North Sami language
Quick Summary
North Sami is one of the Sami languages, which belong to the Finno-Ugric branch of the Uralic language family. Spoken by about two-thirds of the Sami people, it is distributed across northern Finland, Sweden, and Norway. While there are several Sami languages, they are often mutually unintelligible, and many Sami are bilingual in their native tongue and the official language of their country.123
North Sami has a literary tradition dating back to the 17th century, and in the mid-20th century, some schools used it as the language of instruction. However, Sami languages are generally not widely used in education or government and lack a uniform written form. The Sami languages share features with Baltic-Finnic languages but are not closely related to them, though their grammar is similar to Finnish, with syntax influenced by Scandinavian languages.31
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- Sami language
The largest language, North Sami, spoken by about two-thirds of all Sami, is distributed over northernmost Finland, Sweden, and Norway. East Sami is spoken in Russia on the Kola Peninsula and by two groups in eastern Finland: Inari and Skolt. South Sami is used by a few personsâŚ
Read MoreThe largest language, North Sami, spoken by about two-thirds of all Sami, is distributed over northernmost Finland, Sweden, and Norway. East Sami is spoken in Russia on the Kola Peninsula and by two groups in eastern Finland: Inari and Skolt. South Sami is used by a few personsâŚ
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Uralic languagesThe Sami (Lapp) languagesThe largest group, North Sami (with approximately two-thirds of all speakers), is centred in northern Norway, Sweden, and Finland. East Sami consists of two small groups in eastern FinlandâInari and Skoltâin addition to Kola Sami in Russia. South Sami is still represented by a few speakers scattered fromâŚ
Read MoreThe largest group, North Sami (with approximately two-thirds of all speakers), is centred in northern Norway, Sweden, and Finland. East Sami consists of two small groups in eastern FinlandâInari and Skoltâin addition to Kola Sami in Russia. South Sami is still represented by a few speakers scattered fromâŚ
Read More