Old Finnish language and written Finnish literature in 1560–1640

Abstract

The genesis of the old Finnish language (1560-1640) is unique due to two historical reasons: first, the literature of this period was religious; secondly, religious and literary languages represented a single entity. The material of the study was the texts of the period of Catholicism and early Lutheranism (1560-1640). The author employed the analysis of semantic models, rhetorical devices, language structures (helped to identify the peculiarities of the formation of the old Finnish language and the reasons for the growth of its influence on the audience), content analysis of texts (allowed to trace the stages of transition in the church service from Latin and German to Finnish) were used. Comparison of folk texts with the translated ones revealed their common features (repetitions at the level of phrase and alliteration). The development of Old Finnish language was decelerated by the excessive use of the Latin language. However, by the middle of the 16th century, the external and internal political situations in Finland were in favour of using the Finnish language as an instrument of religious authority and a means of cultural influence on society. The written literature of Finland in the studied period was of a translatable state. The translated literature was pivotal in the formation and development of verbal art. Educated people (Justen, Finno, Hemminki from Mask, Sorolainen and L. Petri) made a vast contribution to the written language. Due to them, it was enriched with various forms of dialects and a greater lexicon.