Inari Sámi language
Sami language spoken by the Inari Sami of Finland
Inari Sámi (Inari Sami: anarâškielâ, lit. 'the Inarian language' or aanaarsämikielâ, 'the Inari (Aanaar) Sámi language') is a Sámi language spoken by the Inari Sámi of Finland. As of 2018, Inari Sámi has approximately 400 speakers, the majority of whom are middle-aged or older and live in the municipality of Inari. According to the Sámi Parliament of Finland, 269 persons used Inari Sámi as their first language. It is the only Sámi language that is spoken exclusively in Finland. The language is classified as being seriously endangered, as few children learn it; however, more and more children are learning it in language nests.
History
Inari Sámi is one of three Sámi languages spoken in Finland; the other two are Northern Sámi and Skolt Sámi, which are endangered languages as well. There may be as many as nine Sámi languages. The traditional Sámi homeland, Sápmi, encompasses the northern regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and parts of Russia. Sámi is the only officially recognized indigenous group in the European Union.
Language decline
From the 13th to early 19th century, Finland was under Swedish rule.
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Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 19, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q33462. The Library of Congress control number is sh89004858. Authority coordinates are 68.900, 27.200. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2018.
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This entry incorporates text from “Inari Sámi language” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.