When I, a Finnish woman, became a mother to children from a cultural minority group, I was forced to come face-to-face with misconceptions of our well-meaning officials as well as structural racism of our society. “It is against the constitution that your family should go out of their way to secure basic services. It is […]

Renata Emilsson Peskova, modurmal@modurmal.com Móðurmál helps educate a new generation of plurilingual children who will be able to draw on their cultural and linguistic resources in the future in various positions, as future teachers, interpreters, entrepreneurs, and leaders. Móðurmál – the Association on Bilingualism is an umbrella organisation whose main goal is to teach mother tongues,

Mari Korpimäki kolttasaameksi / in Skólt Sámi Minulta meni pitkään ymmärtää, etteivät lapsuuden kavereiden mummolat olleet tuhannen kilometrin välimatkan päässä toisistaan, kuten meillä. Pitkään meni ymmärtää myös se, miksi en puhu omaa äidinkieltäni koltansaamea. Isäni synnyinkoti on Savon sydämessä Kaavilla Rovevaarassa ja äitini kotipaikka pohjoisen kolttakylässä, Inarijärven eteläpuolella, Mustolassa. Meille oli luonnollista, että kieli vaihtui

Text: Mari Korpimäki Translation to Skólt Sámi: Anna-Katariina Feodoroff [suomeksi] Muʹst mõõni kuʹǩes äiʹǧǧ fiʹttjed, što päʹrnnpoodd taaurõõžži ääkkiʹʒʒe paaiʹǩi kõõskâst jie leämma dohat ǩilomettar, mâʹte meeʹst. Kuʹǩes äiʹǧǧ mõõni še fiʹttjed tõn, mõõn diõtt jiõm maainâst jiijjan jieʹnnǩiõl nuõrttsääʹmǩiõl. Eččam šõddâmpäiʹǩǩ lij Savo čâđđmest Kaavi Rovevääʹrest da jeännam dommpäiʹǩǩ tââʹvv sääʹmsiidâst, Aanarjääuʹr saujjbeäʹlnn, Mustolasiidâst. Miʹjjid

Pirita Näkkäläjärvi “NRK Sápmi is taking part in undermining the value of the Sámi language because they don’t prioritise Sámi-language content more on their website. Internet plays a central role in most of our lives and it is an important domain, in which the Sámi language should be visible.” I couldn’t agree more with Mr Mikkel

Husein Muhammed The Finnish Institute for the Languages of Finland (Kotus) is preparing a new dictionary series for speakers of mainly migrant languages. The dictionary includes some 30 000 Finnish entries with their equivalents in other languages. In addition to the basic Finnish vocabulary, the dictionary includes words, phrases and institutions relevant to immigration and integration

Happy mother language day 21.2! Multilingual Month is about to begin! This month will offer a lot to follow for people interested in increasing their skills and knowledge about multilingualism in the Nordic countries. Our blogs focus on the other hand on issues of the Sámi languages alterning with a blog series that moves in

Briefly in English: Published On February 6, the Saami National Day, the essay by Ánne Márjá Guttorm Graven discusses the relationship of the Saami language to the dominant language as well as practical instruments for strengthening the profile of Saami languages. She is a professional of the Northern Saami language. Guttorm Graven appreciates all the small advances that raise the

[sámegillii] [suomeksi] HELGA WEST People who embark on advancing the position of Saami languages in our society often face a reaction along the lines of  ”what you propose is important, but it can’t be done”. As a journalist, I hear this story often. A mother who spends countless hours to secure Saami-language pre-school and elementary

[in English] [suomeksi] HELGA WEST Olbmot, geat álget ovddidit sámegielaid sajádaga servvodagaineamet, dávjá ožžot vástádussan: ”Ášši lea dehálaš, muhto dan ii leat vejolaš čađahit.” Doaimmaheaddjin gulan fearána dávjá. Eadnái, guhte geavaha čuđiid diimmuid ovddidettiin sámegielat árrabajásgeassima ja skuvlabálga, vástiduvvo, ahte dan ordnen ii leat vejolaš, danin go sámemánát eai gávdno doarvái. Hovdii muitaluvvo, ahte sámegielaide