A couple of questions specifically for the Finnish members of the list:
1. Can you tell me anything I could read about the latinisation of
Finnish (and Swedish) surnames (eg Iskanius, Sibelius, etc.)? I have
heard that at least some of this happened in the medieval period, but I
didn't hear it from a medievalist...
2. I am interested to know what difference, if any, the fact that the
Finnish language does not use gendered pronouns has, and has had, on
Finnish theological thought. I am thinking of the furore about inclusive
language and gender issues in parts of the English-speaking Christian
world these days, and wondering if Finnish manages to circumvent this
problem entirely. Have studies been done on this?
references in Swedish, German or English are fine, but I can't read more
Finnish than a grocery list. As the answers to these questions will not
necessarily be medieval-related, perhaps replies could be made off-list.
Thank you for any help,
Anna Sander
Centre for Medieval Studies
University of York, UK
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