A lot of things went wrong during the history of the world. Some countries ended with poor economic condition and unrest. They have spent centuries living in miserable conditions. However, who is to say that their past is to be blamed for their current situation. Humans have to go through pretty tough circumstances. There were world wars, famine, and plagues. Diseases like the common cold took the lives of so many because the world didn’t have better healthcare facilities yet. People with mental illnesses were treated very poorly. But these are the things that almost everyone had to go through. It is true that some suffered more than the rest but it is also a fact that many who went through traumatic events, came out stronger.
Japan is a pretty good example of this, and so are plenty of European countries. Europe was the battle ground of the World Wars for the most part. It also faced the worst plagues. But today, the continent has one of the most powerful countries of the world. European countries also end up getting ranked on top of the World Happiness Index. However, for that, it is the Nordic countries that should get all the credit.
What is it exactly that makes the Nordic countries so special? Is it their interesting history or their beautiful landscape? Maybe it is the personal freedom that they offer their citizens which makes the whole world look at them with envy and pride. In any case, the living conditions in Nordic countries are the best in the world. Many people dream of moving there one day to live a peaceful and happy life. They are also economically stable and therefore people there don’t have much trouble getting jobs. Being able to live a comfortable life and getting to enjoy freedom of expression would make any nation the happiest.
Finland:
Finland is the country that ranked first on the World Happiness Index this year. It also held the position last year too. But the most interesting thing about this Nordic country is that it was also termed the world’s most stable country for five years straight. People living in conflict regions will tell you that they will take peaceful conditions over high incomes any day. We don’t often realize but peace really is the most important thing in our lives. Those who have always lived in peaceful conditions don’t realize its importance but if they were to live without them, they won’t be able to.
Finland has been around for a long time, in a way. The land was populated when the Ice Age ended. That means the first humans moved to Finland in 9000 BC. Since then, it went through wars and was colonized and ruled by Sweden and Russia from the 13th century to the beginning of the 20th century. After declaring independence, it also went through civil war. But ultimately, the country was able to become a republic. Since then, Finland hasn’t looked back.
The Finnish Language and Its History:
The language of the Finns belongs to the Uralic family. It is an official language in Finland but it is also spoken in Sweden, Russia, and Norway. Like majority of the European languages, it is written in Latin script.
Finnish’s origins can be traced back to 1500 to 1000 BC when the Finnic languages evolved from the proto-Finnic tongue. The first known Finnic document can be traced back to the 13th century and the first written account of Finnish is from the year 1450. Finnish went through a difficult time during the Middle Ages. It was the time when Finland was under Swedish rule. In those days, Swedish was used as an administrative language and Latin was the one preferred by the Church. Businesses were being conducted in Middle Saxon. The Swedes considered Finnish an inferior language which prevented Finns from speaking it in public areas. However, credited should be given to the speakers of Finnish who kept their language alive during this time even though they were only using it in their personal conversations. The Swedes tried to remove Finnish completely from the household of the Finns but the latter were determined to keep speaking their language if only as an act of rebellion.
As for the writing of Finnish, a bishop named Mikael Agricola created the first system in the sixteenth century. Although there were a few problems with Agricola’s writing system, it nevertheless helped the language progress further. Experts were able to remove unnecessary clauses from Agricola’s system later and that process ended up making the writing more phonemic. But it was in the 19th century that attempts were made to make Finnish a national language. Various people campaigned for a greater role of Finnish in the daily lives of the Finns. Had it not been for the efforts of those people, maybe the language would not have become the most spoken tongue of Finland today. Since the later half of the last century, Finnish has been evolving. But everyone can trust the Finns to keep their language alive even in the modern world.
Anyone who wants to move to a Nordic country should know a bit about the language of the land and the history of its people. Although these languages appear difficult to outsiders, they can be learned and understood by figuring out their basic principles. There are also a lot of interesting features about them which will make learning them easier.
