Discusses the status of the Same (Lappish) language which is distributed into six different dialect groups. Earlier research into the problems relating to the linguistic behavior of a Same group living in Finland and the position and use of their minority language is analyzed in terms of demographic, social structural, and political-legal factors.…

Language use among linguistic minorities of the Northern Calotte (areas of Norway, Sweden, and Finland that lie above the Arctic Circle) is reviewed from the perspective of history and ecology of language. Two case studies examining language shift in these areas, where Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, and Sami are spoken, are also considered.…

Analyzes dominant trends in the linguistic situation of Finnish Sami. The aim is to discuss these trends as a component of indigenous people's problems with linguistic inequality. Sami language and its speakers, Sami language shift, Sami schooling, status of Sami the language, and the reification of the language are all discussed. (20 references)…