The University of Eastern Karelia (Finland) has published a textbook on the Karelian proper dialect of the Karelian language. The author of the textbook is the head of the Department of Karelian and Vepsian languages of Petrozavodsk State University, Doctor of Philology Pekka (Pyotr) Zaikov. Karelian proper is the dialect of Karelians from near the White Sea, who live in the northern parts of Karelia. This dialect is very close to Finnish. Since 1992, the Karelian proper dialect has become one of two literary norms for the Karelian language in Russian Karelia, when two different orthographies were defined.

The new textbook is designed for Finnish students who want to learn Karelian, and also Karelian students in that it is written entirely in the Karelian proper dialect. "Finns can easily understand this textbook because Karelian proper and Finnish are some of the most similar languages," noted members of the Castrén Society. 

In Finland, the book will be sold for 25 Euros. To obtain a copy of the textbook, contact the Karelian Educational Society either by telephone at (09) 171 414, or via email at .