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{{Short description|Finnic language}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Finnish
| nativename = {{lang|fi|suomi}}, {{lang|fi|suomen kieli}}
| pronunciation = {{IPA|fi|ˈsuo̯mi|IPA|fi-suomi.ogg}}, {{IPA|fi|ˈsuo̯meŋ ˈkie̯li|}}
| ethnicity = [[Finns]]
| states = [[Finland]], [[Sweden]], [[Norway]] (in small areas in [[Troms]] and [[Finnmark]]), [[Russia]]
| region =
| speakers = {{sigfig|5|2}} million <br />[[Finland]]: {{sigfig|4.75|3}} million (2023)<ref>[https://pxdata.stat.fi/PxWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_11rm.px/ StatFin -Väestörakenne - 11rm - Kieli sukupuolen mukaan kunnittain, 1990-2023]</ref> <br />[[Sweden]]: 200,000-250,000 (2022)<ref>[https://www.minoritet.se/finska-spraket-i-sverige Finska språket i Sverige]</ref> <br />[[Norway]]: {{sigfig|8000|2}} (Kven) <br /> Russia ([[Republic of Karelia|Karelia]]): {{sigfig|8500|2}} <br /> US: {{sigfig|26000|2}}
| date = 2020
| ref = e18
| familycolor = Uralic
| fam2 = [[Finnic languages|Finnic]]
| fam3 = Northern Finnic
| fam4 =
| script = [[Latin script|Latin]] ([[Finnish alphabet]])<br />[[Finnish Braille]]
| sign =
| nation = [[Finland]]<br/>''[[European Union]]''<br />''[[Nordic Council]]''
| minority = [[Sweden]] (official minority language)<br />[[Russia]] ([[Republic of Karelia|Karelia]])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gov.karelia.ru/Legislation/lawbase.html?lid=1751 |script-title=ru:О государственной поддержке карельского, вепсского и финского языков в Республике Карелия |language=ru |publisher=Gov.karelia.ru |access-date=6 December 2011 |archive-date=11 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011113305/http://gov.karelia.ru/Legislation/lawbase.html?lid=1751 |url-status=dead }}</ref><br>[[Norway]] ([[Finnmark]])
| dia1 = [[Southwest Finnish dialects|Southwest]]
| dia2 = [[Tavastian dialects|Tavastian]]
| dia3 = [[South Ostrobothnian dialect|South Ostrobothnian]]
| dia4 = [[Central and Northern Ostrobothnian dialects|Central and Northern Ostrobothnian]]
| dia5 = [[Peräpohjola dialects|Peräpohjola]]
| dia6 = [[Savonian dialects|Savonian]]
| dia7 = [[South Karelian dialects|South Karelian]]
| agency = Language Planning Department of the [[Institute for the Languages of Finland]]
| iso1 = fi
| iso2 = fin
| iso3 = fin
| glotto = nucl1717
| glottorefname = Nuclear Finnish
| lingua = 41-AAA-a
| map = Spread of the Finnish language.png
| mapcaption = {{legend|#3d46cd|Primary spoken language}}
{{legend|#87CEEB|Minority spoken language}}
| notice = IPA
}}
'''Finnish''' ([[endonym]]: {{lang|fi|suomi}} {{IPA|fi|ˈsuo̯mi||fi-suomi.ogg}} or {{lang|fi|suomen kieli}} {{IPA|fi|ˈsuo̯meŋ ˈkie̯li|}}) is a [[Finnic languages|Finnic language]] of the [[Uralic languages|Uralic]] language family, spoken by the majority of the population in [[Finland]] and by ethnic Finns outside of Finland. Finnish is one of the two [[official languages]] of Finland, alongside [[Swedish language|Swedish]]. In [[Sweden]], both Finnish and [[Meänkieli]] (which has significant [[mutual intelligibility]] with Finnish<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Öst|first=Heidi|date=2013|title=Recent Legal Developments in Sweden: What Effect for Finnish and Meänkieli Speakers?|journal=European Yearbook of Minority Issues Online|volume=10|issue=1|pages=563–582|doi=10.1163/22116117-01001026|issn=1570-7865}}</ref>) are official [[minority language]]s. [[Kven language|Kven]], which like Meänkieli is mutually intelligible with Finnish, is spoken in the [[Norway|Norwegian]] counties of [[Troms]] and [[Finnmark]] by a minority of Finnish descent.
Finnish is [[morphological typology|typologically]] [[agglutinative language|agglutinative]]<ref>{{Cite book|first1=Martin Dryer |last1=Haspelmath |first2= Matthew S |last2=Gil |first3=David |last3=Comrie |first4= Bernard |last4=Bickel |last5=Balthasar Nichols |first5=Johanna |title=Fusion of selected inflectional formatives |date=2005 |publisher=Oxford University Press |oclc=945596278}}</ref> and uses almost exclusively [[Suffix|suffixal affixation]]. [[Noun]]s, [[adjective]]s, [[pronoun]]s, [[Numeral (linguistics)|numeral]]s and [[verb]]s are [[inflection|inflected]] depending on their role in the [[Sentence (linguistics)|sentence]]. Sentences are normally formed with [[subject–verb–object]] word order, although the extensive use of inflection allows them to be ordered differently. Word order variations are often reserved for differences in [[information structure]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Vilkuna |first=Maria |title=Free word order in Finnish : its syntax and discourse functions |date=1989 |publisher=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura |isbn=951-717-558-2 |oclc=997419906}}</ref> [[Finnish orthography]] uses a Latin-script alphabet derived from the Swedish alphabet, and is [[phonetic orthography|phonemic]] to a great extent. [[Vowel length]] and [[gemination|consonant length]] are distinguished, and there are a range of [[diphthongs]], although [[vowel harmony]] limits which diphthongs are possible.
==Classification==
Finnish belongs to the [[Finnic languages|Finnic]] branch of the [[Uralic languages|Uralic language family]]; as such, it is one of the few European languages that is not [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]]. The Finnic branch also includes [[Estonian language|Estonian]] and a few minority languages spoken around the [[Baltic Sea]] and in Russia's [[Republic of Karelia]]. The closest relative of Finnish is either [[Ingrian language|Ingrian]], or depending on the definition, [[Karelian language|Karelian]]. Finnic languages form a dialect continuum, where for instance Finnish and Estonian are not separated by any single isogloss that would separate dialects considered "Finnish" from those considered "Estonian", despite the two standard languages being not mutually intelligible.<ref>{{cite conference |author=Viitso, Tiit-Rein |title=Finnic Affinity |conference=Congressus Nonus Internationalis Fenno-Ugristarum I: Orationes plenariae & Orationes publicae |___location=Tartu |year=2000}}</ref>
Finnish demonstrates an affiliation with other [[Uralic languages]] (such as [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] and [[Sami languages]]) in several respects including:
*Shared morphology:
**case suffixes such as [[Genitive case|genitive]] {{lang|fi|-n}}, [[Partitive case|partitive]] {{lang|fi|-(t)a}} / {{lang|fi|-(t)ä}} ( < [[Proto-Uralic]] {{lang|mis|*-ta}}, originally [[ablative case|ablative]]), [[Essive case|essive]] {{lang|fi|-na}} / {{lang|fi|-nä}} ( < {{lang|mis|*-na}}, originally [[locative case|locative]])
**plural markers {{lang|fi|-t}} and {{lang|fi|-i-}} ( < Proto-Uralic {{lang|mis|*-t}} and {{lang|mis|*-j}}, respectively)
**possessive suffixes such as 1st person singular {{lang|fi|-ni}} ( < Proto-Uralic {{lang|mis|*-n-mi}}), 2nd person singular {{lang|fi|-si}} ( < Proto-Uralic {{lang|mis|*-ti}}).
**various derivational suffixes (e.g. [[causative]] {{lang|fi|-tta/-ttä}} < Proto-Uralic {{lang|mis|*-kta}})
*Shared basic vocabulary displaying regular sound correspondences with the other Uralic languages (e.g. {{lang|fi|kala}} 'fish' ~ [[North Saami language|North Saami]] {{lang|se|guolli}} ~ [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] {{lang|hu|hal}}; and {{lang|fi|kadota}} 'disappear' ~ North Saami {{lang|se|guođđit}} ~ Hungarian {{lang|hu|hagy}} 'leave (behind)'.
Several theories exist as to the geographic origin of the most recent common ancestor of Finnish and the other Uralic languages ([[Proto-Uralic]]). The most widely held view is that it originated somewhere in the [[boreal forest]] belt around the [[Ural Mountains]] region and/or the bend of the middle [[Volga]]. The strong case for Proto-Uralic is supported by common vocabulary with regularities in sound correspondences, as well as by the fact that the Uralic languages have many similarities in structure and grammar.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://finland.fi/life-society/whos-afraid-of-finnish/ |last=Branch |first=Hannele |title=Who's afraid of Finnish? |date=28 April 2009 |website=thisisFINLAND |access-date=29 December 2017 |archive-date=30 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930060728/http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=160055&contentlan=2&culture=en-US |url-status=live}}</ref> Despite having overlapping geographical distributions, Finnic languages and [[Sami languages]] are not closely related, and the hypothesis of a separate taxonomic "[[Finno-Samic languages|Finno-Samic]]" node is controversial.
The [[Defense Language Institute]] in [[Monterey, California]], United States, classifies Finnish as a level III language (of four levels) in terms of learning difficulty for native English speakers.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lowe |first=Pardee Jr. |year=1998 |editor-last=Woytak |editor-first=Lidia |title=Zero-Based Language Aptitude Test Design: Where's the Focus for the Test? |url=https://www.dliflc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Applied-Language-Learning_Vol9_Pt1-2.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Applied Language Learning |series=Professional Bulletin 65-98 |publisher=Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center |publication-place=Presidio of Monterey, CA |volume=9 |issue=1–2 |pages=11–30 |issn=1041-679X <!-- misprinted as 1041-6791 --> |id={{ERIC|ED436963}} |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319135036/http://www.dliflc.edu/archive/documents/all9_new.pdf |archive-date=19 March 2012 |access-date=6 December 2011}}</ref>
==
[[File:Suomenkieliset Suomessa.png|right|thumb|Share of Finnish speakers in the population of [[municipalities of Finland]] in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://statfin.stat.fi/PxWeb/pxweb/fi/StatFin/StatFin__vaerak/statfin_vaerak_pxt_11ra.px/ | title = Tunnuslukuja väestöstä alueittain, 1990-2021 | publisher = [[Tilastokeskus]] | date = 27 May 2022}}</ref>]]
[[File:Finsktalande södra sverige.svg|right|thumb|Areas in Central and Southern Sweden with a Finnish-speaking population (2005)]]
Finnish is spoken by about five million people, most of whom reside in Finland. There are also notable Finnish-speaking minorities in Sweden, Norway, Russia, Estonia, Brazil, Canada, and the United States. The majority of the population of Finland (90.37% {{As of|2010|lc=on}}<ref name="lang_stats">{{cite web|title= Population|url=http://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html|access-date=17 December 2011|publisher=Statistics Finland |date=9 January 2024 |archive-date=11 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611010801/https://www.stat.fi/tup/suoluk/suoluk_vaesto_en.html|url-status=live}}</ref>) speak Finnish as their [[first language]]. The remainder speak [[Finland Swedish|Swedish]] (5.42%),<ref name="lang_stats" /> one of the [[Sami languages|Sámi]] languages (for example [[Northern Sami|Northern]], [[Inari Sámi language|Inari]], or [[Skolt Sami language|Skolt]]), or another language as their first language. Finnish is spoken as a second language in Estonia by about 167,000 people.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://pub.stat.ee/px-web.2001/I_Databas/Population_census/PHC2011/01Demographic_and_ethno_cultural_characteristics/04Ethnic_nationality_Languages_Dialects/04Ethnic_nationality_Languages_Dialects.asp |title=Ethnic nationality. Mother tongue and command of foreign languages. Dialects |website=pub.stat.ee |access-date=7 March 2018 |archive-date=2 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002091759/http://pub.stat.ee/px-web.2001/I_Databas/Population_census/PHC2011/01Demographic_and_ethno_cultural_characteristics/04Ethnic_nationality_Languages_Dialects/04Ethnic_nationality_Languages_Dialects.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Finnic varieties found in Norway's [[Finnmark]] (namely [[Kven language|Kven]]) and in northern Sweden (namely [[Meänkieli]]) have the status of official minority languages, and thus can be considered distinct languages from Finnish. However, since these languages are [[Mutual intelligibility|mutually intelligible]], one may alternatively view them as [[Dialect#Dialect or language|dialects of the same language]].
No language census exists for Norway, neither for Kven, standard Finnish, or combined. As of 2023, 7,454 first- or second-generation immigrants from Finland were registered as having Norwegian residency,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ssb.no/en/statbank/table/05183/|title=05183: Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, in total, by sex and country background 1970 - 2023|access-date=5 February 2024|publisher=[[Statistics Norway]]}}</ref> while as of 2021, 235 Finns were registered as foreigners studying at Norwegian higher education.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ssb.no/en/utdanning/utdanningsniva/artikler/facts-about-education-in-norway-2023/_/attachment/inline/95f61c83-4653-44fe-a777-ef2182de0e0e:192540b53977580f548ebac9ab3f8f9a743955b5/FOU-2023-web_en.pdf|title=Facts about education in Norway 2023 – key figures 2021|publisher=[[Statistics Norway]]|access-date=5 February 2023}}</ref> [[Great Norwegian Encyclopedia]] estimates Kven speakers at 2,000-8,000.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://snl.no/kvener|title=Kvener|date=February 2024 |access-date=5 February 2024|language=nb|publisher=[[Great Norwegian Encyclopedia]]}}</ref> Altogether, this results in a total amount of Finnish-speakers roughly between 7,200 and 15,600.
In the [[Russian Census (2021)|latest census]], around 1000 people in Russia claimed to speak Finnish natively; however, a larger amount of 14,000 claimed to be able to speak Finnish in total.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Росстат — Всероссийская перепись населения 2020 |url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/vpn_popul |access-date=4 January 2023 |website=rosstat.gov.ru |archive-date=24 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200124160257/http://rosstat.gov.ru/vpn_popul |url-status=dead }}</ref>
There are also forms of Finnish spoken by diasporas outside Europe, such as [[American Finnish]], spoken by [[Finnish Americans]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lindfors |first=Jukka |url=https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2006/09/08/amerikansuomalaisten-kieli |title=Amerikansuomalaisten kieli |trans-title=The Language of American Finns |date=8 September 2006 |access-date=8 April 2021 |archive-date=22 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522092713/https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2006/09/08/amerikansuomalaisten-kieli |url-status=live |website=Yle}}</ref> and [[Siberian Finnish]], spoken by [[Siberian Finns]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2013/01/31/itaprojekti-matkaa-siperiansuomalaisten-uinuviin-kyliin |author1=Sonja Fogelholm |title=Itäprojekti matkaa siperiansuomalaisten uinuviin kyliin|website=yle.fi |date=31 January 2013 |access-date=13 June 2022 |archive-date=17 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220817232310/https://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2013/01/31/itaprojekti-matkaa-siperiansuomalaisten-uinuviin-kyliin|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Official status==
Today, Finnish is one of two [[official language]]s of Finland (the other being Swedish), and has been an official language of the [[European Union]] since 1995. However, the Finnish language did not have an official status in the country during the [[Finland under Swedish rule|period of Swedish rule]], which ended in 1809. After the establishment of the [[Grand Duchy of Finland]], and against the backdrop of the [[Fennoman movement]], the language obtained its official status in the [[Diet of Finland|Finnish Diet]] of 1863.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Karlsson |first=Fred |title=Finnish: A Comprehensive Grammar |date=30 August 2017 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-315-74354-7 |___location=London |doi=10.4324/9781315743547}}</ref>
Finnish also enjoys the status of an official [[Minority languages in Sweden|minority language in Sweden]]. Under the [[Nordic Language Convention]], citizens of the [[Nordic countries]] speaking Finnish have the opportunity to use their native language when interacting with official bodies in other Nordic countries without being liable to any interpretation or translation costs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.norden.org/avtal/sprak/sk/sprak_sprak.asp |title=Konvention mellan Sverige, Danmark, Finland, Island och Norge om nordiska medborgares rätt att använda sitt eget språk i annat nordiskt land |trans-title=Convention between Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway on the right of Nordic citizens to use their own language in another Nordic country |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070418154217/http://www.norden.org/avtal/sprak/sk/sprak_sprak.asp |archive-date=18 April 2007 |website=Nordic Council |access-date=25 April 2007 |language=sv}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.norden.org/webb/news/news.asp?id=6777&lang=6 |title=20th anniversary of the Nordic Language Convention |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227013320/http://www.norden.org/webb/news/news.asp?id=6777&lang=6 |archive-date=27 February 2007 |date=22 February 2007 |access-date=25 April 2007 |first=Arja |last=Kuosma}}</ref> However, concerns have been expressed about the future status of Finnish in Sweden, for example, where reports produced for the Swedish government during 2017 show that minority language policies are not being respected, particularly for the 7% of Finns settled in the country.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/13/swedens-finns-fear-minority-language-rights-are-under-threat |title=Sweden's Finns fear minority language rights are under threat |work=The Guardian |date=13 March 2018 |access-date=13 March 2018 |archive-date=9 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109035758/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/13/swedens-finns-fear-minority-language-rights-are-under-threat |url-status=live |first1=Fredrika |last1=Fellman |first2=Liliia |last2=Makashova |first3=Viktoriia |last3=Zhuhan |___location=Gothenburg}}</ref>
==History==
===Prehistory===
The [[Uralic languages|Uralic family]] of languages, of which Finnish is a member, are hypothesized to derive from a single ancestor language termed [[Proto-Uralic]], spoken sometime between 8,000 and 2,000 BCE (estimates vary) in the vicinity of the [[Ural Mountains]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bakro-Nagy |first=M. |date=July 2005 |title=The Uralic Language Family. Facts, Myths and Statistics |journal=Lingua |volume=115 |issue=7 |pages=1053–1062 |doi=10.1016/j.lingua.2004.01.008 |issn=0024-3841}}</ref> Over time, Proto-Uralic split into various [[daughter language]]s, which themselves continued to change and diverge, yielding yet more descendants. One of these descendants is the [[Linguistic reconstruction|reconstructed]] [[Proto-Finnic]], from which the [[Finnic languages]] developed.<ref name=":1">{{Citation|last=Laakso|first=Johanna|title=Circum-Baltic Languages|chapter=The Finnic languages|date=2001|series=Studies in Language Companion Series|volume=54|pages=clxxix–ccxii|place=Amsterdam|publisher=John Benjamins Publishing Company|doi=10.1075/slcs.54.09laa|isbn=978-90-272-3057-7}}</ref>
Current models assume that three or more Proto-Finnic dialects evolved during the first millennium BCE.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.helsinki.fi/hum/sugl/proj/finnic.html|title=Omasta ja vieraasta rakentuminen|author= Laakso, Johanna|date=November 2000|quote=Recent research (Sammallahti 1977, Terho Itkonen 1983, Viitso 1985, 2000 etc., Koponen 1991, Salminen 1998 etc.) operates with three or more hypothetical Proto-Finnic proto-dialects and considers the evolution of present-day Finnic languages (partly) as a result of interference and amalgamation of (proto-)dialects.|access-date=22 September 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070826141005/http://www.helsinki.fi/hum/sugl/proj/finnic.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 26 August 2007}}</ref><ref name=":1"/> These dialects were defined geographically, and were distinguished from one another along a north–south split as well as an east–west split. The northern dialects of Proto-Finnic, from which Finnish developed, lacked the mid vowel {{IPAblink|ɤ}}. This vowel was found only in the southern dialects, which developed into [[Estonian language|Estonian]], [[Livonian language|Livonian]], and [[Votic language|Votian]].{{dubious|Prehistory|date=June 2025}} The northern variants used third person singular pronoun {{lang|fi|hän}} instead of southern {{lang|fi|tämä}} (Est. {{lang|et|tema}}). While the eastern dialects of Proto-Finnic (which developed in the modern-day eastern Finnish dialects, Veps, Karelian, and Ingrian) formed genitive plural nouns via plural stems (e.g., eastern Finnish {{lang|fi|kalojen}} < {{lang|mis|*'''kaloi'''-ten}}), the western dialects of Proto-Finnic (today's Estonian, Livonian and western Finnish varieties) used the non-plural stems (e.g., Est. {{lang|et|kalade}} < {{lang|mis|*'''kala'''-ten}}). Another defining characteristic of the east–west split was the use of the [[Reflexive verb|reflexive]] suffix {{lang|fi|-(t)te}}, used only in the eastern dialects.<ref name=":1" />
=== Medieval period ===
[[File:Birch-bark letter 292 real.jpg|thumb|[[Birch bark letter no. 292]] is the oldest known document in any Finnic language.]]
The [[Birch bark letter no. 292]] from the early 13th century is the first known document in any [[Finnic languages|Finnic language]]; it is written in a variety that is closest to modern [[Karelian language|Karelian]] or [[Veps language|Veps]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bakró-Nagy |first1=Marianne |last2=Laakso |first2=Johanna |last3=Skribnik |first3=Elena |title=The Oxford Guide to the Uralic Languages |date=2022 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-876766-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2fhgEAAAQBAJ |language=en |page=59}}</ref> The first known written example of Finnish itself is found in a German travel journal dating back to {{Circa|1450}}: {{lang|fi|Mÿnna tachton gernast spuho sommen gelen Emÿna daÿda}} (Modern Finnish: "{{lang|fi|Minä tahdon kernaasti puhua suomen kielen, [mutta] en minä taida;}}" English: "I want to speak Finnish, [but] I am not able to").<ref>{{cite journal |last=Wulf |first=Christine |year=1982 |title=Zwei Finnische Sätze aus dem 15. Jahrhundert |journal=Ural-Altaische Jahrbücher |volume=2 |language=de |pages=90–98}}</ref> According to the travel journal, the words are those of a Finnish bishop whose name is unknown. The erroneous use of {{lang|fi|gelen}} (Modern Finnish {{lang|fi|kielen}}) in the accusative case, rather than {{lang|fi|kieltä}} in the partitive, and the lack of the [[Conjunction (grammar)|conjunction]] {{lang|fi|mutta}} are typical of foreign speakers of Finnish even today.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kotus.fi/files/1291/Kielen_aika.pdf |title=Kielen aika: Valtionhallinnon 200-vuotisnäyttelystä Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskuksessa |date=2 October 2009 |website=Kotus.f i|access-date=29 December 2017 |archive-date=24 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224180245/http://www.kotus.fi/files/1291/Kielen_aika.pdf |url-status=live |language=fi}}</ref> At the time, most priests in Finland [[Swedish-speaking Finns|spoke Swedish]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://svenskfinland.fi/historyfin.htm |title=Historia |language=fi |website=Svenskfinland.fi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202104119/http://svenskfinland.fi/historyfin.htm |archive-date=2 February 2014 |url-status=dead |access-date=5 April 2012}}</ref>
During the Middle Ages, when [[Finland under Swedish rule|Finland was under Swedish rule]], Finnish was only [[spoken language|spoken]]. At the time, the language of [[Hanseatic League|international commerce]] was [[Middle Low German]], the language of administration [[Swedish language|Swedish]], and religious ceremonies were held in [[Latin]]. This meant that Finnish speakers could use their mother tongue only in everyday life. Finnish was considered inferior to Swedish, and Finnish speakers were second-class members of society because they could not use their language in any official situations. There were even efforts to reduce the use of Finnish through parish clerk schools, the use of Swedish in church, and by having Swedish-speaking servants and maids move to Finnish-speaking areas.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=https://journal.fi/tt/article/view/57138/19187 |title=Kansallinen identiteetti Ruotsissa ja Suomessa 1600–1700-luvuilla näkymä |trans-title=National identity in Sweden and Finland in the 17th–18th centuries, an overview |journal=Tieteessä Tapahtuu |date=November 2004 |volume=22 |issue=8 |language=fi-FI |access-date=7 March 2018 |last1=Kemiläinen |first1=Aira |archive-date=12 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112014115/https://journal.fi/tt/article/view/57138/19187 |url-status=live}}</ref>
===Writing system===
[[File:Mikael Agricola by Albert Edelfelt.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.9|[[Mikael Agricola]], a 19th-century drawing by [[Albert Edelfelt]]]]
[[File:Lonnrot4.jpg|thumb|[[Elias Lönnrot]] as depicted in a 19th-century caricature – Lönnrot made several journeys to Karelia and Eastern Finland to collect folklore, from which he compiled the {{lang|fi|[[Kalevala]]}}.]]
The first comprehensive writing system for Finnish was created by [[Mikael Agricola]], a Finnish bishop, in the 16th century. He based his writing system on the [[Finnish language#Western dialects|western dialects]]. Agricola's ultimate plan was to [[Bible translations|translate the Bible]],<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |publisher=Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura |title=Agricola, Mikael (1510–1557) |encyclopedia=National Biography of Finland |author-last=Heininen |author-first=Simo |translator-last=Roderick |translator-first=Fletcher |url=https://kansallisbiografia.fi/english/person/14 |access-date=12 August 2020 |archive-date=7 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107002449/https://kansallisbiografia.fi/english/person/14 |url-status=live}}</ref> but first he had to develop an [[orthography]] for the language, which he based on Swedish, German, and Latin. The Finnish [[standard language]] still relies on his innovations with regard to spelling, though Agricola used less systematic spelling than is used today.<ref name=":0">{{cite book |last=Nordlund |first=Taru |editor2-first=Anja |editor2-last=Voeste |editor1-first=Susan |editor1-last=Baddeley |chapter=Standardization of Finnish orthography: From reformists to national awakeners |date=13 January 2012 |title=Orthographies in Early Modern Europe |pages=351–372 |publisher=De Gruyter |doi=10.1515/9783110288179.351 |isbn=978-3-11-028817-9 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
Though Agricola's intention was that each [[Finnish phonology|phoneme]] (and [[allophone]] under [[Finnish consonant gradation#Qualitative gradation|qualitative consonant gradation]]) should correspond to one letter, he failed to achieve this goal in various respects. For example, {{lang|fi|k}}, {{lang|fi|c}}, and {{lang|fi|q}} were all used for the phoneme {{IPAslink|k}}. Likewise, he alternated between {{lang|fi|dh}} and {{lang|fi|d}} to represent the allophonic {{IPAblink|ð}} (like ''th'' in English ''this''), between {{lang|fi|dh}} and {{lang|fi|z}} to represent {{IPAslink|θː}} (like ''th'' in ''thin'', but longer in duration), and between {{lang|fi|gh}} and {{lang|fi|g}} to represent the allophonic {{IPAblink|ɣ}}. Agricola did not consistently represent [[vowel length]] in his orthography.<ref name=":0" />
Others revised Agricola's work later, striving for a more systematic writing system. Along the way, Finnish lost several [[fricative consonant]]s in a process of [[sound change]]. The sounds {{IPA|[ð]}} and {{IPA|[θ(ː)]}} disappeared from the language, surviving only in a small rural region in Western Finland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kotus.fi/index.phtml?s=613 |title=Eurajoen murre |access-date=11 July 2007 |last1=Rekunen |first1=Jorma |last2=Yli-Luukko |first2=Eeva |first3=Jaakko |last3=Yli-Paavola |date=19 March 2007 |work=Kauden murre (online publication: samples of Finnish dialects) |publisher=Kotus (The Research Institute for the Languages of Finland) |language=fi |quote="θ on sama äänne kuin th englannin sanassa thing. ð sama äänne kuin th englannin sanassa this. |archive-date=9 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180809121407/https://www.kotus.fi/index.phtml?s=613 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the standard language, however, the effect of the lost sounds is thus:
*{{IPA|[ð]}} became {{IPA|[d]}}. The sound {{IPA|[ð]}} was written ⟨d⟩ or ⟨dh⟩ by Agricola. This sound was lost from most varieties of Finnish, either losing all phonetic realization or being pronounced as {{IPA|[r]}}, {{IPA|[ɾ]}}, {{IPA|[l]}}, or {{IPA|[h]}} instead (depending on dialect and the position in the word). However, Agricola's spelling ⟨d⟩ prevailed, and the pronunciation in Standard Finnish became {{IPA|[d]}} through [[spelling pronunciation]].<ref name=":0" />
*{{IPA|[θː, θ]}} became {{IPA|[ts]}}. These interdental fricatives were written as ⟨tz⟩ (for both [[Finnish consonant gradation|grades]]: geminate and short) in some of the earliest written records. Though these developed into a variety of other sounds depending on dialect ({{IPA|[tː, t]}}, {{IPA|[ht, h]}}, {{IPA|[ht, t]}}, {{IPA|[sː, s]}}, {{IPA|[tː, tː]}}, or {{IPA|[ht, ht]}}), the standard language has arrived at [[spelling pronunciation]] {{IPA|[ts]}} (which is treated as a [[consonant cluster]] and hence not subject to consonant gradation).
*{{IPA|[ɣ]}} became:
** {{IPA|[ʋ]}} if it appeared originally between [[Vowel height|high]] [[Roundedness|round]] vowels {{IPA|[u]}} and {{IPA|[y]}} (cf. {{lang|fi|suku}} 'kin, family' : {{lang|fi|suvun}} [genitive form] from earlier {{lang|mis|*suku : *suɣun}}, and {{lang|fi|kyky}} : {{lang|fi|kyvyn}} 'ability, skill' [nominative and genitive, respectively] from {{lang|mis|*kükü : *küɣün}}, contrasting with {{lang|fi|sika}} : {{lang|fi|sian}} 'pig, pork' [nominative and genitive] from {{lang|mis|*sika : *siɣan}}. A similar process explains the {{IPA|/f/}} pronunciation for some English words with "gh", such as "tough"),
** {{IPA|[j]}} between a liquid consonant {{IPA|[l]}} or {{IPA|[r]}} and a vowel {{IPA|[e]}} (like in {{lang|fi|kuljen}} 'I go', a form of the verb {{lang|fi|kulkea}} 'to go' that was originally {{lang|mis|*kulɣen}}),
** and otherwise it was lost entirely.
Modern Finnish punctuation, along with that of Swedish, uses the [[colon (punctuation)|colon]] (:) to separate the [[Stem (linguistics)|stem]] of a word and its grammatical ending in some cases, for example after [[acronym]]s, as in {{lang|fi|EU:ssa}} 'in the EU'. (This contrasts with some other alphabetic writing systems, which would use other symbols, such as e.g. apostrophe, hyphen.) Since suffixes play a prominent role in the language, this use of the colon is quite common.
===Modernization===
In the 19th century [[Johan Vilhelm Snellman]] and others began to stress the need to improve the status of Finnish. Ever since the days of Mikael Agricola, written Finnish had been used almost exclusively in religious contexts, but now Snellman's [[Hegel]]ian [[Nationalism|nationalistic]] ideas of Finnish as a fully-fledged national language gained considerable support. Concerted efforts were made to improve the status of the language and to modernize it, and by the end of the century Finnish had become a language of administration, journalism, literature, and science in Finland, along with Swedish.
In 1853 [[Daniel Europaeus]] published the first Swedish-Finnish dictionary,<ref>{{cite book |title=Spreading the Written Word: Mikael Agricola and the Birth of Literary Finnish |first=Kaisa |last=Häkkinen |year=2019 |publisher=BoD |isbn=9789522226747}}</ref> and between 1866 and 1880 [[Elias Lönnrot]] compiled the first Finnish-Swedish dictionary.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kansallisbiografia.fi/english/?id=2836 |title=Lönnrot, Elias (1802–1884) |last1=Majamaa |first1=Raija |date=2014 |website=The National Biography of Finland |access-date=1 May 2016 |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305141255/http://www.kansallisbiografia.fi/english/?id=2836 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the same period, [[Antero Warelius]] conducted ethnographic research and, among other topics, he documented the geographic distribution of the Finnish dialects.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://runeberg.org/nfck/0349.html |title=Warelius, Anders |encyclopedia=[[Nordisk familjebok]] |year=1921 |lang=sv |access-date=2 November 2019 |archive-date=25 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225054550/http://runeberg.org/nfck/0349.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
The most important contributions to improving the status of Finnish were made by [[Elias Lönnrot]]. His impact on the development of modern vocabulary in Finnish was particularly significant. In addition to compiling the ''[[Kalevala]]'', he acted as an arbiter in disputes about the development of standard Finnish between the proponents of western and eastern dialects, ensuring that the western dialects preferred by Agricola retained their preeminent role, while many originally dialect words from Eastern Finland were introduced to the standard language, thus enriching it considerably.<ref>{{cite book|last1= Kuusi |first1=Matti |last2=Anttonen |first2=Pertti |title= Kalevala-lipas |publisher= SKS, [[Finnish Literature Society]] |year= 1985 |isbn= 951-717-380-6 }}</ref> The first novel written in Finnish (and by a Finnish speaker) was ''[[Seven Brothers]]'' ({{lang|fi|Seitsemän veljestä}}), published by [[Aleksis Kivi]] in 1870.
==Dialects==
[[File:Finnish dialects and forms of speech.png|thumb|upright=1.5|Map of Finnish dialects and forms of speech]]
The dialects of Finnish are divided into two distinct groups, Western and Eastern.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.internetix.ofw.fi/opinnot/opintojaksot/8kieletkirjallisuus/aidinkieli/murteet/|title= Suomen murteet|access-date=3 January 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927010503/http://www.internetix.ofw.fi/opinnot/opintojaksot/8kieletkirjallisuus/aidinkieli/murteet/ <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 27 September 2007}}</ref> The dialects are largely mutually intelligible and are distinguished from each other by changes in vowels, diphthongs and rhythm, as well as in preferred grammatical constructions. For the most part, the dialects operate on the same phonology and grammar. There are only marginal examples of sounds or grammatical constructions specific to some dialect and not found in standard Finnish. Two examples are the [[voiced dental fricative]] found in the [[Rauma dialect]], and the Eastern [[exessive case]].
===Western dialects===
[[File:Ei me mittä kaffelle men?.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Turku]] dialect is famous for its seemingly inverted questions. For example, "{{lang|fi|Ei me mittä kaffelle men?}}" looks like it means "So we don't go for a coffee?" but actually means "Shall we go for a coffee?"<ref>{{cite book|last=Ristkari |first=Maiju |chapter=Tavit Turun toreilla |title=Ankkojen Suomi |publisher=[[Sanoma]] |year=2014 |page=36 |isbn=978-951-32-3847-6}}.</ref>]]
The [[Southwest Finnish dialects]] ({{lang|fi|lounaissuomalaismurteet}}) are spoken in [[Southwest Finland]] and [[Satakunta (region)|Satakunta]]. Their typical feature is abbreviation of word-final vowels, and in many respects they resemble Estonian. The Tavastian dialects ({{lang|fi|hämäläismurteet}}) are spoken in [[Tavastia (historical province)|Tavastia]]. They are closest to the standard language, but feature some slight vowel changes, such as the opening of diphthong-final vowels ({{lang|fi|tie}} → {{lang|fi|tiä}}, {{lang|fi|miekka}} → {{lang|fi|miakka}}, {{lang|fi|kuolisi}} → {{lang|fi|kualis}}), the change of d to l (mostly obsolete) or trilled r (widespread, nowadays disappearance of d is popular) and the personal pronouns ({{lang|fi|me: meitin}} ('we: our'), {{lang|fi|te: teitin}} ('you: your') and {{lang|fi|he: heitin}} ('they: their')). [[South Ostrobothnian dialect|The South Ostrobothnian dialects]] ({{lang|fi|eteläpohjalaismurteet}}) are spoken in [[Southern Ostrobothnia]]. Their most notable feature is the pronunciation of "d" as a tapped or even fully trilled {{IPA|/r/}}. The Central and North Ostrobothnian dialects ({{lang|fi|keski- ja pohjoispohjalaismurteet}}) are spoken in [[Central Ostrobothnia|Central]] and [[Northern Ostrobothnia]]. The Lapland dialects ({{lang|fi|lappilaismurteet}}) are spoken in [[Lapland, Finland|Lapland]]. The dialects spoken in the western parts of Lapland are recognizable by retention of old "h" sounds in positions where they have disappeared from other dialects.
One form of speech related to Northern dialects, [[Meänkieli]], which is spoken on the Swedish side of the border is recognized in Sweden as its own distinct language, having its own standardized language separate from Finnish.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Meän kieli – kieli vai murre? |url=https://www.kotus.fi/nyt/kolumnit_artikkelit_ja_esitelmat/kieli-ikkuna_(1996_2010)/mean_kieli_kieli_vai_murre |access-date=24 September 2024 |website=Kotimaisten kielten keskus |date=8 October 2002 |language=fi |quote=Se virallinen kieli, jonka he koulussa oppivat, on ruotsi. Tästä johtuu, että useille meänkielisille suomenkielisen tekstin lukeminen ja varsinkin viranomaisten kieli on vaikeata, ylivoimaistakin. |trans-quote=The official language they learn in school is Swedish. As a result, for many Meänkieli speakers, reading texts in Finnish, and especially the formal language, is difficult, even overwhelming.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Sveriges officiella minoritetsspråk: finska, meänkieli, samiska, romani, jiddisch och teckenspråk: en kort presentation |trans-title=The official minority languages of Sweden: Finnish, Meänkieli, Sámi, Romani, Yiddish, and sign language: a short presentation |language=sv |publisher=[[Svenska språknämnden]] |year=2003 |isbn=91-7297-611-X |url=https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1110108/FULLTEXT01.pdf |access-date=3 September 2019 |archive-date=3 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903164456/https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1110108/FULLTEXT01.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> This form of speech developed from the border created between Sweden and Finland in 1809 when the Russian Empire annexed Finland. This caused the speakers of Meänkieli to be isolated from the developments of standard Finnish and instead be influenced by the Swedish language. However, it is still mutually intelligible with Finnish, and is thus sometimes considered a dialect of the Finnish language.<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 December 1999 |title=Meänkieli, yksi Ruotsin vähemmistökielistä – Kielikello |url=https://www.kielikello.fi/-/meankieli-yksi-ruotsin-vahemmistokielista |access-date=26 January 2020 |website=www.kielikello.fi |language=fi-FI}}</ref>
The [[Kven language]] is spoken in [[Finnmark]] and [[Troms]], in Norway. Its speakers are descendants of Finnish emigrants to the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. [[Kven language|Kven]] is an official minority language in Norway.
===Eastern dialects===
[[File:Savonlinna HyvveeVahvooMokkoo.JPG|thumb|A sign in Savonian dialect: "You don't get cognac here, but fresh wheat buns and good strong {{lang|fi|Juhla Mokka}}-brand coffee you will have. Welcome."]]
{{Main|Eastern Finnish dialects}}
The Eastern dialects consist of the widespread Savonian dialects ({{lang|fi|savolaismurteet}}) spoken in [[Savonia (historical province)|Savo]] and nearby areas, and the South-Eastern dialects now spoken only in Finnish [[South Karelia]]. The South Karelian dialects ({{lang|fi|eteläkarjalaismurteet}}) were previously also spoken on the [[Karelian Isthmus]] and in [[Ingria]]. The Karelian Isthmus was evacuated during [[World War II]] and refugees were resettled all over Finland. Most [[Ingrian Finns]] were [[Deportations of the Ingrian Finns|deported]] to various interior areas of the Soviet Union.
[[Palatalization (phonetics)|Palatalization]], a common feature of Uralic languages, had been lost in the Finnic branch, but it has been reacquired by most of these languages, including Eastern Finnish, but not Western Finnish. In Finnish orthography, this is denoted with a "j", e.g. {{lang|fi|vesj}} {{IPA|[vesʲ]|lang=fi}} "water", cf. standard {{lang|fi|vesi}} {{IPA|[vesi]|lang=fi}}.
=== Helsinki slang ({{Lang|fi|Stadin slangi}})===
The first known written account in [[Helsinki slang]] is from the 1890 short story ''{{lang|fi|Hellaassa}}'' by young Santeri Ivalo (words that do not exist in, or deviate from, the standard spoken Finnish of its time are in bold):
<blockquote lang="fi">
{{Lang|fi|Kun minä eilen illalla palasin '''labbiksesta''', tapasin '''Aasiksen''' kohdalla '''Supiksen''', ja niin me laskeusimme tänne '''Espikselle''', jossa oli mahoton hyvä '''piikis'''. Mutta me mentiin '''Studikselle''' suoraan '''Hudista''' tapaamaan, ja jäimme sinne pariksi tunniksi, kunnes ajoimme '''[[Kaisaniemi|Kaisikseen]]'''.}}<ref name="slanginet">{{cite web|url=http://koti.mbnet.fi/joyhan/K2.html|title=Slangi.net: Slangin historia|last=Kauhanen|first=Erkki Johannes|date=1 June 2002|publisher=Slangi.net|language=Finnish|accessdate=30 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100203160855/http://koti.mbnet.fi/joyhan/K2.html|archive-date=3 February 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>
</blockquote>
===Dialect
[[File:2.1-Finnish.png|thumb|300px|Traditional Finnish dialect areas before World War I<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rantanen |first1=Timo |last2=Tolvanen |first2=Harri |last3=Roose |first3=Meeli |last4=Ylikoski |first4=Jussi |last5=Vesakoski |first5=Outi |date=8 June 2022 |title=Best practices for spatial language data harmonization, sharing and map creation—A case study of Uralic |journal=PLOS ONE |language=en |volume=17 |issue=6 |pages=e0269648 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0269648|doi-access=free |pmid=35675367 |pmc=9176854 |bibcode=2022PLoSO..1769648R }}</ref><ref>Rantanen, Timo, Vesakoski, Outi, Ylikoski, Jussi, & Tolvanen, Harri. (2021). ''Geographical database of the Uralic languages'' (v1.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4784188</ref>]]
{{div col |colwidth=25em}}
{{tree list}}
* '''Finnish dialects'''
** '''Western dialects'''
***[[Southwest Finnish dialects]]
****Proper Finnish dialects
***** Northern dialect group
***** Southern dialect group
****Southwest Finnish middle dialects
*****Pori region dialects
*****Ala-Satakunta dialects
*****dialects of Turku highlands
*****Somero region dialects
*****Western Uusimaa dialects
***[[Helsinki slang]]
***[[Tavastian dialects|Tavastian Dialects]]
****Ylä-Satakunta dialects
****Heart Tavastian dialects
****Southern Tavastian dialects
****Southern-Eastern Tavastian dialects
*****Hollola dialect group
*****Porvoo dialect group
*****Iitti dialect group
***[[South Ostrobothnian dialect]]s
***[[Central and Northern Ostrobothnian dialects|Central and North Ostrobothnian dialects]]
****Central Ostrobothnian dialects
****North Ostrobothnian dialects
***[[Peräpohjola dialects]]
****Torne dialects (''"[[Meänkieli]]"'' in Sweden)
****Kemi dialects
****Kemijärvi dialects
****[[Gällivare dialects]] (''"Meänkieli"'' in Sweden)
****Finnmark dialects (''"[[Kven language]]"'' in Northern Norway)
**'''Eastern dialects'''
***[[Savonian dialects]]
****North Savonian dialects
****South Savonian dialects
****Middle dialects of Savonlinna region
****East Savonian dialects or North Karelian dialects
****[[Kainuu dialect]]s
****Central Finland dialects
****Päijänne Tavastia dialects
****Keuruu-Evijärvi dialects
****[[Värmland Savonian dialect|Savonian dialects of Värmland]] ([[Värmland County|Värmland]], [[Sweden]] and [[Innlandet]], [[Norway]]; extinct)
***[[South Karelian dialects]]
****Proper South Karelian dialects
****Middle dialects of Lemi region
****[[Ingrian dialects|Dialects of Ingria]] (in Russia)<ref>{{cite web |first=Erkki |last=Savolainen |year=1998 |website=Internetix |title= Suomen murteet |trans-title=Finnish dialects |url=http://www.internetix.ofw.fi/opinnot/opintojaksot/8kieletkirjallisuus/aidinkieli/murteet/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051230210427/http://www.internetix.ofw.fi/opinnot/opintojaksot/8kieletkirjallisuus/aidinkieli/murteet/ |archive-date=30 December 2005}}</ref>
{{tree list/end}}
{{div col end}}
==Linguistic registers==
{{More citations needed|date=October 2009}}
[[File:FinnischesSchild.jpg|thumb|Example of a participle construction]]
There are two main [[Register (sociolinguistics)|registers]] of Finnish used throughout the country. One is the "standard language" ({{lang|fi|yleiskieli}}), and the other is the "[[Colloquial Finnish|spoken language]]" ({{lang|fi|puhekieli}}). The standard language is used in formal situations like political speeches and newscasts. Its written form, the "book language" ({{lang|fi|kirjakieli}}), is used in nearly all written texts, not always excluding even the dialogue of common people in popular prose.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yleiskieli |url=http://www.kielitoimistonohjepankki.fi/haku/yleiskieli/ohje/568 |website=Kotimaisten kielten keskus |access-date=8 September 2020 |archive-date=12 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512143630/http://www.kielitoimistonohjepankki.fi/haku/yleiskieli/ohje/568 |url-status=live}}</ref> The spoken language, on the other hand, is the main variety of Finnish used in popular TV and radio shows and at workplaces, and may be preferred to a dialect in personal communication.
===Standardization===
Standard Finnish is prescribed by the Language Office of the [[Research Institute for the Languages of Finland]] and is the language used in official communication. [[Nykysuomen sanakirja|The Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]] ({{lang|fi|Nykysuomen sanakirja}} 1951–61), with 201,000 entries, was a [[prescriptive]] dictionary that defined official language. An additional volume for words of foreign origin ({{lang|fi|Nykysuomen sivistyssanakirja}}, 30,000 entries) was published in 1991. An updated dictionary, [[The New Dictionary of Modern Finnish]] ({{lang|fi|Kielitoimiston sanakirja}}) was published in an electronic form in 2004 and in print in 2006. A [[descriptive]] grammar (the [[Iso suomen kielioppi|Large grammar of Finnish]], {{lang|fi|Iso suomen kielioppi}},<ref>Hakulinen, Auli et al. (2004): Iso suomen kielioppi. SKS:n toimituksia 950. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura. {{ISBN|951-746-557-2}}. 1,600 pages</ref> 1,600 pages) was published in 2004. There is also an etymological dictionary, {{Lang|fi|Suomen sanojen alkuperä}}, published in 1992–2000, and a handbook of contemporary language ({{Lang|fi|Nykysuomen käsikirja}}). Standard Finnish is used in official texts and is the form of language taught in schools. Its spoken form is used in political speech, newscasts, in courts, and in other formal situations. Nearly all publishing and printed works are in standard Finnish.
===Colloquial Finnish===
{{main|Colloquial Finnish}}
As is common among languages with a long standing standardized form, general Finnish show signs of certain commonplace supradialectal colloquial forms. For example, irregular verbs have developed in the spoken language as a result of the [[elision]] of [[sonorant]]s in some verbs of the [[Finnish verb conjugation#Type III verbs|Type III]] class (with subsequent vowel [[Assimilation (phonology)|assimilation]]), but only when the second syllable of the word is short. The result is that some forms in the spoken language are shortened, e.g. {{lang|fi|tule-n}} → {{lang|fi|tuu-n}} ('I come'), while others remain identical to the standard language {{lang|fi|hän tulee}} "he comes", never *{{lang|fi|hän tuu}}). However, the longer forms such as {{lang|fi|tule}} can be used in spoken language in other forms as well.
A prominent example of the effect of the standard language is the development of the consonant gradation form {{IPA|/ts : ts/}} as in {{lang|fi|metsä : metsän}}, as this pattern was originally (1940) found natively only in the dialects of the southern Karelian isthmus and [[Ingria]]. It has been reinforced by the spelling "ts" for the dental fricative {{IPA|[θː]}}, used earlier in some western dialects. The spelling and the pronunciation this encourages however approximate the original pronunciation, still reflected in e.g. [[Karelian language|Karelian]] {{IPA|/čč : č/}} ({{lang|krl|meččä : mečän}}). In the spoken language, a fusion of Western {{IPA|/tt : tt/}} ({{lang|fi|mettä : mettän}}) and Eastern {{IPA|/ht : t/}} ({{lang|fi|mehtä : metän}}) has resulted in {{IPA|/tt : t/}} ({{lang|fi|mettä : metän}}).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.internetix.ofw.fi/opinnot/opintojaksot/8kieletkirjallisuus/aidinkieli/murteet/ts-vasti.html |title=Yleiskielen ts:n murrevastineet |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927010530/http://www.internetix.ofw.fi/opinnot/opintojaksot/8kieletkirjallisuus/aidinkieli/murteet/ts-vasti.html |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref> Neither of these forms are identifiable as, or originate from, a specific dialect.
The orthography of informal language follows that of the formal. However, in signalling the former in writing, [[Syncope (phonology)|syncope]] and [[sandhi]] – especially internal – may occasionally amongst other characteristics be transcribed, e.g. {{lang|fi|menenpä → me(n)empä}}.
===Examples===
:{| class="wikitable"
|-
||'''formal language'''
||'''colloquial language'''
||'''meaning'''
!'''notes'''
|-
||{{lang|fi|'''<u>hän</u> menee'''}}
{{lang|fi|'''<u>he</u> mene<u>vät</u>'''}}
||{{lang|fi|<u>se</u> menee}}
{{lang|fi|<u>ne</u> mene<u>e</u>}}
||"he/she goes"
"they go"
|loss of an [[animacy]] contrast in pronouns ({{lang|fi|ne}} and {{lang|fi|se}} are inanimate in the formal language), and
loss of a [[Grammatical number|number]] contrast on verbs in the 3rd person ({{lang|fi|menee}} is 3rd person singular in the formal language)
|-
|{{lang|fi|'''minä, minun, ...'''}}
|{{lang|fi|mä(ä)/mie, mun/miun, ...}}
|"I, my, ..."
|various alternative, usually shorter, forms of 1st and 2nd person pronouns
|-
||{{lang|fi|'''(<u>minä)</u> tu<u>le</u>n'''}}
{{lang|fi|'''(<u>minä)</u> o<u>le</u>n'''}}
||{{lang|fi|<u>mä</u> tu<u>u</u>n}}
{{lang|fi|<u>mä</u> o<u>o</u>n}}
||"I'm coming" or "I will come"
"I am" or "I will be"
|[[elision]] of [[sonorant]]s before short vowels in certain [[Finnish verb conjugation#Type III verbs|Type III verbs]] along with vowel [[Assimilation (phonology)|assimilation]],
and no [[pro-drop]] (i.e., personal pronouns are usually mandatory in the colloquial language)
|-
||{{lang|fi|'''on<u>ko</u> teillä'''}}
{{lang|fi|'''ei<u>kö</u> teillä ole'''}}
||{{lang|fi|o(n)<u>ks</u> teil(lä)}}
{{lang|fi|e(i)<u>ks</u> teil(lä) oo}}
||"do you (pl.) have?"
"don't you (pl.) have (it)?"
|vowel [[apocope]] and common use of the clitic {{lang|fi|-s}} in [[Interrogative sentence|interrogatives]]
(compare {{lang|fi|eiks}} to standard Estonian confirmatory interrogative {{Lang|et|eks}})
|-
||{{lang|fi|'''(me) emme sano'''}}
||{{lang|fi|me ei sanota}}
||"we don't say" or "we won't say"
|the [[Finnish grammar#Passive voice|passive voice]] is used in place of the first person plural
|-
||{{lang|fi|'''(minun) kirja<u>ni</u>'''}}
||{{lang|fi|mun kirja}}
||"my book"
|lack of possessive clitics on nouns
|-
||{{lang|fi|'''(minä) en tiedä'''}}
{{lang|fi|'''syödä'''}}
||{{lang|fi|m<u>ä</u> en ti<u>(i)ä</u>}}
{{lang|fi|syyä}}
||"I don't know"
"to eat"
|[[elision]] of {{IPA|[d]}} between vowels, and subsequent vowel [[Assimilation (phonology)|assimilation]]
(compare {{lang|fi|mä en ti(i)ä}} to standard Estonian {{lang|et|ma ei tea}} or dialectal forms {{lang|et|ma ei tia}} or {{lang|et|ma ei tie}})
|-
||{{lang|fi|'''kuusikymmentäviisi'''}}
||{{lang|fi|kuuskyt(ä)viis}}
||"sixty-five"
|abbreviated forms of numerals
|-
||{{lang|fi|'''puna<u>i</u>nen'''}}
{{lang|fi|'''ajo<u>i</u>ttaa'''}}
||{{lang|fi|punane(n)}}
{{lang|fi|ajottaa}}
||"red"
"to time"
|unstressed diphthongs ending in {{IPA|/i/}} become short vowels, and [[apocope]] of phrase-final {{lang|fi|-n}}
|-
||{{lang|fi|'''korjan<u>ne</u>e'''}}
||{{lang|fi|<u>kai</u> korjaa}}
||"probably will fix"
|absence of the [[potential mood]], use of {{lang|fi|kai}} 'probably' instead
|}
==Phonology==
{{Main|Finnish phonology}}
=== Segmental phonology ===
The phoneme inventory of Finnish is moderately small,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Consonant Inventories|url=https://wals.info/valuesets/1A-fin|last=Maddieson|first=Ian|date=2013|editor-last=Dryer|editor-first=Matthew S.|editor2-last=Haspelmath|editor2-first=Martin|website=The World Atlas of Language Structures Online|publisher=Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology|___location=Leipzig|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200504021126/https://wals.info/valuesets/1A-fin|archive-date=4 May 2020|access-date=4 May 2020}}</ref> with a great number of vocalic segments and a restricted set of consonant types, both of which can be long or short.
==== Vocalic segments ====
Finnish monophthongs show eight vowel qualities that contrast in duration. Vowel [[allophony]] is quite restricted. All vowels are possible in both initial and non-initial syllables, whether long or short. Long and short vowels are shown below.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! rowspan="2" |
! colspan="2" | Front
! rowspan="2" | Back
|-
!Unrounded
!Rounded
|-
! Close
| {{IPA link|i}} {{IPA link|iː}}
| {{IPA link|y}} {{IPA link|yː}}
|{{IPA link|u}} {{IPA link|uː}}
|-
! Mid
| {{IPA link|e}} {{IPA link|eː}}
| {{IPA link|ø}} {{IPA link|øː}}
|{{IPA link|o}} {{IPA link|oː}}
|-
! Open
| {{IPA link|æ}} {{IPA link|æː}}
|
| {{IPA link|ɑ}} {{IPA link|ɑː}}
|}
The quality of long vowels mostly overlaps with the quality of short vowels, with the exception of '''u''', which is centralized with respect to '''uu'''; long vowels do not morph into [[diphthong]]s. There are eighteen diphthongs; like vowels, diphthongs do not have significant allophony.
==== Consonants ====
Finnish has a small consonant inventory, in which voicing is mostly not distinctive and fricatives are scarce. In the table below, consonants in parentheses are either found only in a few recent loans or are allophones of other phonemes.
{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
! colspan="2" |
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! [[Dental consonant|Dental]]/<br />[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Postalveolar consonant|Postalv.]]/<br>[[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Nasal stop|Nasal]]
| | {{IPA link|m}}
| | {{IPA link|n}}
|
| | {{IPA link|ŋ}}<ref group=note>The short [[velar nasal]] only occurs in the sequence {{IPA|/ŋk/}} in native vocabulary (where it could alternatively be analysed as an allophone of /n/), and the long velar nasal {{IPA|/ŋŋ/}}, written {{vr|ng}}, is the equivalent of {{IPA|/ŋk/}} under weakening [[consonant gradation]] (type of [[lenition]]) and thus occurs only medially, e.g. ''[[Helsinki]]'' – {{lang|fi|Helsingin kaupunki}} (city ''of Helsinki'') /helsiŋki – helsiŋŋin/.</ref>
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Plosive]]
!{{small|[[voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
| | {{IPA link|p}}
| | {{IPA link|t̪}}
|
| | {{IPA link|k}}
|
|-
!{{small|[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
|(| ({{IPA link|b}})
|| {{IPA link|d}}<ref group="note">{{IPAslink|d}} is the equivalent of {{IPAslink|t}} under weakening [[consonant gradation]], and thus in inherited vocabulary only occurs medially. Especially when spoken by older people, it is often more of an [[Dental and alveolar flaps#Alveolar|alveolar]] [[Flap consonant|tap]] than a true voiced stop, and the dialectal realization varies widely; see the main article on [[Finnish phonology]].</ref>
|
|(| ({{IPA link|ɡ}})
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
| (| ({{IPA link|f}})
| | {{IPA link|s}}
| (| ({{IPA link|ʃ}})
|
| | {{IPA link|h}}
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
| | {{IPA link|ʋ}}
| | {{IPA link|l}}
|| {{IPA link|j}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
| | {{IPA link|r}}
|
|
|
|}
{{reflist|group=note}}
Almost all consonants have phonemic short and long ([[geminate]]d) forms, although length is only contrastive in medial positions.
Homosyllabic consonant clusters are mostly absent from native Finnish words, except for a small set of two-consonant sequences in [[syllable coda]]s, e.g. {{vr|rs}} in {{lang|fi|karsta}}. However, as many recently adopted loanwords contain clusters, e.g. {{lang|fi|strutsi}} from Swedish {{lang|sv|struts}}, ('ostrich'), they have been integrated to the modern language in varying degrees.
Finnish is somewhat divergent from other Uralic languages in two respects: it has lost most of its fricatives and lost the distinction between [[Palatalization (phonetics)|palatalized]] and non-palatalized consonants. Finnish has only two fricatives in native words, {{IPA|/s/}} and {{IPA|/h/}}. All other fricatives are recognized as foreign, of which Finnish speakers can usually reliably distinguish {{IPA|/f/}} and {{IPA|/ʃ/}}. The alphabet includes {{vr|z}}, usually realized as the [[affricate]] {{IPA|[ts]}}, as in German.
While standard Finnish has lost [[Palatalization (phonetics)|palatalization]], characteristic of Uralic languages, the eastern dialects and the Karelian language have redeveloped it. For example, the [[Karelian language|Karelian]] word {{lang|krl|d'uuri}} {{IPA|[dʲuːri]|lang=krl}}, with a palatalized {{IPA|/dʲ/}}, is reflected by {{lang|fi|juuri}} in Finnish and [[Savo dialect]] {{lang|fi|vesj}} {{IPA|[vesʲ]|lang=fi}} is {{lang|fi|vesi}} in standard Finnish.
The phoneme {{IPA|/h/}} can vary allophonically between {{IPA|[ç~x~h~ɦ]}} i.e. {{lang|fi|vihko}} {{IPA|['ʋiçko̞]}}, {{lang|fi|kahvi}} {{IPA|['kɑxʋi]}}, {{lang|fi|raha}} {{IPA|['rɑɦɑ]}}.
A feature of Finnic phonology is the development of labial and rounded vowels in non-initial syllables, as in the word {{lang|fi|tyttö}}. [[Proto-Uralic]] had only "a", "ä" and "i" in non-initial syllables; modern Finnish allows other vowels in non-initial syllables, although they are less common.
=== Prosody ===
Characteristic features of Finnish (common to some other Uralic languages) are [[vowel harmony]] and an [[agglutinative]] morphology; owing to the extensive use of the latter, words can be quite long.
The main stress is always on the first syllable, and is in average speech articulated by adding approximately 100 ms more length to the stressed vowel.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kirmse|first=U|author2=Ylinen, S|author3=Tervaniemi, M|author4=Vainio, M|author5=Schröger, E|author6=Jacobsen, T|year=2008|title=Modulation of the mismatch negativity (MMN) to vowel duration changes in native speakers of Finnish and German as a result of language experience.|journal=International Journal of Psychophysiology|volume=67|issue=2|pages=131–143|doi=10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2007.10.012|pmid=18160160|url=http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:352-2-ral5w6kctgza7}}</ref> Stress does not cause any measurable modifications in vowel quality (very much unlike English). However, stress is not strong and words appear evenly stressed. In some cases, stress is so weak that the highest points of volume, pitch and other indicators of "articulation intensity" are not on the first syllable, although native speakers recognize the first syllable as being stressed.
==Morphophonology==
{{further|Finnish consonant gradation}}
Finnish has several morphophonological processes that require modification of the forms of words for daily speech. The most important processes are [[vowel harmony]] and [[consonant gradation]].
Vowel harmony is a redundancy feature, which means that the feature [±back] is uniform within a word, and so it is necessary to interpret it only once for a given word. It is meaning-distinguishing in the initial syllable, and suffixes follow; so, if the listener hears [±back] in any part of the word, they can derive [±back] for the initial syllable. For example, from the stem {{lang|fi|tuote}} ('product') one derives {{lang|fi|t'''uo'''tteeseens'''a'''}} ('into his product'), where the final vowel becomes the back vowel "a" (rather than the front vowel "ä") because the initial syllable contains the back vowels "uo". This is especially notable because vowels "a" and "ä" are different, meaning-distinguishing [[phoneme]]s, not interchangeable or [[Allophone|allophonic]]. Finnish front vowels are not [[Germanic umlaut|umlaut]]s, though the [[grapheme]]s ⟨ä⟩ and ⟨ö⟩ feature [[Diaeresis (diacritic)|dieresis]].
Consonant gradation is a partly nonproductive<ref>{{cite journal|first=Valma|last=Yli-Vakkuri|title=Onko suomen kielen astevaihtelu epäproduktiivinen jäänne?|journal=Sananjalka|issue=18|year=1976|publisher=Suomen kielen seura|doi=10.30673/sja.86402|url=http://www.suomenkielenseura.fi/wp-content/uploads/sj18_053-069_yli-vakkuri.pdf|access-date=26 September 2017|archive-date=11 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011113640/http://www.suomenkielenseura.fi/wp-content/uploads/sj18_053-069_yli-vakkuri.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[lenition]] process for P, T and K in inherited vocabulary, with the oblique stem "weakened" from the nominative stem, or vice versa. For example, {{lang|fi|tar'''kk'''a}} 'precise' has the oblique stem {{lang|fi|tar'''k'''a-}}, as in {{lang|fi|tarkan}} 'of the precise'. There is also another gradation pattern, which is older, and causes simple elision of T and K in suffixes. However, it is very common since it is found in the partitive case marker: if V is a single vowel, V+{{lang|fi|ta}} → Va, e.g. *{{lang|fi|tarkka+ta}} → {{lang|fi|tarkkaa}}.
==
{{Main|Finnish orthography}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2023}}
[[File:Abckiria.jpg|thumb|upright=1.04|right|The first page of ''[[Abckiria]]'' (1543), the first book written in the Finnish language. The spelling of Finnish in the book had many inconsistencies: for
example, the {{IPA|/k/}} sound could be represented by {{angbr|c}}, {{angbr|k}} or even {{angbr|g}}; {{IPAslink|uː}} and {{IPAslink|iː}} were represented by {{angbr|w}} and {{angbr|ij}} respectively, and {{IPAslink|æ}} was represented by {{angbr|e}}.]]
[[File:Multispace parking meter keyboard (43594392672).jpg|thumb|[[Parking meter]] keyboard with the Finnish alphabet]]
Finnish is written with the [[Latin alphabet]] including the distinct characters {{vr|ä}} and {{vr|ö}}, and also several characters ({{wrap|{{vr|b, c, f, q, w, x, z, å, š}}}} and {{vr|ž}}) reserved for words of non-Finnish origin. The Finnish orthography follows the phonemic principle: each phoneme (meaningful sound) of the language corresponds to exactly one grapheme (independent letter), and each grapheme represents almost exactly one phoneme. This enables an easy spelling and facilitates reading and writing acquisition. The rule of thumb for Finnish orthography is ''write as you read, read as you write''. However, morphemes retain their spelling despite [[sandhi]].
Some orthographical notes:
*Long vowels and consonants are represented by double occurrences of the relevant graphemes. This causes no confusion, and permits these sounds to be written without having to nearly double the size of the alphabet to accommodate separate graphemes for long sounds. If a sequence of two identical vowels in different syllables occurs, it is written with an apostrophe, e.g. {{lang|fi|rei'itin}} "hole punch".
*The grapheme {{vr|h}} covers all the allophones of {{IPA|/h/}}. In some positions, it has a fricative quality, which can be [[voiced glottal fricative|voiced glottal]] or voiceless [[Voiceless velar fricative|velar]] or [[Voiceless palatal fricative|palatal]]. This occurs after or between vowels, as in e.g. {{lang|fi|lahti}}, which is pronounced {{IPA|[lɑxti]}} with a [[voiceless velar fricative]].
*[[Sandhi]] is not transcribed; the spelling of morphemes is immutable, such as {{lang|fi|tulen+pa}} {{IPA|[tulempa]|lang=fi}}.
*Some consonants ({{wrap|{{vr|v, j, d}}}}) do not have distinctive length (and consonant length generally is only contrastive in certain positions), and consequently their allophonic variation is typically not specified in spelling; e.g. {{lang|fi|rajaan}} {{IPA|[rajaan]|lang=fi}} ('I limit') vs. {{lang|fi|raijaan}} {{IPA|[raijjaan]|lang=fi}} ('I haul').
*Pre-1900s texts and personal names use {{vr|w}} for {{vr|v}}. Both correspond to the same phoneme, the [[labiodental approximant]] {{IPA|/ʋ/}}, a {{vr|v}} without the fricative ("hissing") quality of the English {{vr|v}}.
*The letters {{vr|[[ä]]}} {{IPA|[æ]}} and {{vr|[[ö]]}} {{IPA|[ø]}}, although written with [[Two dots (diacritic)|two dots]], do not represent [[i-mutation|phonological umlauts]] (as in German, for example), and they are considered independent graphemes; the letter shapes have been copied from Swedish. An appropriate parallel from the Latin alphabet are the characters {{vr|C}} and {{vr|G}} (uppercase), which historically have a closer kinship than many other characters ({{vr|G}} is a derivation of {{vr|C}}) but are considered distinct letters, and changing one for the other will change meanings.
Although Finnish orthography is mostly [[Shallow orthography|shallow]], there are a few differences:
* The {{vr|n}} in the sequence {{vr|nk}} is pronounced as a [[velar nasal]] {{IPA|/ŋ/}}, as in English. When not followed by {{vr|k}}, {{IPA|/ŋː/}} is written {{vr|ng}}. The fact that two spellings correspond to this one sound (putting aside the difference in [[Consonant length|length]]) can be seen as an exception to the general one-to-one correspondence between sounds and letters.
* [[Sandhi]] phenomena at word or clitic boundaries involving gemination (e.g., {{lang|fi|tule tänne}} is pronounced {{IPA|[tu.le'''t'''.'''t'''æn.ne]}}, not {{IPA|[tu.le.tæn.ne]}}) or the [[Assimilation (phonology)|place assimilation]] of [[Nasal consonant|nasals]] ({{lang|fi|sen pupu}} would usually be pronounced as {{IPA|[se'''m'''.pu.pu]|lang=fi}}, and {{lang|fi|onpa}} as {{IPA|[o'''m'''.pɑ]|lang=fi}})
* The {{IPA|/j/}} after the letter {{vr|i}} is very weak or there is no {{IPA|/j/}} at all, but in writing it is used; for example: {{lang|fi|urheilija}}. Indeed, the {{vr|j}} is not used in writing words with consonant gradation such as {{lang|fi|aion}} and {{lang|fi|läksiäiset}}.
When the appropriate characters are not available, the graphemes {{vr|ä}} and {{vr|ö}} are usually converted to {{vr|a}} and {{vr|o}}, respectively. This is common in e-mail addresses and other electronic media where there may be no support for characters outside the basic [[ASCII]] character set. Writing them as {{vr|ae}} and {{vr|oe}}, following German usage, is rarer and usually considered incorrect, but formally used in passports and equivalent situations. Both conversion rules have minimal pairs which would no longer be distinguished from each other.
The sounds {{vr|š}} and {{vr|ž}} are not a part of the Finnish language itself and have been introduced by the Finnish national languages body for more phonologically accurate transcription of loanwords (such as {{lang|fi|Tšekki}}, '[[Czech Republic]]') and foreign names. For technical reasons or convenience, the
The language may be identified by its distinctive lack of the letters {{wrap|{{vr|b, c, f, q, w, x, z}}}} and {{vr|å}}.
==
{{Main|Finnish grammar}}
[[File:En vittu tiiä.jpg|thumb|right|An example of the versatility of Finnish inflection. The label of this beer bottle reads {{lang|fi|Palaisiko eksän luo vai helvetissä - en vittu tiiä}}, meaning "Should I return to my ex or burn in Hell - I don't fucking know". The same word {{lang|fi|palaisiko}} can mean either "should I return" or "should I burn" depending on whether it is inflected from {{lang|fi|palata}} ("to return") or from {{lang|fi|palaa}} ("to burn").]]
Finnish is a [[synthetic language]] that employs extensive [[agglutination]] of affixes to verbs, nouns, adjectives and numerals. However, Finnish is not generally considered [[polysynthetic language|polysynthetic]], its morpheme-to-word ratio being somewhat lower than a prototypical polysynthetic language (e.g., [[Central Alaskan Yup'ik language|Yup'ik]]).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sapir |first=Edward |title=Language, an introduction to the study of speech |year=1978 |orig-year=1970 |publisher=Hart-Davis, MacGibbon |isbn=0-246-11074-0 |___location=London |oclc=8692297}}</ref>
The [[morphosyntactic alignment]] of Finnish is nominative–accusative, but there are two object [[Grammatical case|cases]]: accusative and partitive. The contrast between accusative and partitive [[Grammatical object|object]] cases is one of [[telicity]], where the accusative case denotes actions completed as intended ({{lang|fi|Ammuin hirven}} 'I shot the/an elk (dead)'), and the partitive case denotes incomplete actions ({{lang|fi|Ammuin hirveä}} 'I shot (at) the/an elk').<ref>{{Citation|title=Telicity and the Meaning of Objective Case|date=2004|work=The Syntax of Time|publisher=The MIT Press|doi=10.7551/mitpress/6598.003.0017|isbn=978-0-262-27449-4 |last1=Kratzer |first1=Angelika |pages=389–424 }}</ref> Often telicity is confused with [[perfective aspect|perfectivity]], but these are distinct notions. Finnish in fact has a [[Periphrasis|periphrastic]] perfective aspect, which in addition to the two inflectional tenses (past and present), yield a [[Germanic languages|Germanic]]-like system consisting of four tense-aspect combinations: simple present, simple past, [[Perfect (grammar)|perfect]] (present + perfective aspect) and [[pluperfect]] (past + perfective aspect). No morphological future tense is needed; context and the telicity contrast in object grammatical case serve to disambiguate present events from future events. For example, {{lang|fi|syön kalan}} 'I eat a fish (completely)' must denote a future event, since there is no way to completely eat a fish at the current moment (the moment the eating is complete, the simple past tense or the perfect must be used). By contrast, {{lang|fi|syön kalaa}} 'I eat a fish (not yet complete)' denotes a present event by indicating ongoing action.
Finnish has three grammatical [[Grammatical person|persons]]; [[Finite verb|finite]] verbs [[Agreement (linguistics)|agree]] with subject nouns in person and number by way of suffixes. The (dictionary form) infinitive bears the suffix {{lang|fi|-ta/-tä}} (often [[Lenition|lenited]] to {{lang|fi|-(d)a/-(d)ä}} due to [[Finnish consonant gradation|consonant gradation]]).<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kiparsky|first=Paul|date=2003|chapter=Finnish noun inflection|url=https://web.stanford.edu/~kiparsky/Papers/finnish.article.pdf|title=Generative Approaches to Finnicand Saami Linguistics|editor1=Diane Nelson|editor2=Satu Manninen|publisher=CSLI Publications|pages=109–161|access-date=9 August 2020|archive-date=4 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904111250/https://web.stanford.edu/~kiparsky/Papers/finnish.article.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> There is a so-called "passive voice" (sometimes called impersonal or indefinite) which differs from a true passive in various respects.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shore |first=Susanna |date=December 1988 |title=On the so-called Finnish passive |journal=Word |volume=39 |issue=3 |pages=151–176 |doi=10.1080/00437956.1988.11435787 |issn=0043-7956}}</ref> Transitivity is distinguished in the [[Derivational morpheme|derivational]] morphology of verbs, e.g. {{lang|fi|ratkaista}} 'to solve something' vs. {{lang|fi|ratketa}} 'to solve by itself'. There are also several [[frequentative]] and [[momentane]] affixes which form new verbs derivationally.
==Lexicon==
[[File:Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus.jpg|thumb|''[[Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus]]'' (1745) by [[Daniel Juslenius]] was the first comprehensive dictionary of the Finnish language with 16,000 entries.]]
{{see also|Wiktionary:Category:Finnish language|Wiktionary:Category:English terms derived from Finnish}}
Finnish has a smaller core vocabulary than, for example, English, and uses [[Derivational morpheme|derivational]] suffixes to a greater extent. As an example, take the word {{lang|fi|kirja}} "a book", from which one can form derivatives {{lang|fi|kirjain}} 'a letter' (of the [[alphabet]]), {{lang|fi|kirje}} 'a piece of correspondence, a letter', {{lang|fi|kirjasto}} 'a library', {{lang|fi|kirjailija}} 'an author', {{lang|fi|kirjallisuus}} 'literature', {{lang|fi|kirjoittaa}} 'to write', {{lang|fi|kirjoittaja}} 'a writer', {{lang|fi|kirjuri}} 'a scribe, a clerk', {{lang|fi|kirjallinen}} 'in written form', {{lang|fi|kirjata}} 'to write down, register, record', {{lang|fi|kirjasin}} 'a font', and many others.
Here are some of the more common such suffixes. Which of each pair is used depends on the word being suffixed in accordance with the rules of [[vowel harmony]].
{| class="wikitable"
|+Examples of Finnish derivational suffixes on nouns
!Suffix
!Used to create...
!Example(s)
!Notes
|-
| -{{lang|fi|ja / -jä}}
|[[Agent noun|agents]] from verbs
|{{lang|fi|lukea}} 'to read' → {{lang|fi|lukija}} 'reader'
|
|-
|{{lang|fi|-sto / -stö}}
|[[collective noun]]s
|{{lang|fi|kirja}} 'a book' → {{lang|fi|kirjasto}} 'a library'
{{lang|fi|laiva}} 'a ship' → {{lang|fi|laivasto}} 'navy, fleet'
|
|-
|{{lang|fi|-in}}
|instruments or tools
|{{lang|fi|kirjata}} 'to book, to file' → {{lang|fi|kirjain}} 'a letter' (of the alphabet)
{{lang|fi|vatkata}} 'to whisk' → {{lang|fi|vatkain}} 'a whisk, mixer'
|
|-
|{{lang|fi|-uri / -yri}}
|[[Agent (grammar)|agents]] or instruments
|{{lang|fi|kaivaa}} 'to dig' → {{lang|fi|kaivuri}} 'an excavator'
{{lang|fi|laiva}} 'a ship' → {{lang|fi|laivuri}} 'shipper, shipmaster'
|
|-
|{{lang|fi|-os / -ös}}
|[http://www.glottopedia.org/index.php/Result_nominal#:~:text=A%20result%20nominal%20is%20a,verb%20it%20is%20derived%20from. result] nouns from verbs
|{{lang|fi|tulla}} 'to come' → {{lang|fi|tulos}} 'result, outcome'
{{lang|fi|tehdä}} 'to do' → {{lang|fi|teos}} 'a piece of work'
|
|-
|{{lang|fi|-ton / -tön}}
|[[adjective]]s indicating the lack of something
|{{lang|fi|onni}} 'happiness' → {{lang|fi|onneton}} 'unhappy'
{{lang|fi|koti}} 'home' → {{lang|fi|koditon}} 'homeless'
|
|-
|{{lang|fi|-kas / -käs}}
|adjectives from nouns
|{{lang|fi|itse}} 'self' → {{lang|fi|itsekäs}} 'selfish'
{{lang|fi|neuvo}} 'advice' → {{lang|fi|neuvokas}} 'resourceful'
|
|-
|{{lang|fi|-va / -vä}}
|adjectives from verbs
|{{lang|fi|taitaa}} 'to be able' → {{lang|fi|taitava}} 'skillful'
{{lang|fi|johtaa}} 'to lead' → {{lang|fi|johtava}} 'leading'
|
|-
|{{lang|fi|-llinen}}
|adjectives from nouns
|{{lang|fi|lapsi}} 'child' → {{lang|fi|lapsellinen}} 'childish'
{{lang|fi|kauppa}} 'a shop, commerce' → {{lang|fi|kaupallinen}} 'commercial'
|
|-
|{{lang|fi|-la / -lä}}
|locations (places related to the stem)
|{{lang|fi|kana}} 'a hen' → {{lang|fi|kanala}} 'a henhouse'
{{lang|fi|pappi}} 'a priest' → {{lang|fi|pappila}} 'a parsonage'
|
|-
|{{lang|fi|-lainen / -läinen}}
|inhabitants (of places), among others
|{{lang|fi|Englanti}} 'England' → {{lang|fi|englantilainen}} 'English person/thing'
{{lang|fi|Venäjä}} 'Russia' → {{lang|fi|venäläinen}} 'Russian person or thing'.
|formed from {{lang|fi|-la / -lä}} plus {{lang|fi|[[wiktionary:-inen|-inen]]}}
|}
Verbal derivational suffixes are extremely diverse; several [[frequentative]]s and [[momentane]]s differentiating [[causative]], volitional-unpredictable and [[anticausative]] are found, often combined with each other, often denoting indirection. For example, {{lang|fi|hypätä}} 'to jump', {{lang|fi|hyppiä}} 'to be jumping', {{lang|fi|hypeksiä}} 'to be jumping wantonly', {{lang|fi|hypäyttää}} 'to make someone jump once', {{lang|fi|hyppyyttää}} 'to make someone jump repeatedly' (or 'to boss someone around'), {{lang|fi|hyppyytyttää}} 'to make someone to cause a third person to jump repeatedly', {{lang|fi|hyppyytellä}} 'to, without aim, make someone jump repeatedly', {{lang|fi|hypähtää}} 'to jump suddenly' (in [[anticausative]] meaning), {{lang|fi|hypellä}} 'to jump around repeatedly', {{lang|fi|hypiskellä}} 'to be jumping repeatedly and wantonly'. [[Caritive]]s are also used in such examples as {{lang|fi|hyppimättä}} 'without jumping' and {{lang|fi|hyppelemättä}} 'without jumping around'. The diversity and compactness of both derivation and inflectional agglutination can be illustrated with {{lang|fi|istahtaisinkohankaan}} 'I wonder if I should sit down for a while after all' (from {{lang|fi|istua}}, 'to sit, to be seated'):
*{{lang|fi|istua}} 'to sit down' ({{lang|fi|istun}} 'I sit down')
*{{lang|fi|istahtaa}} 'to sit down for a while'
*{{lang|fi|istahdan}} 'I'll sit down for a while'
*{{lang|fi|istahtaisin}} 'I would sit down for a while'
*{{lang|fi|istahtaisinko}} 'should I sit down for a while?'
*{{lang|fi|istahtaisinkohan}} 'I wonder if I should sit down for a while'
*{{lang|fi|istahtaisinkohankaan}} 'I wonder if I should sit down for a while after all'
<!-- Plenty more to add ...-->
===
Over the course of many centuries, the Finnish language has borrowed many words from a wide variety of languages, most from neighbouring [[Indo-European languages]]. Owing to the different grammatical, phonological and phonotactic structure of the Finnish language, loanwords from Indo-European have been assimilated.
While early borrowings, possibly even into [[Proto-Uralic]], from very early [[Indo-European languages]] can be found, Finnic languages, including Finnish, have borrowed in particular from Baltic and Germanic languages, and to a lesser extent from Slavic and Indo-Iranian languages (all of which are subgroupings of Indo-European). Furthermore, [[Pre-Finno-Ugric substrate|a certain group]] of very basic and neutral words exists in Finnish and other Finnic languages that are absent from other Uralic languages, but without a recognizable etymology from any known language. These words are usually regarded{{Who|date=April 2010}} as the last remnant of the [[Paleo-European languages|Paleo-European]] language spoken in Fennoscandia before the arrival of the proto-Finnic language.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} Words included in this group are e.g. {{lang|fi|jänis}} (hare), {{lang|fi|musta}} (black), {{lang|fi|saari}} (island), {{lang|fi|suo}} (swamp) and {{lang|fi|niemi}} (cape (geography)).
Also some place names, like [[Päijänne]] and [[Imatra]], are probably from before the proto-Finnic era.<ref>Häkkinen, Kaisa. ''Suomalaisten esihistoria kielitieteen valossa'' ({{ISBN|951-717-855-7}}). Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura 1996. See pages 166 and 173.</ref>
Often quoted loan examples are {{lang|fi|kuningas}} 'king' and {{lang|fi|ruhtinas}} '[[prince|sovereign prince]], high ranking nobleman' from Germanic {{Lang|gem-x-proto|*kuningaz}} and {{Lang|gem-x-proto|*druhtinaz}}—they display a remarkable tendency towards phonological conservation within the language. Another example is {{lang|fi|äiti}} 'mother' (from Germanic {{Lang|gem-x-proto|*aiþį̄}}), which is interesting because borrowing of close-kinship vocabulary is a rare phenomenon. The original Finnish {{lang|fi|emo}} and {{lang|fi|emä}} occurs only in restricted contexts. There are other close-kinship words that are loaned from Baltic and Germanic languages ({{lang|fi|morsian}} 'bride', {{lang|fi|armas}} 'dear', {{lang|fi|huora}} 'whore'). Examples of the ancient Iranian loans are {{lang|fi|vasara}} 'hammer' from [[Avestan]] {{lang|ae|vadžra}}, {{lang|ae|vajra}} and {{lang|fi|orja}} 'slave' from ''[[Aryan|arya]]'', ''airya'' 'man' (the latter probably via similar circumstances as ''slave'' from [[Slavic peoples|''Slav'']] in many European languages<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sanat.csc.fi/wiki/EVE:orja|title=EVE:orja|last=Holopainen|first=Sampsa|year=2020|website=Suomen vanhimman sanaston etymologinen verkkosanakirja EVE|access-date=30 May 2022|language=fi|archive-date=7 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707160420/https://sanat.csc.fi/wiki/EVE:orja|url-status=live}}</ref>).
More recently, Swedish has been a prolific source of borrowings, and also, the Swedish language acted as a proxy for European words, especially those relating to government. Present-day Finland was a part of Sweden from the 12th century and was ceded to Russia in 1809, becoming an autonomous Grand Duchy. Swedish was retained as the official language and language of the upper class even after this. When Finnish was accepted as an official language, it gained legal equal status with Swedish. During the period of autonomy, Russian did not gain much ground as a language of the people or the government. Nevertheless, quite a few words were subsequently acquired from [[Russian language|Russian]] (especially in older [[Helsinki slang]]) but not to the same extent as with Swedish. In all these cases, borrowing has been partly a result of geographical proximity.
Especially words dealing with administrative or modern culture came to Finnish from Swedish, sometimes reflecting the oldest Swedish form of the word ({{lang|sv|lag}} – {{lang|fi|laki}}, 'law'; {{lang|sv|län}} – {{lang|fi|[[Provinces of Finland|lääni]]}}, 'province'; {{lang|sv|bisp}} – {{lang|fi|piispa}}, 'bishop'; {{lang|sv|jordpäron}} – {{lang|fi|peruna}}, 'potato'), and many more survive as informal synonyms in spoken or dialectal Finnish (e.g. {{lang|fi|likka}}, from Swedish {{lang|sv|flicka}}, 'girl', usually {{lang|fi|tyttö}} in Finnish).
Some Slavic loanwords are old or very old, thus hard to recognize as such, and concern everyday concepts, e.g. {{lang|fi|papu}} 'bean', {{lang|fi|raja}} 'border' and {{lang|fi|pappi}} 'priest'. Notably, a few religious words such as {{lang|fi|Raamattu}} ('Bible') are borrowed from [[Old East Slavic]], which indicates language contact preceding the Swedish era. This is mainly believed to be result of trade with Novgorod from the 9th century on and [[Russian Orthodox]] [[Mission (Christianity)|mission]]s in the east in the 13th century.
Most recently, and with increasing impact, English has been the source of new [[loanword]]s in Finnish. Unlike previous geographical borrowing, the influence of English is largely cultural and reaches Finland by many routes, including international business, music, film and TV (foreign films and programmes, excluding ones intended for a very young audience, are shown subtitled), literature, and the [[World Wide Web|Web]] – the latter is now probably the most important source of all non-face-to-face exposure to English.
The importance of English as the language of global commerce has led many non-English companies, including Finland's [[Nokia]], to adopt English as their official operating language. Recently, it has been observed that English borrowings are also ousting previous borrowings, for example the switch from {{lang|fi|treffailla}} 'to date' (from Swedish, {{lang|sv|träffa}}) to {{lang|fi|deittailla}} from English 'to go for a date'. [[Calque]]s from English are also found, e.g. {{lang|fi|kovalevy}} (hard disk), and so are grammatical calques, for example, the replacement of the impersonal ({{lang|fi|passiivi}}) with the English-style [[generic you]], e. g. {{lang|fi|sä et voi}} 'you cannot', instead of the proper impersonal {{lang|fi|ei voida}} 'one cannot' or impersonal third-person singular {{lang|fi|ei voi}} 'one cannot'. This construct, however, is limited to colloquial language, as it is against the standard grammar.
English loan words in Finnish slang include for example {{lang|fi|pleikkari}} 'PlayStation', {{lang|fi|hodari}} 'hot dog', and {{lang|fi|hedari}} 'headache', 'headshot' or 'headbutt'. Often these loanwords are distinctly identified as [[slang]] or [[jargon]], rarely being used in a negative mood or in formal language. Most loan words are inevitably sooner or later [[calque]]d – translated into native Finnish – retaining the semantic meaning.{{Citation needed|date=November 2012}} Moreover, neologisms are coined actively not only by the government, but also by the media.
===Neologisms===
Some modern terms have been synthesised rather than borrowed, for example:
:{{lang|fi|puhelin}} 'telephone' (from the stem {{lang|fi|puhel-}} 'talk' + instrument suffix {{lang|fi|-in}} to make 'an instrument for talking')
:{{lang|fi|tietokone}} 'computer' (literally: 'knowledge machine' or 'data machine')
:{{lang|fi|levyke}} 'diskette' (from {{lang|fi|levy}} 'disc' + a diminutive {{lang|fi|-ke}})
:{{lang|fi|sähköposti}} 'email' (literally: 'electricity mail')
:{{lang|fi|linja-auto}} 'bus, coach' (literally: line-car)
:{{lang|fi|muovi}} 'plastic' (from {{lang|fi|muovata}} 'to mould, form or model, e.g. from clay'; compare ''plastic'' from Ancient Greek {{lang|grc|πλᾰστῐκός}} ({{transliteration|grc|plastikós}}) 'mouldable, fit for moulding')
Neologisms are actively generated by the Language Planning Office and the media. They are widely adopted. One would actually give an old-fashioned or rustic impression using forms such as {{lang|fi|kompuutteri}} (computer) or {{lang|fi|kalkulaattori}} (calculator) when the neologism is widely adopted.
===Loans to other languages===
{{Main|List of English words of Finnish origin}}
The most commonly used Finnish word in English is {{lang|fi|[[sauna]]}}, which has also been loaned to many other languages.
==Sample texts==
Article 1 of the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]]:
:{{lang|fi|Kaikki ihmiset syntyvät vapaina ja tasavertaisina arvoltaan ja oikeuksiltaan. Heille on annettu järki ja omatunto, ja heidän on toimittava toisiaan kohtaan veljeyden hengessä.}}
:"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.aspx?LangID=eng|title=Universal Declaration of Human Rights|access-date=1 June 2010|archive-date=30 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830002455/http://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.aspx?LangID=eng|url-status=live}}</ref>
Excerpt from [[Väinö Linna]]'s {{lang|fi|[[The Unknown Soldier (novel)|Tuntematon sotilas]]}} (The Unknown Soldier); these words were also inscribed in the 20 [[Finnish markka|mark]] note.
:{{lang|fi|Hyväntahtoinen aurinko katseli heitä. Se ei missään tapauksessa ollut heille vihainen. Kenties tunsi jonkinlaista myötätuntoakin heitä kohtaan. Aika velikultia.}}
:"The sun smiled down on them. It wasn't angry – no, not by any means. Maybe it even felt some sort of sympathy for them. Rather dear, those boys."
{{Listen
|filename=Fi-Suomen_kieli_johdanto.ogg
|title=Sample of spoken Finnish
|description=Taken from Wikipedia article on the Finnish language in Finnish
|format=[[Ogg]]}}(translation from Liesl Yamaguchi's 2015 "Unknown Soldiers")
==Basic greetings and phrases==
[[File:Fi-Hyvää huomenta.ogg|right|thumb|Sample sound of {{lang|fi|Hyvää huomenta}}]]
{| class="wikitable"
!Finnish
!Translation
!Notes
|-
! colspan="3" |Greetings
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|(Hyvää) huomenta!}}'''
|(Good) morning!
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|(Hyvää) päivää!}}'''
|(Good) day!
|used on greeting and also when taking farewell
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|(Hyvää) iltaa!}}'''
|(Good) evening!
|used on greeting and also when taking farewell
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Hyvää yötä!}}'''
'''{{lang|fi|Öitä!}}'''
|Good night!
Night!
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Terve}}'''
|lit. 'Healthy!'
|Used on greeting, modified as '''{{lang|fi|Terve vaan!}}''' ('health continue!')
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Moro}}'''
'''{{lang|fi|Hei(ppa)}}'''
'''{{lang|fi|Moi(kka)}}'''
|Hi! / Bye!
|Used on greeting and also when taking farewell
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Moi moi!}}'''
'''{{lang|fi|Hei hei!}}'''
|Bye!
|Used when taking farewell
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Nähdään}}'''
|See you later!
|Lit. the passive form of {{lang|fi|nähdä}} 'to see'
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Näkemiin}}'''
|Goodbye!
|Lit. 'Until seeing', illative of the third infinitive
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Hyvästi}}'''
|Goodbye/Farewell
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Hauska tutustua!}}'''
'''{{lang|fi|Hauska tavata!}}'''
|Nice to meet you!
|{{lang|fi|Hauska tutustua}} is literally 'nice to get acquainted', and
{{lang|fi|hauska tavata}} is literally 'nice to meet'
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Mitä kuuluu?}}'''
'''{{lang|fi|Miten menee?}}'''
|How are you?
How's it going?
|{{lang|fi|Mitä (sinulle/teille) kuuluu}} is literally 'what (to you) is heard?' or 'what concerns you?'
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Kiitos hyvää}}'''
'''{{lang|fi|Kiitos hyvin}}'''
|Fine, thank you.
Well, thank you.
|{{lang|fi|Kiitos hyvää}} is an appropriate response to {{lang|fi|Mitä kuuluu?}}, whereas
{{lang|fi|Kiitos hyvin}} is an appropriate response to {{lang|fi|Miten menee?}}
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Tervetuloa!}}'''
|Welcome!
|{{lang|fi|Tervetuloa}} is used in a broader range of contexts in Finnish than in English;
for example to mean 'looking forward to seeing you' after arranging a visit
|-
! colspan="3" |Important words and phrases
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Anteeksi}}'''
|Excuse me
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Kiitos}}'''
'''{{lang|fi|Kiitoksia}}'''
|Thanks/Please
|{{lang|fi|Kiitos}}''/''{{lang|fi|kiitoksia}} are literally 'thanks', but are also used when requesting something,
like 'please' in English
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Kiitos, samoin}}'''
|Thank you, likewise
|Lit. 'thank you, the same way' (used as a response to well-wishing)
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Ole hyvä}}'''
|You're welcome
|Lit. 'be good', also used when giving someone something to mean 'here you are'
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Kyllä}}'''
|Certainly/yes
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Joo}}'''
|Yeah
|More informal than {{lang|fi|kyllä}}
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Ei}}'''
|No/it is not
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Voitko auttaa?}}'''
|Can you help?
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Apua!}}'''
|Help!
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Totta kai!}}'''
'''{{lang|fi|Tietysti!}}'''
'''{{lang|fi|Toki!}}'''
|Certainly!
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|(Paljon) onnea}}'''
|Good luck/congratulations
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Olen pahoillani}}'''
|I'm sorry
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Odota}}'''
|Wait
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Pieni hetki}}'''
'''{{lang|fi|Pikku hetki}}'''
'''{{lang|fi|Hetkinen}}'''
|One moment
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Otan osaa}}'''
|My condolences
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|(Minä) ymmärrän.}}'''
|I understand.
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|En ymmärrä.}}'''
|I don't understand.
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Suomi}}'''
|Finland
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Suomi}}'''
'''{{lang|fi|Suomen kieli}}'''
|Finnish (language)
|
|-
|'''{{lang|fi|Suomalainen}}'''
|(noun) Finn; (adjective) Finnish
|
|}
:
==See also==
{{Portal|Language|Finland}}
{{div col}}
* [[Finland's language strife]]
* [[Finnish cultural and academic institutes]]
* [[Finnish influences on Tolkien]]
* [[Finnish name]]
* [[Finnish numerals]]
* [[Finnish profanity]]
* [[Sisu]]
* [[Swedish-speaking Finns]]
{{div col end}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Further reading==
*{{Cite book |title= Finnish: An Essential Grammar |last= Karlsson |first= Fred |publisher= Routledge |year= 2008 |isbn=978-0-415-43914-5 |edition= 2nd |series= Routledge Essential Grammars |___location= United Kingdom }}
* {{cite book |last= Karlsson |first= Fred |year= 2018 |title= Finnish – A Comprehensive Grammar |___location= London and New York |publisher= Routledge |isbn= 978-1-138-82104-0}}
*{{Cite book |title= Finnish |last= Whitney |first= Arthur H |publisher= Hodder & Stoughton |year= 1973 |isbn= 978-0-340-05782-7 |series= Teach Yourself Books |___location= London }}
==External links==
* [http://www.dicts.info/dictlist1.php?l=Finnish Collection of Finnish bilingual dictionaries]
* [https://www.livelingua.com/fsi-finnish-course.php FSI Finnish Language Course (Public Domain)]
* [http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2016/06/14/finnish-phrases-suomen-kielen-fraaseja Finnish phrases for beginners (Public Domain)]
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