The Finnic languages are a group of closely related languages spoken around the Baltic Sea. The Finnic languages comprises two major languages – Finnish and Estonian, spoken in Finland and Estonia respectively – and seven minor languages: Kven, Meänkieli, Karelian, Veps, Votic, Ingrian and Livonian. The Estonian dialects Võro and Seto are also sometimes considered separate languages.Theil & Kjærstad, 2023.
Even though they have little in common with Swedish, Norwegian and Danish, the Finnic cultures have a strong historical connection to the Scandinavian countries, since much of the Baltic region was encompassed by the Swedish empire in the 17th and 18th century.Salvesen et al., 2023.
Theil, R., Kjærstad, T. (10 January 2023). Østersjøfinske språk [Finnic languages]. In Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 20 September 2026 from snl.no
Salvesen, H., Norseng, P.G., Mardal, M.A., Weidling, T.R., Giverholt, H., Tvedt, K.A. & Opsahl, E. (25 August 2023). Sveriges historie [The history of Sweden]. In Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 20 September 2026 from snl.no
