Varissuomi

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Varissuo in the city of Turku

Varissuomi sometimes also referred to as "huono suomi" (bad Finnish) is a distinct form of the Finnish language which has developed recently among the immigrant communities in Varissuo. It contains a very simplified grammar and a very limited vocabulary. Varissuomi is primarily used by the younger generations of foreign families who speak different languages to communicate between each other, although some have started using English instead.[1][2][3]

Their form of speech has also spread into residents of Varissuo who have an ethnically Finnish background.[4]

History[edit]

Varissuo has a high amount of individuals with a foreign background, being up to 90% of those who are recently starting school. For many young students, the only place where Finnish used is school, leading to a weakened understanding of standard Finnish.[5] This has caused to the communities to start using a distinct form of Finnish, given the name "varissuomi", containing a very small vocabulary with very simple grammar.[6]

Status[edit]

There have been many proposals to make immigrant communities around Varissuo learn standard Finnish, including the idea to replace Swedish classes with Finnish classes,[7] or more radical ones such as forcefully moving students into other schools to expose them into standard Finnish.[8]

Members of the Finns Party have expressed fears of Varissuomi also spreading more into ethnic Finnish communities.[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Analyysi: Suomessa on pian kouluja, joissa ei puhuta suomea". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  2. ^ "Valtuutettu Eeva-Johanna Eloranta ym. aloite: Varissuon lasten heikon suomen kielen kohentaminen".
  3. ^ "Koulutuksellinen tasa-arvo, alueellinen ja sosiaalinen eriytyminen ja myönteisen erityiskohtelun mahdollisuudet" (PDF).
  4. ^ "Opetusministeri Li Andersson vieraili monikulttuurisessa Varissuon koulussa – oppilaat toivoivat suomenkielisiä kavereita ja lisää aikuisia". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  5. ^ "Mielipide: Varissuomi ei riitä Varissuon lapsille". aamuset.fi (in Finnish). 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  6. ^ Jääskeläinen, Kirsi (2021-11-05). "Suuriin kaupunkeihin on syntymässä alueita, joilla suomen kielen taito rapistuu – koulun johtaja kuvailee lasten puhuvan "varissuomea"". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  7. ^ "Pääkirjoitus: Maahanmuuttajien ruotsin tunnit on korvattava suomen opetuksella". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  8. ^ "HS Turku | Turussa on pohdittu jopa oppilaiden pakkosiirtoja toisiin kouluihin: "Eriytyminen on hyvin voimakasta"". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2023-02-21. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
  9. ^ Leino, Jari (2019-11-06). "Monikulttuurisessa koulussa huono suomi tarttuu suomalaislapsiinkin". Suomen Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 2024-05-06.