Search

The aim of this paper is to study the Finnish spoken in the Swedish Torne Valley, its use and development during the 1960s and the 1990s, and how it differs now from the Finnish spoken in the same area in the early 1960s. The study also examines which people speak Finnish in this valley today and in what contexts, as well as how the Finnish language has changed and how linguistic attitudes have shifted since the 1960s. The social and demographic characteristics of Tornedalen Finnish speakers (gender, age groups, occupational differences, etc.) are also studied. Public attitudes in Sweden are changing toward Finnish speaking, and Finnish is now accepted to some extent as a positive sign of cultural identity. As a consequence, interest in reviving Tornedalen Finnish is increasing among Torne Valley residents, many of whom now speak only Swedish. Public opinion is evenly divided between those who favor preserving and reviving this local language, and those who do not. (Contains approximately 350 references.) (KFT)

The papers included in this yearbook of the Finnish Society of Applied Linguistics (AFinLA) were presented at the 1998 AFinLA conference "Linguistics and Finland: Crossing the Gulf." Papers are in Finnish, Estonian, or English, but all have accompanying English abstracts. The topics discussed in the papers include the following: speed and accuracy of grammatical judgments in the first and second language; native language, foreign language, and thinking; comparison of Finnish writing skills of students taught in a Swedish immersion program and students taught in the native language (Finnish); the International Baccalaureate and its emphasis on Finnish; Finnish language proficiency and minority language speakers in an immersion context; patterns of English-Finnish codeswitching; interlanguage conversation; test results of Estonians learning Finnish as a second language; language teachers reflections on their professional choices; relevance of linguistic and psycholinguistic studies to mother tongue instruction; verbs and noun phrases in philosophical essays; Latin in English medical texts and the possibilities for interdisciplinary integrated teaching; structural analysis of sentences with "It" as a formal object; language usage and electronic mail; native language influence on the teaching and learning of Finnish and Estonian; terminology associated with electric money in the Finnish media; oral proficiency of advanced language learners; classroom interaction; language testing; learning diaries; and language policy and planning in Estonia. (VWL)

Ten papers from the 1988 Finnish Association of Applied Linguistics (AFinLA) Symposium are presented in this collection. All but two of the papers are in Finnish. Papers and authors are as follows: "Learning to Read: Process and Problems in Acquisition" (E. Bialystok--in English); "When Experts Write for Students: Familiar Concepts in Weird Texts" (L. Laurinen); "Are Textbook Texts Intelligible?" (L. Lautamatti); "Are Textbooks Too Readable?" (P. Rantalainen); "Some Problems in a Popular Scientific Text" (A. Kauppinen); "Social Language Skills of Finnish Speakers of English" (E. Karkkainen, P. Raudaskoski--in English); "When Communication Should Proceed, but... On the Difficulties Finns Experience in English Speech Events" (E. Ventola); "Interpretation of Meaning in Translation" (S. Tirkkonen-Condit); "Some Descriptions of Reading Process" (A. Kauppinen); and "Student Views on Writing in Nine Countries" (S. Takala, M.-L. Siikanen). (LB)

This book presents a variety of different themes related to risks and risk management. The book consists of research papers aimed at supplementing and updating the topics discussed previously in risk management literature. The articles cover the key concepts and essence of risk and risk management, basic issues of security construction, risk awareness in corporate decision-making, reputation risk and its impact on business operations, social risks, their significance and the dimensions of social risk management. The last article presents the freely available RiskDemo software, which allows the reader to test and illustrate a wide range of risk features. The book aims to respond to the recent changes in the risk management environment as well as to stimulate academic debate on the subject.

The growth of cultural diversity in Finnish social and health care workplaces challenges to develop not only ways of working and interaction but also organizational structures. Work communities as a whole are facing new challenges. The aim of this book is to help work communities develop well-functioning practices for intercultural work. Effective interaction between cultures provides the foundation not only for the well-being of staff and customers, but also for the financial success of the organization. The paper presents five action studies in the social and health care organization, which analyzed the abrasion points of everyday interaction, developed functional practices and corrective measures, and evaluated the effects of interventions. The aim of the project was to bring about structural reforms in support of inter-cultural work, since only the changes would become permanent.

Presents the complete text of "Anna Liisa; Kotoa Pois" by Canth, Minna, 1844-1897.

Presents the complete text of "Juha" by Aho, Juhani, 1861-1921.

This document, described as both a "research report" and the seventh item in a series dealing periodically with various educational issues, contains six articles discussing diverse educational topics. Papers include: (1) "Problem Posing in Mathematics Education" (Andras Ambrus); (2) "Cooperating Teachers and Their Role in Students' Teaching Practice" (Friedrich Buchberger); (3) "Teacher's Purposes and Student's Intentions. Do They Ever Meet?" (Pertti Kansanen); (4) "On Some Psychological Contributions to Theory and Practice of Instructional Design" (Andrei Podolskij); (5) "Some Characteristics of Education in Finland and in the Czech Republic: A Comparative View" (Jan Prucha); and (6) "Den inlarningspsykologiska grunden for didaktik" (Claes-Goran Wenestam). (ASK)