This paper investigates beliefs of German-Finnish adolescents about Finland and Finnish language in the context of the Finnish Language School. The Results indicated that all participants in the study highlighted the role of the Finnish Language School as a community that expanded the opportunities of using Finnish in everyday life.
It is estimated that around 30,000 people of Finnish descent live in Germany. Many of them are young second and third generation Finns who attend so-called Finnish Language School (Suomi-koulu) classes, where they learn culture and language of their origin. The Finnish National Board of Education supports these Finnish Language Schools worldwide of which there are 26 in Germany. The present study is part of my dissertation, in which I deal with the topic "Beliefs of German-Finnish students about Finland and Finnish language in the context of the Finnish Language School". My research material is based on a survey and interviews with students from the Finnish Language School. I have defined two research questions for this paper: 1) What kind of beliefs do adolescents have about the Finnish language? 2) What are benefits of attending lessons at the Finnish language school? My definition is that beliefs are born in social interaction and are dynamic in nature. They reflect the participants' experiences of the Finnish language. The content analysis of the answers showed that the Finnish language plays an important role in the lives of young people. The adolescents appreciate their language skills and multilingualism. The Finnish language school plays an important role in learning Finnish and as a social environment including a community where Finnish language can be used outside of home. Keywords: Finnish, Finnish Language School, multilingualism, belief
