Sámi languages

The Sámi languages (US: /ˈsɑːmi/ SAH-mee, UK: also /ˈsæmi/ SAM-ee) are a group of Uralic languages spoken by the Sámi people in Northern Europe. These languages are mainly used in parts of northern Finland, Norway, Sweden, and a small part of extreme northwestern Russia.

There are ten or more Sámi languages, depending on how they are grouped and divided. Over time, many different spellings have been used for these languages, such as Sámi, Sami, Saami, Saame, Sámic, Samic, and Saamic. Some older names like Lappish and Lappic, as well as the word Lapp, are now seen as unkind or offensive.

These languages are important because they belong to the indigenous Sámi people and help keep their culture and history alive. Learning about them lets us appreciate the rich traditions of this unique group of people living in the cold northern regions.

Classification

The Sámi languages are a group of languages that belong to the Uralic language family. They are mainly spoken by the Sámi people in parts of northern Finland, Norway, Sweden, and a small part of Russia.

These languages are usually split into two main groups: western and eastern. Some Sámi languages can understand each other quite well if they live close together, but languages from far apart groups often cannot understand each other without learning or practicing a lot. This shows that in the past, these language speakers did not mix much.

Geographic distribution

The Sami languages are spoken in Sápmi in Northern Europe. This area covers parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, stretching from central Scandinavia to the tip of the Kola Peninsula. The borders between these languages do not match the modern country lines.

In the past, during the Middle Ages and early modern period, Sami languages were also spoken in central and southern Finland and parts of Scandinavia. Historical records and stories from Finnish and Karelian traditions show that Sami people lived in these areas long ago. Words and place names in Finnish and Karelian also come from Sami languages, showing their earlier presence. However, these Sami languages are no longer spoken today.

History

The Proto-Sámi language is thought to have formed near the Gulf of Finland between 1000 BC and 700 AD. It came from a common Proto-Sami-Finnic language. The language spread to northern Fennoscandia and reached central Scandinavia around 500 AD. During its spread, it mixed with older languages from early hunter-gatherers in the area that is now Sápmi.

Written languages and sociolinguistic situation

Today, there are nine living Sámi languages. Eight of these have their own written form, while one has only a few older speakers left. The special code used for all Sámi languages without their own code is "smi".

The eight written Sámi languages are:

• Northern Sami (spoken in Norway, Sweden, and Finland) has about 15,000 speakers.
• Lule Sami (spoken in Norway and Sweden) has around 1,500 speakers.
• Ume Sami (spoken in Norway and Sweden) has fewer than 20 speakers left.
• Pite Sami has about 30 to 50 speakers.
• Southern Sami (spoken in Norway and Sweden) has about 500 speakers.
• Inari Sami (spoken in Inari, Finland) has about 500 speakers.
• Skolt Sami (spoken in parts of Finland and Russia) has about 400 speakers.
• Kildin Sami (spoken on the Kola Peninsula in Russia) has around 150 to 350 speakers.

Some other Sámi languages are in danger of disappearing, with very few speakers left, or they have already disappeared.

Orthographies

Main article: Sámi orthography

Most Sámi languages use Latin alphabets with some extra letters.

The use of Ææ and Øø in Norway and Ää and Öö in Sweden comes from the standard alphabets of Norway and Sweden, not from differences in how words sound.

The letter Đ in Sámi languages is a special capital D with a bar across it (Unicode code point U+0110). This symbol is also found in Serbo-Croatian and Vietnamese, and is different from the eth letter (Ð) used in Icelandic, Faroese, and Old English.

The capital letter Ŋ (eng) in Sámi languages is usually shown with an "N-form" that adds a hook to the normal Latin uppercase N. Unicode gives it the code point U+014A, but it does not specify the exact shape of the letter.

The Skolt Sámi standard uses ʹ (U+02B9) as a soft sign, but other apostrophe-like symbols such as ' (U+0027), ˊ (U+02CA), or ´ (U+00B4) are also sometimes used in books.

The Kildin Sámi orthography uses the Russian Cyrillic script with extra letters: А̄а̄ Ӓӓ Е̄е̄ Ё̄ё̄ Һһ/ʼ Ӣӣ Јј/Ҋҋ Ӆӆ Ӎӎ Ӊӊ Ӈӈ О̄о̄ Ҏҏ Ӯӯ Ҍҍ Э̄э̄ Ӭӭ Ю̄ю̄ Я̄я̄

Availability

In December 2023, Apple added on-screen keyboards for all eight spoken Sámi languages with iOS and iPadOS version 17.2. This lets Sámi speakers easily use their language on iPhones and iPads.

• Sámi on-screen keyboards on iPhones
• Inari Sámi
• Kildin Sámi
• Lule Sámi
• Northern Sámi
• Pite Sámi (apparently faulty in iOS/iPadOS 17.2, missing đ/ŧ)
• Skolt Sámi
• Southern Sámi
• Ume Sámi

The Finnish SFS 5966 keyboard standard from 2008 makes it easy to type Sámi languages using AltGr and dead diacritic keys.

• Original SFS-5966 layout; dead diacritic keys in red

Official status

Norway

In April 1988, the Norwegian Constitution said it is the government's job to help the Sami people keep their language and culture alive. The Sami Language Act started in the 1990s, making Sami an official language in eight towns in northern Norway. These towns are Kautokeino Municipality, Karasjok Municipality, Kåfjord Municipality, Nesseby Municipality, Porsanger Municipality, Tana Municipality, Tysfjord Municipality, Lavangen Municipality, and Snåsa Municipality. In 2005, Sami was recognized as a regional or minority language in Norway.

Sweden

On April 1, 2000, Sami became one of five recognized minority languages in Sweden. It can be used with government offices in Arjeplog Municipality, Gällivare Municipality, Jokkmokk Municipality, and Kiruna Municipality. In 2011, more areas were added. Universities in Sweden teach different Sami languages.

Finland

In Finland, a law from 1991 let Northern, Inari, and Skolt Sami people use their languages with government services. A later law in 2003 made Sami an official language in Enontekiö, Inari, Sodankylä and Utsjoki towns. Some important documents are translated into these languages. Schools teach Sami to children.

Russia

In Russia, Sami is not an official language anywhere. It is listed as an Indigenous minority language. Since 2012, (Kildin) Sami has been taught at the Murmansk State Technical University.

Lexicon

The words in different Sámi languages show both similarities and differences. You can see how nearby languages, like the ones people around them speak, have influenced the words Sámi people use.

The word for "language" is almost the same in all Sámi languages, even if the spelling changes a little. The words for "Finland" sound similar to the word Sámi people use for their own land, Sápmi, and also to the Finnish word for their country, Suomi. The word for someone from Norway is linked to a word that means "foreigner." In Ume and Lule Sámi, the same word is used for both Norwegian and Swedish people.