Finland is an officially bilingual country with the two national languages Swedish and Finnish. The language situation nowadays bases on the history of the country and important decisions made throughout the years. This thesis will at first show the historical background of the language development and describe the contemporary language situation. Afterwards the development of the language situation in Finnish education will be presented and in the end the special (language) situation of the Åland islands will be described.
This essay will not deal with the treatment of other languages than Finnish and Swedish in Finland. There exist for example regulations concerning the Nordic and Sámi languages (cp. McRae, 1999, p. 230-231). In addition, it will not treat preschool education, adult education or vocational education.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Historical background of the language development in Finland
- Contemporary language situation
- Language situation in the Finnish education system
- Development of the language situation in primary and secondary schools
- Development of the language situation at universities
- Development of second language teaching in Finnish education
- Special (language) situation in Åland
- Conclusion and prospects
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This thesis aims to examine the historical development and current state of Swedish and bilingualism in Finland, focusing specifically on the educational system. It traces the evolution of language policies and their impact on education, considering both the Swedish-speaking and Finnish-speaking communities.
- Historical development of language policies in Finland
- The influence of political and social movements on language use
- The role of education in shaping language attitudes and practices
- The linguistic rights of Swedish speakers in Finland
- The contemporary language situation in Finnish education
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter provides an overview of the thesis, outlining its scope and methodology. It establishes Finland's official bilingualism and states the thesis's focus on Finnish and Swedish, excluding other languages and levels of education.
Chapter 2: Historical background of the language development in Finland This chapter explores the historical context of language development in Finland, highlighting the influence of external factors such as Sweden and Russia on the relationship between Finnish and Swedish. It traces the Fennoman movement and its impact on the linguistic landscape.
Chapter 3: Contemporary language situation This chapter describes the current language situation in Finland, including the distribution of Finnish and Swedish speakers and the challenges faced by the Swedish-speaking minority. The concept of "flexible territoriality" is introduced.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
Bilingualism, Finland, Swedish, Finnish, Language policy, Education, Language rights, Minority language, Historical linguistics, Sociolinguistics.
- Quote paper
- Dipl.-Betriebswirtin (BA) und M.A. Gisa Becker (Author), 2008, Swedish and bilingualism in Finland - Educational situation, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/186736
