Savo dialects

The Savo dialects (also called Savonian dialects or Savo Finnish) (Finnish: Savolaismurteet) are forms of the Finnish language spoken in Savo and other parts of Eastern Finland. Finnish dialects are grouped broadly into Eastern and Western varieties; Savo dialects are of the Eastern variety.

Savo dialects are the most widely distributed Finnish dialect group (setting aside the higher-level east/west split mentioned above). They are spoken in Savo (both North and South Savo), but also in North Karelia, parts of Päijät-Häme, Central Finland, Kainuu, Koillismaa district of Northern Ostrobothnia, the lake section between Southern and Central Ostrobothnia as far north as Evijärvi and in the municipalities of Pudasjärvi and the Southern part of Ranua in Lapland. Also the language spoken by the Forest Finns in Värmland and Norwegian Hedmark of Central Scandinavia belonged to the old Savo dialects. The geographical area the Savo dialects cover makes up one-third the area of Finland.