Finland-Swedish

Finland-Swedish is a general term for the closely related cluster of dialects of Swedish spoken in Finland by Finland-Swedes as a first language. For the most part, these dialects are mutually intelligible with Standard Swedish or can even be considered varieties of it. A common mistake made by many Swedes is to mistake Finland-Swedish for Swedish with a Finnish accent, something that can be a considerable source of frustration to most Finland-Swedes. Curiously enough, the percentually most Swedish speaking municipality in the world, Korsnäs, resides in Finland.

Related Topics:
Dialect - Swedish - Finland - Finland-Swedes - Standard Swedish - Varieties - Swedes - Finnish - Korsnäs

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In spoken language, especially among young people in Finnish-dominated areas, Finnish loanwords, as well as calques from Finnish, are frequently incorporated. There are also some words in the Finland-Swedish that in Sweden would be considered slightly archaic. Some words from the field of government and public service that have been created in recent centuries do also differ, like also other new words, notably loanwords from English. Some specific dialects from Ostrobothnia are practically unintelligible to Swedish-speaking people in southern Finland.

Related Topics:
Loanword - Calque - English - Specific dialects - Ostrobothnia

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Swedish as spoken in Finland is regulated by the "Swedish Department" of the "Research Institute for the Languages of Finland". There is an officially stated aim that Finland-Swedish should remain close to the Swedish spoken in Sweden, thus the Swedish Department strongly advises against loanwords and calques from Finnish, which are often incomprehensible to Sweden-Swedes.

Related Topics:
Research Institute for the Languages of Finland - Loanword - Calque - Finnish

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