User:Surjection/Finnish timeline

A timeline of the history of the Finnish language (and also secondarily the other Finnic languages). Written on an "as I understand it" basis, so may have (and probably has) mistakes.

The timeline starts at Proto-Finnic spoken somewhere in Estonia, late 1st century BC. At this point the language has already been enriched with significant Baltic and Germanic contacts.


 * some time before 1 BC: The Proto-Finnic group (at around the beginning of the "Late" stage) splits in two. The former is the Core Finnic group (in northern Estonia), while the latter will develop into South Estonian (Võro et al; in southern Estonia), although during its development, it will receive considerable influence from the later (North) Estonian dialect group.
 * 1 AD – 800 AD: The Finnic tribes spread, and as this happens, the Core Finnic splits into several dialects:
 * in the west and south into the Livonian varieties, developing into the Livonian language
 * in the middle into the Central Finnic branch, developing into the varieties of modern Estonian as well as the easternmost ones developing into Votic (in Ingria)
 * and the Northern Finnic branch in the furthest north, also spreading east. The Northern Finnic branch also crosses the Gulf of Finland into what is now (southwestern) Finland, until then inhabited by the Sámi and other (paleo-European) groups. Some contacts still remain between the Finnic groups in Finland and Estonia, however.
 * coming up to 900–950? AD: Northern Finnic itself splits into dialects. The group that has moved to Southwestern Finland is "West Finnish", which continues to spread mainly around the coasts as well as eventually inland by rivers. The groups spreading east eventually split in twain, into "Proto-Ladogan" (west) and "Proto-Veps" (east), remaining in contact for some time longer. Proto-Veps eventually develops into the Veps varieties, with its later contacts with descendants of Proto-Ladogan forming a gradual cascade or continuum of varieties, from "Eastern Finnish" (coming up!) to "Karelian" to "Livvi" (Proto-Ladogan with Proto-Veps influence) to "Ludic" (Proto-Veps with Proto-Ladogan influence) to "Veps".
 * However, Proto-Ladogan doesn't stay unified for long (maybe a century or two at most). The western varieties will become "East Finnish" and the eastern "Karelian". A part of the Karelian group moves southwest. Tthis population becomes separated and settles into the Votic-speaking territories in Ingria, and while they call themselves Karelians at first, we now know them as Ingrians or Izhorians. They, like the Karelians, will become Eastern Orthodox by conversion.
 * coming up to 1000 AD: Western Finnish has spread primarily along the coasts.
 * They cover much of what is now Southwestern Finland or Finland Proper, Tavastia (first Finnic speakers already by the first few centuries AD) and Satakunta. They have spread even further north into Ostrobothnia (first around the same time, but later again at around the 11th century after the original population had largely abandoned it by the 9th century AD) and even the Torne River Valley. The first dialect groups begin to be established; a three-way split into southwestern (staying in the southwest), Tavastian (spreading inland, at first mainly by rivers e.g. the Kokemäki River) and Ostrobothnian varieties (spreading north). Tavastian influence also begins to take place further north, primarily in the northern parts of Ostrobothnia.
 * Southwestern Finnish still living in their coastal areas continue to get influence from the Estonians south of the gulf.
 * Western Finnish groups even spread further into what is now Savonia (primarily from Tavastia around the 8th century onwards) and Uusimaa (from the southwest from the 4th century onwards, although then quite slowly), although it is mostly used as hunting grounds and for other temporary uses. Not much permanent population actually settles there (lastingly, anyway).
 * coming up to 1100? AD: Proto-Ladogan unity is no more, but contacts remain. The variety with its already well-established dialects has spread into a wide area covering much of the historical area of Karelia. The western varieties become "East Finnish" and the eastern "Karelian".
 * By now, Finnish Karelia is largely settled by the Eastern Finnish speaking groups, whose influences had already begun to reach to Savonia, which had however been reached first by the Western Finnish speaking groups. Nevertheless, the variety spoken by the Savonians shift so majorly eastwards and is considered an Eastern Finnish variety, not a Western Finnish one.
 * They even reach South Ostrobothnia, where they come in contact with the Western Finnish groups there, imparting a Karelian influence on Ostrobothnian varieties.
 * As both the west and east Finnish groups spread, the Sami and potentially other paleo-European people in the inland either assimilate or are expelled, depending on the region. The Eastern Finns use, which requires a lot of land and a nomadic lifestyle, furthering spread.
 * around 12th century AD: Uusimaa begins to be settled by the Tavastians.
 * late 12th century AD: First Swedish settlers arrive in southwestern Finland. They are Christian and begin to convert the local Finnish population.
 * ~1200 AD: Birch bark letter no. 292 is written in an early form of Livvi.
 * ~1200 AD: Swedes arrives to Tavastia and Ostrobothnia.
 * ~1200–1300 AD: Ostrobothnian population begins to spread further northwards. The Karelian population reaches here too, influencing the varieties.
 * ~1200–1300 AD: Swedish settlers first arrive to Uusimaa, quickly becoming the majority of large parts of the (quite sparsely populated) southern coast.
 * coming up to 1300 AD: Karelian influence on Savonia wanes, but by now it has a Karelian population with Tavastian influence - the Savonians. Low-level Tavastian influence continues, and the Savonian dialects begin to form in the shape we would start to recognize today, separating from the other Eastern Finnish varieties which begin to turn into what are now called the southeastern Finnish dialects. After 1300, Savonians begin to - gradually at first - spread north and east.
 * 1323: The between Sweden and Novgorod is signed. As crusades continue, the Finns gradually become Christian. A split between Western and Eastern Christianity becomes established, and contacts between the East Finnish and Karelian groups wane. Swedish influence begins to seep in to all Finnish varieties.
 * 1330s–1400s: The Swedes begin to actively settle North Ostrobothnia, even though it technically belongs to Novgorod according to the Treaty of Nöteborg.
 * 1450–1470: A single sentence of Finnish is written in a German travel journal, quoting the Bishop of Turku. The earliest known record of at least one sentence of written Finnish.
 * 1500s: The Savonian expansion reaches its peak. They reach North Karelia, North and Central Ostrobothnia (in which their influence begins to separate the Ostrobothnian dialects in two, into the South without much Savonian influence and the rest), and also begin to reach into Kainuu which up to this point primarily has a Sami population.
 * 1527: The Lutheran Reformation begins in Sweden, including Finland.
 * 1537–1544: The oldest known Finnish-language manuscript, the "Uppsala Book of Gospels", is dated around here.
 * 1539: returns to Turku after studying under Luther in Germany. Just a few years later he begins to work on translating the Bible into Finnish.
 * 1543: Agricola publishes the first Finnish-language book, a primer/catechism called ; the period of "Old Literary Finnish" starts, as does the history of written Finnish proper. The spelling is haphazard by modern standards.
 * 1548: Agricola's Finnish translation of the New Testament (Se Wsi Testamenti) is first published.
 * 1557: Agricola dies, having never completed the translation of the Bible after a lack of funding put a stop to the project.
 * 1590s: Finns, primarily from Savonia, begins to move into western Sweden, around Värmland; they bring slash-and-burn cultivation with them and become known as the Forest Finns. They begin to face oppression in the 1600s, but the final speaker of Värmland Savonian dialects dies only in 1969.
 * 1595: Sweden and Russia sign the, greatly expanding the Finnish territory administered by Sweden.
 * 1600s: Savonians reach southern Lapland. The Kemi Sami population assimilates by the end of the 18th century.
 * 1617: The Treaty of Stolbovo between Sweden and Russia is signed. Sweden assumes large areas of Karelia and Ingria. The Eastern Orthodox population in both areas fears conversions and many of them flee over the next few decades, including to what is now Tver Oblast (Tver Karelians). The Swedes respond by encouraging Lutheran Finns to move to these new areas, expanding the Savonian population into North Karelia and the southeastern dialect-speaking population south of them. People from both regions also settle Ingria and become known as the Ingrian Finns; they quickly become the most populous Finnic group in large parts of Ingria.
 * 1637: Ericus Schroderus publishes a quadrilingual dictionary called Lexicon Latino-Scondicum, containing Latin, German, Swedish and Finnish, making it the first dictionary of any kind to contain Finnish.
 * 1642: The first complete Bible translation into Finnish (Biblia: Se on: Coco Pyhä Ramattu Suomexi) is published.
 * 1673: Sweden issues the first proclamation encouraging Finns to settle (northern) Lapland, but this and the next proclamation in 1695 have little effect.
 * 1695–1697: A major famine strikes Finland, killing over a quarter of its population, but the effect on the development of the language and its dialects stays fairly minimal.
 * 1721: The Treaty of Nystad ends the Great Northern War (1700–1721, the final eight years of which see a brutal Russian occupation of Finland). Sweden loses Ingria, the entirety of the Karelian Isthmus and Ladoga Karelia. Hwoever, the Russians let the locals keep their faith and language.
 * 1743: The Treaty of Åbo in which Sweden cedes even more Finnish territory to Russia.
 * 1745: Suomalaisen Sana-Lugun Coetus by Daniel Juslenius is published. It is the first dictionary in which the headwords are in Finnish.
 * 1749: Sweden finally manages to begin large-scale settling of (northern) Lapland, the Finnic population of which was still quite small.
 * 1776: The first Finnish-language newspaper Suomenkieliset Tieto-Sanomat begins publishing, although it also ends the same year due to low demand.
 * 1800s–early 1900s: Some Finns leave as emigrees for North America. The emigration peaks in the late 1800s, and approximately 300 000 will emigrate. They take their Finnish language with them, and there are still some regions in North America where Finnish is spoken, although the number of Finnish speakers is decreasing rapidly.
 * 1809: Russia annexes 'the Grand Duchy of' Finland from Sweden, and it is granted autonomy. Swedish influence begins to wane slightly, but remains strong for the next 150 or so years, largely due to the Swedish-speaking population in Finland. Swedish is still the language of administration and higher classes. Russia later transfers parts of Finland earlier conquered back to Finland in 1812.
 * 1810s: Usage of literary Finnish begins to increase. There is no literary standard yet, but Tavastian influences have already increased, making written Finnish much less exclusively southwestern. The Old Literary Finnish period ends, either in 1810 or 1820 depending on the source, and Early Modern Finnish begins. The "language strife" begins against those who prefer Swedish as the primary language in Finland, lasting in some form for the rest of the century, or arguably still even continuing to this day.
 * 1820s: Efforts to increase the usage of Finnish pick up steam. New vocabulary starts to be coined at an increasing rate.
 * around 1820–1845: Widespread debate among those seeking to establish a Finnish literary standard about which dialect to base the language on. In the end, Standard Finnish is a mixture of dialects, mainly Tavastian and to a somewhat lesser extent southwestern, but with significant influence from eastern Finnish dialects as well. A faction supporting a Savonian basis for standard Finnish is thus largely defeated, although Savonian influence on Standard Finnish is significant.
 * 1829: The University of Helsinki establishes the first Finnish-language lectorship.
 * 1831: The Finnish Literature Society, seeking to promote writings and books in the Finnish language, is founded.
 * 1835–1836: The first edition of the Finnish national epic Kalevala, the so called "Old Kalevala", is published in two parts. It is based on oral folk poetry collected by Elias Lönnrot over the prior few years and edited by him into an epic. Its publication spurs much interest into Eastern Finnish and Karelian, swinging the dialect debate much in an eastern direction, although Western Finnish in the end remains the basis for Standard Finnish.
 * 1847: The Suometar newspaper is founded and serves as an important medium for promoting the Finnish language. It is published until 1866.
 * 1849: The "New Kalevala", much expanded from the original edition, is published for the first time. It is this edition that Kalevala now usually refers to.
 * 1850: The University of Helsinki establishes the first Finnish-language professorship.
 * 1850: Publishing of any kind (except religious and economic texts) in Finnish is temporarily banned in an attempt to curb nationalistic fervour sweeping through Europe at the time. The ban is strict only initially and its enforcement loosens considerably in just a year or two until it is finally repealed in 1860.
 * 1851: New imperial law in autonomous Finland demands that new officials appointed from five years time and onwards must be able to speak Finnish.
 * 1858: The first Finnish-language school opens in Jyväskylä.
 * 1863: A new language decree is passed. Finnish-language documents are now officially accepted, and a goal is set in 20 years that the government be able to publish its documents in Finnish.
 * 1864: Sestroretsk (Siestarjoki) is transferred from Finland to Russia, and in exchange, Pechenga (Petsamo) to Finland. The new border between Finland and Russia remains as such until 1939 after it is reaffirmed in the 1920 Treaty of Tartu between Finland and Soviet Russia.
 * 1870: Seitsemän veljestä (Seven Brothers) by Aleksis Kivi, the first Finnish-language novel, is published.
 * 1870/1880: The Early Modern Finnish period ends and the Modern Finnish period begins.
 * 1880: Lönnrot published his Finnish-Swedish dictionary, Suomalais-ruotsalainen sanakirja, which contains many new words coined by him and his peers. It remains the largest Finnish dictionary for almost a century.
 * 1890: The number of Finnish speakers in Helsinki (capital since 1812) rises above the number of Swedish speakers for the first time.
 * 1899: Russia passes the February Manifesto, marking the start of the (first) period of Russification in Finland; it ends as a result of the Russian Revolution of 1905.
 * 1900: As part of Russification, Russia decrees that the Russian language be made official in Finland.
 * 1902: Another language decree further bolsters the status of Finnish in Finland.
 * 1908: The second period of Russification begins, ending only in 1917.
 * 1914: The Great Russification program to, among other things, abolish Finnish autonomy, is finalized, but never put into effect due to the war.
 * 1917: The Russian Revolution occurs. The Russian Provisional Government passes the March Manifesto, repealing Russification. After the October Revolution, Finland declares its independence.
 * 1919: Finnish and Swedish are declared the official languages in Finland. The language strife in Finland between these two continues to the present day, but is at its most active during the interwar period.
 * 1920s-1930s: The Finnic populations in Ingria, including Ingrian Finns, are subjected to genocide by the Soviet regime.
 * 1940: After the Soviet Union launched an invasion (the Winter War) of Finland the previous year, the Moscow Peace Treaty sees Finland cede much of its southeastern parts, including the city of Vyborg and the majority of the area of the southeastern dialects, to the Soviet Union. The Finnish speakers largely leave these areas and choose to move to Finland; over 400 000 people have to be resettled.
 * 1941: The Finns launch an invasion to reclaim the lost territories to coincide with Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, marking the beginning of the Continuation War. After the lost territories have been recaptured, the Finnish forces also capture large swathes of Karelia never under Finnish rule. The people evacuated a year prior largely return to the areas they had left from.
 * 1943–1944: The Finnic peoples in Ingria are forced to relocate to Finland.
 * 1944: The Soviets push back the Germans and the Finns. In the Moscow Armistice, Finland loses the same territories it had already lost in 1940, in addition to Pechenga. The Finnish population in these parts evacuates to Finland again, and a major resettlement project is launched. The Soviets repopulate these areas largely with Russian speakers. They also demand the return of the Finnic peoples who had been relocated from Ingria, which are largely returned. They are however barred from returning to Ingria, and are instead resettled in various parts in the hope that they will get assimilated. Only in the 1950s can they return, but by then they have become the newcomers and strangers in their own ancestral lands.
 * 1950s onwards: traditional Finnish dialects begin to erode as urbanization continues and accelerates, and as mass media begins to come about.
 * 1950s–early 1970s: Finnish emigration to Sweden reaches a peak. Approximately 400 000 will move in total, establishing a sizable Finnish-speaking minority in Sweden (distinct from that of the Peräpohjola/Meänkieli varieties).
 * 1951–1961: Nykysuomen sanakirja is published in six volumes as the first major monolingual Finnish dictionary. It is still an important source to this day and the largest Finnish dictionary ever published.
 * 1995: Finnish becomes one of the official languages of the European Union as Finland joins.