General
Finnish(芬兰语) is spoken by approximately five million people, mostly in Finland but also in the United States and Sweden. The Finnish language belongs to the Finno-Ugrian group of languages, which is spoken in a region that extends from Norway into Siberia and the Carpathian Mountains. This language group also includes the Hungarian and Estonian languages.
The history of the people and language of Finland is a sensitive topic that can spark debate. The Finnish language, like many languages, has been greatly influenced by other cultures over a long period of time and is still in the process of evolution. The actual history of the language is mysterious and intriguing. Until recently, it was thought that ancestors of the modern Finnish people arrived approximately two thousand years ago from the East. But current theories surmise that Finland has been populated since the last Ice Age-- some 9,000 years ago! china3view
The Finnish language appears to be rooted in the distant past. Standard Finnish, however, is quite new, the written language having been established only in the 1500s. Modern Standard Finnish arrived in the 19th century, as the result of a strong nationalist movement. With the independence of Finland in 1917 came the realization that Finland was a nation with two languages: Finnish and Swedish. The country is now considered to be bilingual. china3view
One Finnish word that you already know is sauna. So you have a head start on learning the language!
External Links:
Welcome to one of the Web's most extensive links to Finnish Sites(recommended):http://www.genealogia.fi/finnlinks/
http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/finnish-intro.html
http://finland.cimo.fi/studying_finnish.html
http://virtual.finland.fi/
Study Software: http://www.transparent.com/languagepages/finnish/finnish.htm
Visit Finland: http://www.visitfinland.com/
Following links are from: http://www.genealogia.fi/finnlinks/
