The Anglo-Finnish Society organises on average 8-9 meetings or other events a year, most of them being illustrated talks and discussions commencing at 6.30 pm at the Finnish Institute in London (nearest tube Holborn). Doors are opened half an hour beforehand for refreshments (wine and snacks) and socialising, and occasionally the post-talk discussions are continued at a nearby restaurant.
Programme 2013
Could the Finns learn from the Welsh?
In mid 20th century Welsh appeared to be a dying language, finally getting a robust legal status in 1993. Now it is spoken fluently by 20% of the Welsh population and an impressive 40% of 5-15 year-olds speak it.
For centuries Swedish has had a strong legal status in Finland. Yet the proportion of speakers has steadily declined, now down to 5% nationally. This has happened while Swedish-speaking children have been receiving monolingual schooling in Swedish.
Why is the Welsh language enjoying a revival in Wales, while Swedish in Finland is in persistent decline? Officially bilingual Finland does not allow bilingual schooling between its two national languages. Over the last two years there has been a heated debate in Finland on whether or not bilingual schools should be allowed. In this talk Soile Pietikäinen will comment on that debate by comparing bilingual Wales and bilingual Finland. She will also make some larger international comparisons about education policy for minorities.
Soile Pietikäinen is a researcher and sociologist with a particular interest in bilingualism. As her husband is Italian and they live here, their children are being brought up trilingual. The meeting will be held at the Finnish Institute, 35-36 Eagle Street, London WC1 at 6.00 for 6.30pm.Wednesday 10 April – Dr Tony Lurcock on British Travellers in Finland
1830-1917
In his second anthology and survey of writing by British Travellers to Finland, No Particular Hurry, Tony Lurcock covers the period from 1830-1917. Travelling in Finland in the nineteenth century was no longer a survival trek: the railway network was spreading, and steamers operated on all the larger lakes. Visitors marvelled at the glories of the scenery, at the excellence of Finnish education, and in particular at the remarkable independence of Finnish women. British ladies now visited Finland without escorts, and recorded much that escaped the notice of male travellers. But Finland was a Grand Duchy of Russia, and not all visitors came for peaceful purposes. The Russian War of 1854–5 brought the British fleet into the Baltic. From the end of the century nearly all visiting British writers showed concern for Finland in its prolonged struggles against ‘Russification’. The talk will be at the Finnish Institute, 35-36 Eagle Street, London WC1 at 6.00 for 6.30pm.Copies of the book will be available to purchase at the meeting. The price is expected to be about £10.