First Ukrainian Language Textbook for Finnish Speakers Published in Finland

For the first time in history, a Ukrainian language textbook for Finnish-speaking readers has been published in Finland. The co-authors of the edition are Ukrainian language teacher from Tampere, Svitlana Lyniva, and Slavic languages expert Laura Jurvakainen.

This was reported by Finnish media Yle on August 21.

The textbook, titled Ukrainan kielen alkeet (Basics of the Ukrainian Language), was released by the publishing house Oppian. Until now, Finland had no official Ukrainian-language learning materials in Finnish, and teachers relied on English resources or their own materials.

The authors note that the idea to create the textbook emerged due to the growing interest among Finns in the Ukrainian language following Russia’s full-scale invasion. While previously Ukrainian courses were offered only at a few universities, they are now available at community colleges, summer universities, and at the Ukrainian Center in Helsinki.

The main characters of the learning texts are Mikko, a Finn, and Solomiia, a Ukrainian student, with the storyline unfolding in both Finnish and Ukrainian cultural contexts. According to Svitlana Lyniva, this makes studying more engaging, as Finns read about familiar places and things.

“Putin says Ukraine doesn’t exist, that the Ukrainian language doesn’t exist. We want to prove that it does,” the author quoted her students as saying.

Beyond its practical purpose, for many Finns learning Ukrainian is also a way to show support for Ukraine. The first copies of the new textbook will be distributed to libraries across Finland.

Earlier, it was reported that a new anthology of Ukrainian poetry, bringing together both classical and contemporary voices, was released in Greece marking an important milestone in the country’s literary dialogue with Ukraine.

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