"TÄLLT TAVALL RAUMALLP PRUUKATA SANNO" (This is what we use to say in Rauma)

The Rauma dialect (or Rauma language as the townspeople call it) belongs to the group of south-western dialects, which are spoken in Finland Proper and in Satakunta in the Rauma area. However, the pure Rauma language is only spoken in Rauma district. There is no certain knowledge of the origin of the Rauma language, but it must have been strongly affected by the status of Rauma as a harbour town. Due to the influence of seamen, the Rauma language contains many words from Swedish and English, but also Estonian, Russian, and French..

As far as is known the first person to have made extensive studies of the Rauma language was Hj. Nortamo, who at the beginning of the century compiled a collection of stories in the dialect, called "Raumlaissi jaarituksi". Since then Tauno Koskela and Hannu Heino among others have worked to preserve and make the Rauma language known.

Features of the Rauma language include cutting words short, informality of sentences and chattering. Although often confused with the Turku dialect, the two dialects are distinguis, for example, in the way the Turku dialect replaces the letter d with the letter r. The Rauma dialect does not do this.

The Rauma language is now in the midst of a new heyday boosted by books, theatre and the local press.

Updated: 27.10.2005