From the Northeast Corner
There are an estimated half a million, more or less, persons of Finnish origin, including 2nd and 3rd generations, in America, and we probably assume that about one-half of them understand or speak Finnish, even as a dialect. The other half is likely to eventually lose Finnish identity. It would of course be a great achievement for posterity, should it be possible to retain the younger generations within the Finnish environment. The American born Finns could perhaps become more interested if instilled by our fomenting and encouraging the use of the American-Finnish dialect language. Call it “Finglish,” if preferable, as suggested by the late Professor Nisonen of Suomi College, Hancock, Michigan.