Finland has two official national languages, Finnish and Swedish (with Sami being the official language in only some municipalities). Swedish-speakers form the largest language group besides Finnish, yet in 2016 they made up only 5.2 % of the population (Statistics Finland). Called Swedish-speaking Finns or Finland-Swedes, the language group has lived in Finland for so long, a lot of stereotypes are tied to them. On the other hand, in the eyes of people from outside Finland they are largely unknown – even in Sweden they are a mystery! To correct some misconceptions – or to teach you right from the very beginning – here are a few things you should know about Swedish.
Myth 1: Swedish-speaking Finns are Finns, not Swedes.
Fact: Let’s get the terminology straight. In English, you may hear about Swedish-speaking Finns or Finland-Swedes as referring to the same thing: a Swedish-speaking minority in Finland. In Swedish, they are called finlandssvenskar, in Finnish, they are called suomenruotsalaiset. Like the English Finland-Swedes, these terms suggest that these people are more Swedish than Finnish. However, between the 12th century and 1809, when Finland was an eastern territory of Sweden, many Swedes moved to Finland, taking their language with them. That’s why Swedish-speaking Finns are from families that have been living in Finland for hundreds of years, even if they ethnically belong to a different group. And that’s why Swedish-speaking Finns consider themselves Finns and prefer to be known as Swedish-speaking Finns, not Finland-Swedes.
Myth 2: There are no Sweden-Finns.
Fiction: Actually, there are. There is a Finnish-speaking minority in Sweden, who should not be confused with Swedish-speakers in Finland. Finnish has been spoken in what is now Sweden since the middle-ages, when Finland and Sweden were still one country, and a lot of Finns also moved to Sweden searching for a better life in the 1950s and 60s. Finnish has had an official minority language status in Sweden since 2000.
Poster for Swedish People’s Party 1907. The map shows the Swedish-speaking region and the yellow-on-red flag has been traditionally used as the colours of Swedishness. (Wikimedia Commons)
Myth 3: Swedes and Swedish-speaking Finns speak the same language.
Mostly fact: Well, yes, they do, but the dialects are very different, easily comparable to e.g. British vs. American English. The accent is different, much of the vocabulary is different, even some of the grammar. On one hand, Swedish in Finland has adopted loads of words from Finnish, but on the other hand, it has retained some of the features that in Sweden are considered archaic or highly formal. But apart from a few funny words, the dialects are mutually intelligible and the most noticeable distinctive feature is the accent. Swedish-speaking Finns are proud of their language. Because most Swedes are unfamiliar with Finland’s linguistic minorities, Swedish-speaking Finns visiting Sweden will often get compliment like “your Swedish is really good!” Why yes, thank you, it’s my native language! There is a lot of dialectal variation even among Swedish-speaking Finns: ask anyone and they’ll tell you the Swedish in Närpes, Ostrobothnia, is unintelligible to outsiders.
Myth 4: Swedish-speaking Finns have weird traditions.
Well…: While it’s still partly true, many of the traditions that are now common among all Finns came through Swedish-speaking Finns. Crayfish parties, drinking songs and Lucia celebrations are now known throughout Finland, but they originated in Sweden, were introduced to Finland by Swedish-speakers, and may still be more common along the coastal region where the Swedish-speaking population lives. The only tradition really upheld only by Swedish-speakers is the Finnish Swedish Heritage Day (Svenska dagen) on November 6.
Myth 5: Swedish-speaking Finns are posher/richer than Finnish-speakers.
Fiction: This is a common stereotype, but it is a generalisation based mainly on history and what people think they see among Swedish-speaking Finns in the capital region. Because Finland was once part of Sweden, Swedish used to be the high-status language and the official language in the region that was Finland. To gain high offices you obviously had to speak Swedish, the only official language at the time. Many nobles or rich merchants also moved to Finland from Sweden, becoming a visible elite that kept its old language. The inequality between Finnish and Swedish lasted until Finland’s independence, but there are of course still Swedish-speaking Finns who come from historically rich families or have otherwise made well for themselves! Just because somebody speaks Swedish doesn’t mean they’re sipping sparkling wine on a yacht paid for by their dad – as goes the stereotype. There are Swedish-speaking Finns who live in humbler homes on the countryside or work in less prestigious professions, take social support, etc. They are less visible, but still there: in a recent report (in Swedish), scholars argue that their visibility in Helsinki region is marginal because they – in part because of the prevailing stereotype – are conflicted in identifying as both working-class and Swedish-speaking Finn.
French map of Sweden in 1762. Finland had been its eastern territory for some 500 years. (Wikimedia Commons)
Myth 6: All Swedish-speaking Finns know each other.
Well…: This myth might sound like a rude assumption, but Swedish-speaking Finns even joke amongst themselves that everybody knows everybody and that they are all related. It’s not strictly speaking true, but because of the small population and the limited living-area, there is a higher chance that your new acquaintance turns out to be the co-worker of a cousin’s brother-in-law’s sister’s neighbour. Swedish-speaking Finns call this phenomenon ankdammen, which literally means “the duckpond”.
Myth 7: Swedish-speaking Finns are proud of their heritage.
Fact: To be fair, most minorities are. Statistically speaking, Swedish-speaking Finns are a happy minority. They are in a rare minority position in that, apart from getting a few dirty looks from prejudiced nationalists, they have never been discriminated against as a people. They have their own theatres, grant foundations, universities… Even today they enjoy the right to be educated and be given service in their native language when dealing with officials. Could you imagine linguistic minorities such as Russian or Somali getting that treatment? When Finland debates on cutting away their rights or removing Swedish from being a compulsory school subject, of course Swedish-speakers will see it as a threat to their status quo granted by legislation. Although most Swedish-speaking Finns are bilingual, those who live in municipalities where Swedish is the majority language may not learn Finnish properly and dread the idea of having to go to the doctor’s and explain their condition in broken Finnish or even English. As some university degrees are offered in Finland only in Finnish, some young people rather move to study in Sweden. This is when the people’s pride surfaces, sometimes as nasty self-righteousness, but generally just as a concern and fear of the revocation of one right leading to a slippery-slope that will remove them all, especially considering how few Swedish-speaking Finns there actually are. This is the reason Swedish-speaking Finns vote for SFP/RKP (Swedish People’s Party) – not because all Swedish-speakers share the same political ideology in terms of questions like economy and EU, but because they believe that is a way to guarantee equality.