Paper short abstract:

Russian is the most spoken foreign language in Helsinki. We examine how the inhabitants of Helsinki whose first language is Russian experience this town and describe it, what places in Helsinki are relevant for them, what emotions and associations are connected to the urban places and names.

Paper long abstract:

Helsinki, the capital city of Finland, is becoming multicultural. The historical minority of the Russian speakers has been joined by the largest immigrant and tourist group with the same language. This heterogeneous group of the Russian-speakers has been interviewed in groups and individually, with a focused attention to the place names and/or to the language biography. Additionally, we organized a competition under the title 'My Helsinki' in Russian and studied Russian tourist views of Helsinki. Now, we know what places seem familiar, cozy, important, interesting, "speaking to the heart", perceived as one's 'own', and what places are viewed as miserable, foreign, belonging to the 'other'. Urban names commemorate facts of integration, acquaintance with the Finnish town culture, the clash of prejudices and real life stories. Different explanations have been offered to provide understanding of the structure dominating everyday transportation. We also studied place names, both official and unofficial, given to the parts of the city by immigrants of different ages. We explain the use of such names from the psychological, sociological and linguistic perspectives (e.g., in comparison with the slang names used in Russia). The 'Old' and the 'New' Russian toponyms are discussed: the Czarist-time names vanished from the town's toponymy, but they are still present in the discourse of the 'Old Russians'. The image of Helsinki as perceived by tourists has changed since the Soviet times, together with the change of the historical epoch and ideology. The image of Helsinki is reflected in the minds of its dwellers and visitors and it contributes to the fusion of cultures.