Helsingin Sanomat: Languages | One of the measures introduced by the program is the establishment of the so-called Karelian People's Assembly.

https://www.hs.fi/suomi/art-2000011249509.html Mistral AI translated:

 Languages | One of the measures introduced by the program is the establishment of the so-called Karelian People's Assembly.

Janne Jussila HS

A revival program has been created for the Karelian language to strengthen the position of the endangered native language.

The program presents 23 measures to revive the Karelian language and enhance its vitality. The proposals also include legislative changes. Implementing the proposals would require separate decisions from the Ministry of Education and Culture and other parties.

One of the measures introduced by the program is the establishment of the so-called Karelian People's Assembly. The new public body would be responsible for the development work of the Karelian language.

The program also proposes the enactment of a separate language law for Karelian. This would guarantee constitutional rights for Karelian speakers to maintain their own language and culture.

Many of the measures proposed by the program are related to increasing the teaching and visibility of the Karelian language.

The program proposes, among other things, the establishment of a Karelian-language editorial office at Yle. The Ministry of Education and Culture is also proposed to support the writing of Karelian-language study materials.

Karelian is a close relative of Finnish, with a long history in Finland. According to the latest estimates, about 20,000 people in Finland understand Karelian, of whom about 11,000 speak the language well.

The language has been actively revived in recent decades. For example, Karelian courses at universities have been popular among students.

The revival program has been published in the publication series of the Ministry of Education and Culture, but it has been prepared by an expert working group on the Karelian language consisting of external experts and a Karelian language revival project funded separately by the University of Eastern Finland.

The program will be presented on Thursday at the University of Eastern Finland's Joensuu campus.

Correction on Wednesday, May 21, at 18:20: The article previously incorrectly suggested that the Ministry of Education and Culture was the author of the proposed measures in the Karelian language revival program. The ministry is not proposing a separate law for the Karelian language, nor a Karelian language law, the creation of Karelian People's Assembly, or a Karelian-language editorial office at Yle.