finland places among the top four countries in the world when it comes to the fluency of English. But just how widely spoken... At How Widely Spoken we explore the prevalence of English and other languages all around the world. I found that younger people in Sweden spoke native-level English while the older generation might have an accent but they do speak it excellently. The people of Finland are called Finns. As well as Finnish and Swedish, and a number of other languages. Perhaps you could learn to read a few important words. Rather Scandinavians tend to be able to hold fluent and intelligent conversations in English without too many problems. They are usually very helpful and friendly when approached, but generally only talk when they have something to say, not because they have to say something.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'howwidelyspoken_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_6',109,'0','0'])); There is the old joke about the two Finns in the bar that sums up this mentality well. In 2001 the Karelian Language Society estimated that the language is understood by 11,000–12,000 people in Finland, most of whom are elderly. Occasionally I see some posters in English or advertisements. "For years now, young people in Finland have spoken good English. Natives always appreciate it even if it isn’t strictly necessary in the Scandinavian countries. Even the weaker sectors in Finland were still higher than the international average. 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