Language
Language, dialect or variety...The Sámi language is a very important part of Sámi culture. It is a way of thinking and relating to people and nature.
There are ten different Sámi languages.
The Sámi language belongs to the Finno-Ugric linguistic group along with Finnish, Hungarian, Mordvinian, Estonian and some other languages.
In defining Sámi language it has often been necessary to draw a distinction between a language and a dialect. The main criterion is mutual comprehension: people who speak different languages cannot understand one another. According to this criterion, there are considered to be several different Sámi languages today. The most commonly suggested number is ten.
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There are few sharp boundaries between the different Sámi languages; rather they form a continuum.
To 'keep' a language is considered to be of great importance, not just because it serves as a tool for communication between individuals and groups, but also because it conveys elements of philosophy, beliefs, social organisation and notions about the surrounding world. The fact that the Sámi language has until recently been an oral language underscores its primary role as a means of passing on the common heritage of the Sámi people from generation to generation.
Source courtesy of: The Saami. A Cultural Encyclopaedia. Ed. Kulonen, Seurujärvi & Pulkkinen (2005)
