Science is becoming increasingly internationalised in Finland, and the science of adult education is no exception. This development is unsettling for both Finnish language experts and the media surrounding adult education, as it is believed that using the mother tongue is necessary to keeping science alive in daily life.

The pressures of internationalisation do not make an exception for research in the field of adult education, even though publications in this subject have traditionally been largely in Finnish. This has been considered of importance to society.

"The university's measure for success is currently such that only international publications are considered valuable for assessing the quality of research. In this way, all researchers in adult education face the same pressures," remarks Minna-Riitta Luukka, Professor of Finnish at the University of Jyväskylä.

VALUES IN CEREMONIAL SPEECHES VERSUS IN PRACTICE

Domestic publishing is praised in ceremonial speeches whereas in practice, writing in English for international journals is more highly valued.

"This is certainly what those do who are interested in furthering their own career or keeping their scientific field alive amidst the competition that goes on within one’s own university and between different universities," the professor adds.

In her capacity as chairperson of the Finnish Language Board, she promotes the preservation of Finnish as a language of science. In June, a body of experts appealed to university management boards to think of internationalisation as a carefully considered linguistic co-existence rather than domination by the English language.

"Experts educated at Finnish universities will be working mainly in Finnish-language environments in the future. If English replaces Finnish, the ability of experts to convey their knowledge in their mother tongue will weaken."

For Luukka, one of the most important skills that experts should possess is that of being able to write about their own field in their mother tongue.

PUBLISHING KEEPS SCIENCE ALIVE

As language only develops by being used, publishing texts on adult education enhances the field as a whole. If new concepts do not develop within the language, the concepts themselves become difficult to master.

 "The language becomes impoverished and I believe thought does too. Fairly soon, there will be no publications left that will appear in Finnish," Luukka remarks bleakly.

On principle, the Aikuiskasvatus (Adult Education) journal continues to be published in Finnish. The mother tongue is needed to connect adult education with everyday life.

— A science does not function in the abstract; rather, its objects of research are derived from life as it is lived. Science relies on the daily work of adult education and the daily work relies on science, Editor-in-Chief Anneli Kajanto points out.

 
Background

Science is becoming internationalised and English is gradually taking over as the language of adult education publications. This development is of concern to language experts and the media generated by adult education, as the language of science can only develop by being used. There is a danger of language, thought and science being weakened.