Multilingual Names on the Finnish Basic Map
Abstract
The <Finnish Basic Map> and the computerised <Place Name Register> maintained by the National Land
Survey for map-making purposes have place names in five different languages: the official Finnish and
Swedish, and three semi-official Sámi languages. As one would expect, distributions of the various
languages overlap, and roughly one percent of the named places have names in more than one language.
All five naming systems are similar enough that semantically transparent toponyms can be translated
from one language to another. The three Sámi languages are also similar enough that virtually all common
multilingual names are also common in each of their respective languages. This is also true for Finnish and
Swedish, but the names common to Finnish and the Sámi languages often involve elements that have a
more limited geographic distribution in Finnish. All this gives some insight into the underlying cultural
interplay, and also into the role of semantic transparency in name use.
Survey for map-making purposes have place names in five different languages: the official Finnish and
Swedish, and three semi-official Sámi languages. As one would expect, distributions of the various
languages overlap, and roughly one percent of the named places have names in more than one language.
All five naming systems are similar enough that semantically transparent toponyms can be translated
from one language to another. The three Sámi languages are also similar enough that virtually all common
multilingual names are also common in each of their respective languages. This is also true for Finnish and
Swedish, but the names common to Finnish and the Sámi languages often involve elements that have a
more limited geographic distribution in Finnish. All this gives some insight into the underlying cultural
interplay, and also into the role of semantic transparency in name use.