"The Embassy celebrated International Mother Language Day by organising a fun event all about Finnish culture and language.
The event was hosted together with Dr. Ozge Bauer, founder of Kalevala Language Academy and Finnish-Turkish teacher and translator. It also marked the International Mother Language Day, making it an occasion to recognise linguistic diversity, cultural identity, and language learning.
Dr. Bauer opened the session with a presentation on the roots of the Finnish language, giving participants an overview of Finno‑Ugric languages and their history. She also mentioned some similarities between Finnish and Turkish, such as vowel harmony and certain syntactic structures. For many students, these points made Finnish feel more familiar.
Before digging into the language lesson, she then provided a brief introduction into Finnish history and culture. She spoke about the Kalevala, Finland’s national epic, and its role in Finnish literature and folklore. She also discussed Mikael Agricola, who is considered the father of the Finnish language, and Aleksis Kivi, whose works played a crucial role in elevating the status of the Finnish language during the 19th century.
The cultural introduction was followed by a Finnish language session. While surprisingly many of the participants had some knowledge of Finnish beforehand, Dr. Bauer made learning Finnish basics easy and enjoyable for everyone, even for those just starting out. The lesson included simple phrases, pronunciation practice, and comparisons to Turkish structures.
There were games, giveaway gifts, and of course, delicious 'korvapuusti' or Finnish cinnamon buns! A big thank you to everyone who joined us.
*News source: Finland Abroad