Finlandia ha un politica multo illuminate verso su population svedese.

(Languages of this post: Interlingua, English)

In general, le scandinavos--e specialmente le daneses!--es un gruppo de personas multo illuminate--tanto illuminate que io regretta non haber nascite inter illes.

In multe partes del mundo, differentias de linguas pote esser multo divisive. Pro examplo, le bascos ha habite problemas con le espanioles, le holandeses de Belgio con le francophonos belge, e le francophonos con le anglophonos in Canada. Mesmo in Los Angeles, nostre anglophonos sovente discrimina activemente contra nostre hispanophonos.

Ma Finlandia, qui parla un lingua que non forma parte del familia indoeuropee, e assi es tan distante del svedese que le arabe es del anglese, tracta multo amicalmente su population de 260.000 (duo cento mille) personas qui parla svedese.

Immediatemente post ganiar su independencia de Russia in 1917, Finlandia assecurava in su constitution que su svedophonos haberea derectos cultural, educational, e social identic a illos del altere finlandeses--e isto in despecto del domination de Finlandia per Svedia pro un periodo de cinque centurias durante le quales le svedeses disdignava le lingua finlandese.

In 1880 14% del population de Finlania parlava svedese. Hodie solmente 5% del scandinavos finlandese parla svedese. Ma in despecto de isto, lor derectos floresce.

"Nostre conditiones social es optime in iste pais," diceva Herik Creutz, un finlandese svedophono e un membro del concilo del Partito del Populo Svedese de Finlandia.

Finlandia ha duo linguas official, svedese e finlandese. Le lingua dominate depende del numero de personas in cata communitate qui parla svedese o finlandese. Le major parte del 432 (quatro cento trenta e duo) communitates de Finlandia parla finlandese. Solmente 4% (quatro pro cento) de illos ha un majoritate de svedophonos. (Naturalmente multo svedophonos finlandese es bilingue.)

Ekenas, un citate de 14.500 (dece quatro cinque centos) residentes quasi equidistante inter Stockholm e Sancte Petroburgo in Russia, ha un majoritate svedese cuje membros parla un dialecto del lingua un pauco differente del dialecto de Stockholm.

E como in altere communitates bilingue finlandese, le svedeses ha lor proprie guarderias de infantes, centrales medic, consilios governamental local, jornales, e programmas de television. Insignias comercial e governmental supra es imprimite in svedese e infra in finlandese. Svedophonos anque ha lor proprie partito politic in le governamento e un grande numero de institutiones cultural.

In ulle communitate bilingue in Finlandia, omne institutiones commercial e governmental debe communicar con svedophonos in svedese si illes prefere le svedese al finlandese. Mesmo in le armea finlandese, le svedeses ha lor proprie regimentos. E mesmo le universitates de Finlandia ha quotas pro svedophonos. Pro exemple, del 230 (duo centos trenta) studentes del derecto in Helsinki, al minus 18 (dece octo) de illes debe esser svedophonos.

In despecto de isto, un gruppo de finlandeses essaya a establir le finlandese como le sol lingua official de Finlandia. Secundo Heikki Tala, le presidente del Alliantia Finlandese, "Multes ex nos ha le sentimento que le svedophonos crede que illes es le parte de nostre popultation cultivate durante que nos es paisanos."

E on ha eliminate le cognoscimento obligatori del svedese pro studentes universatari finlandese. Ritta Uosukainen, un ancian presidente del parlamento finlandese, dice que "Nos in Finalandia non vole excluder le svedeses de nostre societate. Includer los es un parte importante de nostre constitution. Ma cognoscer le svedese non debe esser obligatori pro omne finlandeses. Nos anque ha nostre derectos."

Probabilemente le finlandeses, como le svedeses, prefere studiar le anglese. Isto anque es un preferentia de multe altere europeos. In Hollanda, pro exemplo, il ha un certe resistentia inter lor studentes de gymnasio al studio del germano e del francese. Illes prefere concentrar lor effortios in studios del anglese.

Il es importante notar que le anglese paneuropee es plus limitate que le anglese del anglophonos. Sovente un compania in Germania, pro exemplo, prefererea communicar in anglese con un compania in Finlandia proque illes pote comprender lor version del anglese plus facilemente que le anglese del britannicos e americanos.

E anglophonos native, quando illes usa le anglese in tal ambientes de communication, sovente debe apprender a eliminar le aspectos plus national e local de lor versiones del lingua si illes vole communicar facilemente con le europeos.

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Finland has a very enlightened policy toward its Swedish population.

In general, the Scandinavians--and especially the Danish!--are a very enlightened group of people--so greatly enlightened that I am sorry I wasn't born among them.

In many parts of the world, differences in language can be very divisive. For example, the Basques have had problems with the Spanish, the Dutch speakers of Belgium with the French speakers, and French speakers with the English speakers of Canada. Even in Los Angeles, our English speakers often actively discriminate against our Spanish speakers.

But Finland, which speaks a language that is not part of the Indoeuropean family, and thus is as different from Swedish as Arabic is from English, treats in a very friendly way its population of 260,000 (two hundred sixty thousand) people who speak Swedish.

Immediately after gaining its independence from Russia in 1917, Finland made sure in its constitution that its Swedish speakers would have cultural, educational and social rights identical to the ones the other Finns have--and this in spite of the domination of Finland by Sweden for a period of five centuries, when the Swedish disdained/disrespected/dissed the Finnish language.

In 1980 14% (fourteen percent) of the population of Finland spoke Swedish. Today only 5% (five percent) of the Finnish Scandinavians speak Swedish. But in spite of all this, their rights continue to fluorish.

"Our social conditions are the very best in this country," said Herik Creutz, a Swedish-speaking Finn and a member of the council of the Swedish People's Party in Finland.

Finland has two official languages, Swedish and Finnish. The dominant language depends on the number of people in each community who speak Swedish or Finnish. The larger part of the 432 (four hundred thirty-two) communities of Finland speak Finnish. Only 4% (four percent) of them have a majority of Swedish speakers. (Naturally, many Swedish-speaking Finns are bilingual.)

Ekenas, a city of 14,500 (fourteen thousand five hundred) residents almost equidistant between Stockholm and Saint Petersburg in Russia, has a majority of Swedish speakers who speak a language a little different from the dialect of Stockholm.

And as in other Finnish bilingual communities, the Swedes have their own day-care centers, medical centers, local government councils, newspapers, and television programs. Signs on businesses and governmental buildings are printed in Swedish on top and Finnish on the bottom. Swedish speakers also have their own political party in the government and a large number of cultural institutions.

In any bilingual community in Finland, all commercial and governmental institutions must communicate with Swedish speakers if they prefer Swedish to Finnish. Even in the Finnish army, the Swedes have their own regiments. And even the universities of Finland have quotas for Swedish speakers. For example, of the 230 (two hundred thirty) students of law in Helsinki, at least eighteen of them have to be Swedish speakers.

Despite all this, a group of Finns is trying to establish Finnish as the sole official language of Finland. According to Heikki Tala, the president of the Finnish Alliance, "Many of us have the feeling that the Swedish speakers believe that they are the cultivated part of our population while the rest of us are peasants."

And the Finns have eliminated the requirement for knowing Swedish for Finnish university students. Ritta Uosukainen, a former president of the Finnish Parliament, says that "We in Finland do not want to exclude the Swedes from our society. Including them is an important part of our constitution. But knowing Swedish should not be obligatory for all Finns. We also have our rights."

Probably the Finnish, like the Swedish, prefer to study English. This is also a preference among many other Europeans. In Holland, for example, there is a certain resistance among their secondary-school students to study German and French. They prefer to concentrate their efforts on studies of English.

It is important to note that pan-European English is more limited than the English of native speakers. Often a company in Germany, for example, would prefer to communicate with a company in Finland because they can understand their version of English more easily than the English of the British and Americans.

And native English speakers, when they use English in such communication environments, often need to learn to eliminate the more national and local aspects of their versions of the language if they want to communicate easily with the Europeans.