Easy language for the L2 Finnish learner – easy administrative texts for all
Keywords:
administrative jargon, administrative texts, L2 Finnish learners, language contact, Easy LanguageAbstract
In this article I study administrative information given to immigrants that is written in an easy format. The material I use comes from the working process of the Life in Finland guide, which has been translated into easy Finnish. The structures of the texts planned for the guide, designed for immigrants and containing essential information on the Finnish government and society, were tested by second language (L2) Finnish learners. Testing revealed that many of the easy language structures designed for native language (L1) users were difficult for test readers with an L2/immigrant background. It became obvious that to some extent, L2 Finnish learners need an easy language form of their own. In addition to the challenges related to linguistic structures, the study also raised questions related to the distribution of administrative information; one of which was the misunderstanding of culture-specific vocabulary.
