Riionheimo, Helka

Description of research and teaching:

I’m an expert in Finnish language and linguistics. Besides Finnish, my research field includes other Finnic languages, of which Karelian had recently been in special focus. I started my research with topics related to spoken language and language contacts and I have gradually moved towards studying endangered languages and revitalization. My key concept is ‘majority responsibility’: as a speaker of the majority language, Finnish, I feel I also have the obligation to look after the country’s minority languages. My aim is to develop sustainable multilingualism where linguistic diversity is seen as a resource.