Finnish Alphabet and Pronunciation
Finnish starting to appear in writing during the 16th century. The first piece of Finnish literature was a translation of the New Testament by Michael Agricola which was published in 1548.
Recordings of the Finnish alphabet
http://www.unilang.org/view.php?res=53
Learn Finnish vol. 1 – FINNISH ALPHABET
Finnish Alphabet & Pronunciation (Part 1 of 2)
Finnish Alphabet & Pronunciation (Part 2 of 2)
Until 1809 Finland was a part of Sweden and Swedish was the official language. From 1863 the Finnish language could be used along with Swedish when dealing with authorities. Civil servants were obliged to use the Finnish language and issue documents in Finnish from 1883. In 1892 Finnish became an official language and gained a status comparable to that of Swedish. Today Finland is officially bilingual in Finnish and Swedish.
Why Finnish isn’t the hardest language to learn