Finland-Swedes and Their Language: The Swedish spoken in Finland is called Finland Swedish (finlandssvenska or suomenruotsi). It has a distinct dialect and a range of expressions and vocabularly which differ from the Swedish spoken in Sweden.

The article focuses on Finland Swedish (finlandssvenska or suomenruotsi), the distinct dialect of Swedish spoken by the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland, known as Finland-Swedes. It outlines the historical context of Swedish as an official language due to Finland’s long period under Swedish rule, its continued official status alongside Finnish, and the demographic decline of Swedish speakers from 14.3% in 1880 to 5.2% in 2017. The article highlights linguistic differences between Finland Swedish and the Swedish spoken in Sweden, the bilingual education system, and cultural institutions serving the Swedish-speaking community, such as the Swedish-language university Åbo Akademi and the newspaper Hufvudstadsbladet. It also addresses social dynamics, including perceptions of the Swedish-speaking minority’s influence and concerns about the preservation of their language variety.