Leif Rantala facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Leif Rantala
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| Born | 26 December 1947 Liljendal, Finland
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| Died | 8 January 2015 (aged 67) Rovaniemi, Finland
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| Nationality | Finnish |
| Occupation | Linguist |
Leif Rantala (born December 26, 1947, in Liljendal, Finland – died January 8, 2015, in Rovaniemi, Finland) was a Finnish-Swedish linguist. A linguist is a scientist who studies languages. Leif Rantala was an expert in Sami languages, their cultures, and history. He was especially interested in the Kola Peninsula region.
A Sami leader named Valentina Sovkina once said that Leif Rantala "left a large, radiant footprint in the lives of the Sami people." This shows how much he cared about and helped the Sami communities, especially the Skolt Sami and the Sami people living on the Kola Peninsula.
Studying Languages and Helping Society
Leif Rantala studied at Helsinki University. In 1975, he earned his master's degree in Finno-Ugric languages. His main project for his degree was about Sami place names in an area called Polmak.
Later, he worked at the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi. There, he mostly taught the Northern Saami language. He became a true expert on the Sami people and their cultures, especially those living near the Pechenga area and on the Kola Peninsula. He gathered a huge collection of information and items about the Sami people in Russia. This collection helps us learn more about their traditions and way of life.
Leif Rantala often worked as a translator. This was important because many government workers in Finnish Lapland did not know the Sami language. He believed it was very important for officials to learn Sami. He said that society should encourage civil servants to learn Sami languages. This would help Sami people communicate better with government services, like the police.
Books and Translations
Leif Rantala wrote and edited many important books and articles. These works helped share knowledge about the Sami languages, culture, and history with more people. He also translated many texts into and from Sami languages. This made important documents and stories available to Sami speakers and helped others learn about Sami culture. His work helped preserve and promote the Sami languages and traditions.
