For those with children who have moved temporarily or permanently to Finland, the issue of schooling is naturally of paramount importance. Private schools do exist where the language of instruction is English, but these tend to be more popular either with families who are in Finland for a short time and will be moving on…
Author: anna
Education in swedish
When a child is born in Finland, the parents can choose for themselves which language is officially registered as the child’s mother tongue. Bilingual families often register their children as Swedish-speaking and later put them in Swedish-language school. The reason for this is partly strategic and the choice is made to strengthen the child’s future…
Culture intro
Across such disciplines as literature, theatre, movies, music and poetry, Finland Swedes have always found unique ways in which they can express themselves. Casting an eye back through Finland’s history, the artistic landscape is peppered with many famous Finland Swedes. Did you know that prominent Finnish artists Jean Sibelius and Tove Jansson were both born…
History and geography
The Finland- Swedes The history of Swedish-speakers in Finland goes back hundreds of years, well before Finland existed as an independent nation. The land that is now Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden from the Middle Ages until 1809. The union between Finland and Sweden came to an end at this time due…
Living without Finnish in Finland
There are some areas of Finland where Finnish is in fact rarely, if ever, spoken in day-to-day life. In Österbotten, on the west coast, and Nyland, between Åbo (Turku) and Helsinki, there are towns where the vast majority of inhabitants speak Swedish, and you could go days without hearing Finnish. About 4 % of the…
Who are the Finland-Swedes?
The Finland-Swede’s culture is centuries old and dates from the reign of the Swedish kingdom, through the times of Russian rule, up to its status today as a protected linguistic minority. The Swedish spoken by Finland-Swedes consists of distinct dialects that are understandable to other Swedish speakers and those who speak other Scandinavian languages. The…
The history of the Finland- Swedes
The history of Swedish-speakers in Finland goes back hundreds of years, well before Finland existed as an independent nation. The land that is now Finland was part of the Kingdom of Sweden from the Middle Ages until 1809. The union between Finland and Sweden came to an end at this time due to the Napoleonic…