Institute for the Languages of Finland

File:Kotimaisten kielten keskus.jpg

The main entrance to the institute in Helsinki, Vuorikatu.

The Institute for the Languages of Finland (Finnish: Kotimaisten kielten keskus, abbreviated KOTUS, Inari Sami: Päikkieennâm kielâi tutkâmkuávdáš, Northern Sami: Ruovttueatnan gielaid guovddáš, Skolt Sami: Dommjânnmlaž ǩiõli kõõskõs, Romani: Finnosko tšimbengo instituutos, Swedish: Institutet för de inhemska språken) is a governmental linguistic research institute of Finland geared at studies of Finnish, Swedish (cf. Finland Swedish), the Sami languages, Romani language, and the Finnish Sign Language.

The institute is charged with the standardization of languages used in Finland. In the Swedish language, the institute usually promotes the Swedish usage, with the key aim to prevent the Swedish spoken in Finland from straying too far from its counterpart in Sweden. On the other hand, the institute is the foremost authority on Finnish language planning and its recommendations are considered to define the standard Finnish which is used in official communication. In addition to these tasks, the Institute also has an important consulting function in the shaping of Finnish language policy and in choosing toponyms.

External links

• The Institute's homepage in English