Alternate Names: Meänkieli, North Finnish, Torne Valley Finnish, Tornedalsfinska
Dialects: Gällivare Finnish, Torne Valley Finnish, Vittangi Finnish. Finnish , not totally intelligible to speakers, especially abstract and complex discourse.
Genealogy:
Demographics: 30,000 in Sweden (Parkvall 2009). Population total all countries: 60,000. L2 users: Many Saami speak as L2.
Language Use: Mainly older adults. Positive attitudes. Also use Finnish [fin], Swedish [swe].
Language Development: Literacy rate in L1: 20%–30%. Magazines. Grammar. Bible portions: 1993–1995.
Typology: SVO; postpositions; genitives before noun heads; articles, adjectives, numerals before noun heads; question word initial.
Writing System: Latin
Nation of Origin: Sweden
Other Comments: Some speakers refer to it as Finnish. Influences from Swedish ,. Finnish speakers settled here 12th century. Christian.