Editing Colloquial Finnish (section)

== Regional variation ==
Linguists such as Mielikäinen argue that the dialects of Finnish have been considerably homogenized by 20th century developments of urbanization and other internal population movements to the point that "pure" dialects have disappeared. "Local spoken languages" have developed from standard Finnish to give variety with essentially standard Finnish structure but with some local features. Considerable stigma has been associated with dialects (accurately or not) perceived as rural in the 20th century. People who have moved to the city have adopted a variety resembling standard Finnish, which has been imposed upon dialect speakers by the school, the military and the employers.

Breaking up some consonant clusters on syllable boundaries with an [[epenthetic vowel]] is a feature of several dialects, such as [[South Ostrobothnian dialect]] and [[Savo dialects]]:  The neutral vowel is the same as the preceding vowel. For example, {{lang|fi|juhla}} → {{lang|fi|juhula}} "celebration", {{lang|fi|salmi}} → {{lang|fi|salami}} "strait", {{lang|fi|palvelu}} → {{lang|fi|palavelu}} "service", {{lang|fi|halpa}} → {{lang|fi|halapa}} "cheap", {{lang|fi|äffä}} → {{lang|fi|ähävä}} (via {{lang|fi|ähvä}}) "letter F". Pairs of dissimilar consonants with {{IPA|/l/}} or {{IPA|/h/}} (in Savo, also {{IPA|/n/}}) as the first consonant are subject to epenthesis; other clusters or geminates are not. However, a strong epenthetic vowel is seen as dialectal, and in Helsinki and urbanized areas, indicates origins "in the countryside" (since for Helsinki people, everything but Helsinki is rural).

=== Tavastian dialects ===
Tavastian dialects are diverse because other, surrounding dialects have influenced them. The following features are all found in Finnish spoken in Helsinki, and many of them occur also in some other Tavastian dialects.
* Word {{lang|fi|sillai}} "in that way", which is usually something else like {{lang|fi|silleen}} elsewhere.
* [[Partitive]] plurals ending {{lang|fi|-ja/-jä}} in generic Finnish become {{lang|fi|-i}}, and likewise the partitive plural {{lang|fi|-ia/-iä}} simplifies to {{lang|fi|-ii}}: {{lang|fi|märkiä takkeja}} → {{lang|fi|märkii takkei}} "wet jackets". (also in Nurmijärvi, Kotka)
* The first infinitive, e.g. {{lang|fi|juosta}} "to run", is replaced by the third-person form {{lang|fi|juoksee}} "runs" by some speakers. For example, standard {{lang|fi|Voisitko sinä <u>juosta</u> hakemaan sen}} becomes {{lang|fi|Voisitsä <u>juoksee</u> hakeen sen}} "Could you run to get it". This form is probably historically speaking not the third-person form, but the colloquial, shortened form {{lang|fi|juokseen}} of the third infinitive form {{lang|fi|juoksemaan}}, which exhibits a tendency to oust the first infinitive even in the formal language, cf. the old dispute, whether {{lang|fi|alkaa juoksemaan}} ("to start running") should be allowed in the formal language or not (the current norm is still {{lang|fi|alkaa juosta}} with the first infinitive). (also in Tuusula and Nurmijärvi)
* Abbreviations are common in Finnish spoken in the Southern coast of Finland. Final syllables in frequently used words may erode, like {{lang|fi|sitten}} → {{lang|fi|sit}}, {{lang|fi|mutta}} → {{lang|fi|mut}}. Case endings might be abbreviated, usually by the loss of the final vowel, e.g. {{lang|fi|siltä}} → {{lang|fi|silt}}. (If a [[geminate]] would be "left dangling" at the end of the word, it becomes a single consonant, e.g. {{lang|fi|talossa}} → *{{lang|fi|taloss}} → {{lang|fi|talos}}.)
* Helsinki also has a local [[Helsinki slang|slang]], containing foreign loanwords which may be unintelligible to people from other parts of Finland. Some slang words have spread to the spoken language of youngsters elsewhere in Finland.
* Tampere is also in the area of Tavastian dialects.
** Occasional flapping or deletion of intervocalic "L"; the resulting sound is orthographically nil: {{lang|fi|kyllä siellä olisi}} → {{lang|fi|kyä siä ois}}. This is seen even in the accentless form {{lang|fi|oisko}} ← standard {{lang|fi|olisiko}}.

=== [[North Karelia|North and]] [[South Karelia]] === 
* Personal pronouns: {{lang|fi|minä}} → {{lang|fi|mie}}, {{lang|fi|sinä}} → {{lang|fi|sie}}, {{lang|fi|hän}} → {{lang|fi|hää}}, {{lang|fi|me}} → {{lang|fi|myö}}, {{lang|fi|te}} → {{lang|fi|työ}}, {{lang|fi|he}} → {{lang|fi|hyö}}
** Notice: {{lang|fi|se}} and {{lang|fi|ne}} don't change to {{lang|fi|syö}} or {{lang|fi|nyö}} respectively and {{lang|fi|hää}} and {{lang|fi|hyö}} are more commonly used than {{lang|fi|se}} and {{lang|fi|ne}} unlike in the standard colloquial language where {{lang|fi|hän}} and {{lang|fi|he}} are replaced with the non-personal equivalents
** The declined forms also vary, for example {{lang|fi|minua}} can be {{lang|fi|minnuu}}, {{lang|fi|minuu}} or {{lang|fi|miuta}} depending on the regional dialect
* Vowel epenthesis in North Karelia: {{lang|fi|kolme}} → {{lang|fi|kolome}}, {{lang|fi|selvä}} → {{lang|fi|selevä}}
* In some Karelian dialects the end of participles ending -nut or -nyt and -lut drop the vowel instead of 't': {{lang|fi|puhunut}} → {{lang|fi|puhunt}}, {{lang|fi|käynyt}} → {{lang|fi|käynt}}, {{lang|fi|katsonut}} → {{lang|fi|katsont}}/{{lang|fi|kattont}}, {{lang|fi|mennyt}} → {{lang|fi|ment}}/{{lang|fi|mänt}}, {{lang|fi|ollut}} → {{lang|fi|olt}}, {{lang|fi|tullut}} → {{lang|fi|tult}}
* Some Karelian (and Savonian) dialects also use [[exessive case|the exessive case]]: {{lang|fi|kotoa}} → {{lang|fi|kotont(a)}}, {{lang|fi|ulkoa}} → {{lang|fi|ulkont(a)}}, {{lang|fi|siitä}} → {{lang|fi|siint(ä)}}
* The North Karelian dialect is a subset of the [[Savonian dialects]], while the [[South Karelian dialects|South Karelian dialect]] is a unique Finnish dialect.

=== Southwestern dialects ===
* Abbreviation occurs very often.
* In Turku: {{lang|fi|minä}} → {{lang|fi|mää}}, {{lang|fi|sinä}} → {{lang|fi|sää}}
* A unique characteristic of Turku dialect is the "S" imperfect tense, which has the ending {{lang|fi|-si}} instead of {{lang|fi|-i}}, e.g., {{lang|fi|sattusi}} for {{lang|fi|sattui}}.

=== Savonia ===
* Some difference in pronouns, {{lang|fi|myö, työ}} for {{lang|fi|me, te}}. Notice that the [[Savo dialect]] has complicated differences in grammar, vowels and consonants compared to the standard language, e.g. {{lang|fi|öylen}} for {{lang|fi|eilen}}, {{lang|fi|mänj}} for {{lang|fi|meni}}, {{lang|fi|omaa rataansa}} → {{lang|fi|ommoo rattoosa}}. The Savo dialect is the largest single dialect, and as such, has variants that differ significantly.

=== Ostrobothnia === 
* Consonant clusters with {{lang|fi|-j-}} are not allowed, so that a {{lang|fi|-i-}} is pronounced instead, e.g. {{lang|fi|kirja}} → {{lang|fi|kiria}}. The sound {{IPA|/d/}} is completely replaced with a rhotic consonant {{lang|fi|r}}, either a [[Trill consonant|trill]] {{IPA|/r/}}, or a [[Flap consonant|flap]] {{IPA|/ɾ/}}, which produces problems such as that there is no or almost no contrast between {{lang|fi|veden}} (of water) and {{lang|fi|veren}} (of blood). For speakers with the flap, there remains a small difference, not generally audible for outsiders. Usually context can be relied on to distinguish the word.
* Minor vowel changes, for example, {{lang|fi|taloa}} → {{lang|fi|talua}}. In [[South Ostrobothnian dialect|Southern Ostrobotnia]], in unstressed syllables old diphthongs ending in ''i'' are reflected as long vowels, e.g. {{lang|fi|punainen}} → {{lang|fi|punaanen}}. In some words, where the diphthong has been lost from the standard language, this results in seemingly unmotivated long vowels, e.g. {{lang|fi|iso}} → {{lang|fi|isoo}}. 
*Vaasa, Ostrobothnia, to an extent generic Finnish, too: Many frequently used expressions become clitics - this is optional, though. E.g. pronouns become [[clitic]]s for the negative verb {{lang|fi|ei}} and for the verb "to be". In this table, the apostrophe (') is something between a full J and no sound at all.

{| class="wikitable"
! Written !! Spoken !! Written example !! Spoken example
|-
| {{lang|fi|minä}} || {{lang|fi|m'}} || {{lang|fi|minä olen}}, {{lang|fi|minä en}}, {{lang|fi|minä en ole}} || {{lang|fi|moon}}, {{lang|fi|mäen}}, {{lang|fi|mäen o}}
|-
| {{lang|fi|sinä}} || {{lang|fi|s'}} || {{lang|fi|sinä olet}}, {{lang|fi|sinä et}}, {{lang|fi|sinä et ole}} || {{lang|fi|soot}}, {{lang|fi|säet}}, {{lang|fi|säet o}}
|-
| {{lang|fi|hän}} || {{lang|fi|s'}} || {{lang|fi|hän on}}, {{lang|fi|hän ei}}, {{lang|fi|hän ei ole}} || {{lang|fi|son}}, {{lang|fi|sei}}, {{lang|fi|sei'oo}}
|-
| {{lang|fi|me}} || {{lang|fi|m'}} || {{lang|fi|me olemme}}, {{lang|fi|me emme}}, {{lang|fi|me emme ole}} || {{lang|fi|mollaan}}, {{lang|fi|mei}}, {{lang|fi|mei'olla}}
|-
| {{lang|fi|te}} || {{lang|fi|t'}} || {{lang|fi|te olette}}, {{lang|fi|te ette}}, {{lang|fi|te ette ole}} || {{lang|fi|tootte}}, {{lang|fi|tette}}, {{lang|fi|tette oo}}
|-
| {{lang|fi|he}} || {{lang|fi|n'}} || {{lang|fi|he ovat}}, {{lang|fi|he eivät}}, {{lang|fi|he eivät ole}} || {{lang|fi|noon}}, {{lang|fi|nei}}, {{lang|fi|nei'oo}}
|}

* Additionally, in the Southwest, the interrogative pronoun {{lang|fi|kuka}} ("who") is replaced by its partitive form, {{lang|fi|ketä}} ("whom"), e.g. {{lang|fi|Ketä siellä oli?}} ("Who was there?") Other differences in case for interrogative words are {{lang|fi|mihinä}} (std. {{lang|fi|missä}}, "where") and {{lang|fi|mihkä}} (std. {{lang|fi|mihin}}, "into where").
{{Expand section|date=May 2022}}