This web site is for those who have wondered what language the neighbouring person is speaking on the metro or what language is written on the storefront. It is aimed to illustrate the linguistic diversity in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (HMA), which consists of Espoo (Esbo), Helsinki (Helsingfors), Kauniainen (Grankulla) and Vantaa (Vanda).
The site is based on a research project designed by Ekaterina Gruzdeva, Nailya Philippova, and Sami Huttunen and performed with the help of students from the University of Helsinki course ‘Language in Society and Culture’ which was held in spring 2018. A starting point for this research was when Helsingin Sanomat published an article written by Reetta Räty about the multilingualism in Helsinki in 2015 (‘Helsingissä puhutaan jo toista sataa kieltä – Tunnistatko, mitä naapurisi puhuu?’)[1] after which the planning of the project began. Our project was further inspired by Fred Karlsson’s book ‘The Languages of Finland 1917-2017’[2]. The project also took into account previous research on people’s registered mother tongues by Sirkku Latomaa[3], various statistic data and other research works related to multilingualism in Helsinki, such as a recent doctoral thesis by Heini Lehtonen, in which she discusses the new spoken language varieties in multilingual and multiethnic Helsinkian schools[4].
The main goal of our project was to examine the individual multilingualism of HMA’s speakers and how it appears in their everyday life. The results which are showcased here are based on a questionnaire that was used by the students to interview people of their choosing. The results were then collected and analysed. Most of the analysis was made by Sami Huttunen, This web site tries to include as much of the answers as they were. We follow consultants’ own namings of their languages and try to show data as clearly as possible. We have tried to include the open ended answers within the main text, so that those comments can be heard as well. Of course, questionnaires only provide a certain type of information of language usage and opinions and do not provide the full picture of the diversity of language spoken in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area: it all depends who we have asked, what we have asked and what we have forgotten to ask. As you, the reader, are going through this web site, we recommend you to take this into account.
There are 6 pages, each with a question which they try to answer:
- Who were the consultants?
- What languages are spoken in the HMA?
- Where are those languages used?
- How do people use the majority languages?
- How have individuals changed their language use?
- Why do their mother tongues matter to them?
Special thanks to:
- All of the consultants for their participation in this research.
- Annastina Aff, Jussi Ala-Lahti, Katariina Alander, Noora Alatupa, Meeri Anttila, Gabriella Asatouri, Marija Atanasovska, Lucas Berger, Varvara Brussueva, Patrik Eriksson, Carmen Eskin, Iida Falck, Omar Fasolah, Valo Friberg, Karolina Gullichsen, Darja Guzhova, Anastasia Gynter, Sara Heinonen, Sini Heinonen, Olli Heinänen, Marika Hiltunen, Erika Hurme, Saana Hyttinen, Ella Hyvönen, Jarno Häkkinen, Minerva Ihatsu-Kivi, Joonas Isoniemi, Anton Jeskanen, Katri Jokela, Essi Jurvanen, Joona Juselius, Johanna Järvinen, Kaisla Kaheinen, Susanna Kalliola, Henna Kankkonen, Anna Karhu, Mira Karhunen, Panu Karhunen, Jukka Karjalainen, Paula Katajisto, Saku Kattelus, Sami Kekäläinen, Hanna Kettula, Caroliina Kettunen, Katja Kiipula, Lotta Kivekäs, Valeria Kleimala, Elise Kleimola, Alexandra Knuutila, Emma Koivisto, Elena Kolehmainen, Laura Kontkanen, Laura Korhonen, Maarika Korhonen, Valentina Korpi, Tanja Koski, Mira Kotamäki, Maria Kumpulainen, Opri Kuskelin-Cevallos, Irina Kutuzova, Sofie Lagerroos, Ellinoora Lahtinen, Anni Laine, Emma Laine, Julia Lantz, Annina Latva, Oivi Laukkanen, Anni Lehtonen, Henriikka Lehtonen, Jenni Lehtonen, Lassi Lempinen, Sanna Lepoaho, Jenna Liedes, Jenni Lindberg, Sara Lindbäck, Mertsi Lindh, Jenni Lindroos, Santeri Lintula, Nelli Loppinen, Dariusz Luja, Dominique Lüscher, Aleksander Malinen, Jamil Malkki, Leena Manninen, Katariina Martikainen, Milla Matikainen, Mimi Matinpalo, Jenny Matveinen, Etta Melander, Aura Mikkola, Maija Multamäki, Leena Mustonen, Maija Mustonen, Ilona Myllyniemi, Matias Mynttinen, Karoliina Mäkilähde, Juulia Mäyrä, Reetta Niinimäki, Hugo Nikander, Jenni Nikkinen-Piraccini, Jaarli Niukkanen, Patrik Nurminen, Onerva Oja, Serafima Orekhova, Dorota Osinska, Pavla Oubret, Julia Paakkunainen, Jesse Paananen, Ilta Paaso, Johannes Pakkanen, Henry Partinen, Annika Pensola, Aino Pesola, Aino Pesonen, Kaisu Pihlainen, Saimi Pitkajarvi, Maria Printezi, Benjamin Puha, Viola Pulkkinen, Annina Pura, Natali Pätynen, Roosa Pöllänen, Eveliina Raatikainen, Riikka Raatikainen, Nina Rainio, Ilari Raiski, Oiva-Aarre Rajanummi, Maija Raudaskoski, Elena Rautio, Patricia Rautio, Sanni Rautio, Rasmus Reidla, Milja Repo, Sara Rissanen, Mimmi Saarinen, Emma-Leena Sahimaa, Dlvan Salim, Laura Salokangas, Pinja Salonen, Marcus Salvano, Iadviga Samanovskaia, Eeva Savolainen, Ksenia Semenenko, Elina Sihvola, Heikki Sillantaka, Aki Similä, Krista Sjöman, Anita Soldatova, Adrián Stubin, Emmi Suikkanen, Tuulia Suvanto, Mariia Tahvanainen, Eetu Tahvonen, Niina-Maria Takalo, Elisa Tolkki, Heli Tondeur, Aleksi Tujunen, Helena Tukiainen, Ilari Vanhanen, Minna Vartiainen, Hanna Vehmas, Emma Vesakoivu, Meri Vikman, Kerttu Väisänen, Melis Yüzlü for their hard work collecting the research data.
- Fred Karlsson, Heini Lehtonen, Reetta Räty for their help in developing this project.