Well, I had my next Finnish lesson and asked for the political name I was sure would illustrate my point about changing the spelling of proper names. I am not sure if there is a logical explanation for this one as well, but here goes:
The king of Sweden is either Kaarle Kustaa XVI (in Finnish) or Carl Gustaf (in Sweden). It seems to me that this is an arbitrary change, though I'm sure that someone somewhere sees a reason for it. They sound similar, yes, but why the change? I am used to a "c" changing to a "k" and such, but this change seems a bit excessive, and quite frankly a bit rude, given that it is a proper name.
Anyway, this is the example that I found. I hope you enjoy.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
a correction
In my last blog entry I used the example of Michael Jackson's name being changed to Jacksonin by the Finns when I saw it on tv. As pointed out by one of my faithful followers, Zella, this is in fact a way of making his name possessive, not an arbitrary name change. I want to take this moment to apologize to my tutor, who in fact did tell me the same thing when I asked, but (as usual) I forgot.
So it was a bad example of what I was trying to convey, but I am sure that I was told of other names that would support my rant. I will ask about this when I see my tutor next, get those names from her, and report them to you in my blog as a follow-up.
I also want to thank Zella for her comments; I am learning a lot and enjoying her imput. Thanks Zella.
So it was a bad example of what I was trying to convey, but I am sure that I was told of other names that would support my rant. I will ask about this when I see my tutor next, get those names from her, and report them to you in my blog as a follow-up.
I also want to thank Zella for her comments; I am learning a lot and enjoying her imput. Thanks Zella.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Poetic License?
A little pet peeve: the changing of proper names by the Finnish. I know, other countries probably do it too, but I'm in Finland, so for now they get the blunt of my rant.
It seems, for some unknown reason, that it is deemed necessary in the Finnish language to change the ending of many, many proper names. I have seen Michael Jackson's name changed to Jacksonin for instance. I can't think of any other specific examples (my brain is, after all, Teflon) but my tutor had to agree that names do have a way of being changed here. She spouted off quite a few, like some political figures, and their names changed so much that they were hardly recognizable.
My tutor suggests that it may simply be that the change makes it easier to pronounce the name in Finnish. Most Finnish first names seem to end in a vowel, for instance; many English names do not. Perhaps this is a plausible explanation, but I still take exception to the whole practice. A name is a name, after all. It is a part of who we are, and one of the ways we differentiate ourselves from others. It is a way that we identify ourselves, and a way that others identify us. I just don't think it is right to go around changing other people's names without their knowlege or permission.
If I ask you about (fill in the blank with a non-Finnishname spelled in Finnish) and you do not speak Finnish, how are you going to know who in the world I am talking about. I'm just saying. If the name has been changed drastically, how would you know? Sure, names like Jacksonin can be guessed at, but I assure you, they do get worse.
Not the end of the world, certainly, but that is my two-cents worth on the subject; take it for what it's worth.
It seems, for some unknown reason, that it is deemed necessary in the Finnish language to change the ending of many, many proper names. I have seen Michael Jackson's name changed to Jacksonin for instance. I can't think of any other specific examples (my brain is, after all, Teflon) but my tutor had to agree that names do have a way of being changed here. She spouted off quite a few, like some political figures, and their names changed so much that they were hardly recognizable.
My tutor suggests that it may simply be that the change makes it easier to pronounce the name in Finnish. Most Finnish first names seem to end in a vowel, for instance; many English names do not. Perhaps this is a plausible explanation, but I still take exception to the whole practice. A name is a name, after all. It is a part of who we are, and one of the ways we differentiate ourselves from others. It is a way that we identify ourselves, and a way that others identify us. I just don't think it is right to go around changing other people's names without their knowlege or permission.
If I ask you about (fill in the blank with a non-Finnishname spelled in Finnish) and you do not speak Finnish, how are you going to know who in the world I am talking about. I'm just saying. If the name has been changed drastically, how would you know? Sure, names like Jacksonin can be guessed at, but I assure you, they do get worse.
Not the end of the world, certainly, but that is my two-cents worth on the subject; take it for what it's worth.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
My Brain is Teflon
So I have been taking Finnish lessons twice a week and I have a very good tutor. She is patient, doesn't flinch as I butcher her native language, and has customized my lessons to fit my way of learning. All that said, I still don't get it. My brain is made of Teflon...nothing sticks to it. Really, I'm quite convinced of it. I can't seem to remember what I learn from one lesson to the next. Forget that, I can't even remember it long enough to do my homework in-between lessons!
That's what has brought on this latest tirade, truth be told . I'm sitting here trying to do my homework and I'll be darned if I can remember what order the words go in, or what the appropriate ending, or endings, are for the words. Have I mentioned that words are very long here? They are, and now I'm learning what can be added to the root word to make it a question and so on. So basically what I am getting from this is that the Finns are efficient. What we Americans say in four or five words, the Finns say in just one. I haven't decided which way is better, I know, my tutor says it isn't a matter of being better, it is a matter of simply being different. She is right, of course, but I still can't help wondering.
So I will go back to my homework like a good little student, but I make no promises...I will still probably butcher the language! My apologies to all good Finns everywhere.
That's what has brought on this latest tirade, truth be told . I'm sitting here trying to do my homework and I'll be darned if I can remember what order the words go in, or what the appropriate ending, or endings, are for the words. Have I mentioned that words are very long here? They are, and now I'm learning what can be added to the root word to make it a question and so on. So basically what I am getting from this is that the Finns are efficient. What we Americans say in four or five words, the Finns say in just one. I haven't decided which way is better, I know, my tutor says it isn't a matter of being better, it is a matter of simply being different. She is right, of course, but I still can't help wondering.
So I will go back to my homework like a good little student, but I make no promises...I will still probably butcher the language! My apologies to all good Finns everywhere.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Which is Softer?
Which is softer: a lamb or an elephant? No, I haven't lost my mind, or my sense of touch either. But this is the choice here in Finland when it comes to toilet paper. You heard me right. Toilet paper. I was in the grocery today and noticed once again the pictures on the toilet paper packages. OK, toilet paper is pretty hard to mistake, it is usually in more or less clear packaging and it isn't hard to understand what it is. That being said, I can't read the writting on the package, and while I'm sure it touts the softness and strength qualities of the paper, I am left to use the pictures on the packages to decide which to choose.
Enter the lamb and the elephant. Oh, yes, there is also a squirrel. For those who have touched these three animals, the choice is easy. Please, elephants are rough and scratchy, squirrels not too bad, but by far, the lamb is the softest. If you wanted your toilet paper to feel like an animal, is an elephant really the first thing that comes to mind? I love them, don't get me wrong, but what were the advertising people thinking? OK, perhaps strength, but that's a little overkill, don't you think? I suppose the squirrel wants to secret away the wonderful paper? I just don't know.
Chalk it up to one more mystery for the non-Finnish-reading American. Perhaps there is a story here I am just not getting, but it struck me funny and I thought I would share.
Enter the lamb and the elephant. Oh, yes, there is also a squirrel. For those who have touched these three animals, the choice is easy. Please, elephants are rough and scratchy, squirrels not too bad, but by far, the lamb is the softest. If you wanted your toilet paper to feel like an animal, is an elephant really the first thing that comes to mind? I love them, don't get me wrong, but what were the advertising people thinking? OK, perhaps strength, but that's a little overkill, don't you think? I suppose the squirrel wants to secret away the wonderful paper? I just don't know.
Chalk it up to one more mystery for the non-Finnish-reading American. Perhaps there is a story here I am just not getting, but it struck me funny and I thought I would share.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Rolling in the snow
This was a new one on me: rolling in the snow. I have joined a woman's club and attended their "Pink Night"...a fundraiser for breast cancer awareness. Prior to the event I had been told about this rolling in the snow thing and promised to do it for our chairwoman who was going to be absent and couldn't do it herself. What ever possessed me at the time has escaped me now. So here is the deal: first you swim, then you sauna until you are nice and toasty, then you run outside and fall into the snow and make snow angels, and then you qickly retreat back into the sauna to recover.
Actually it was pretty amazing and I would do it again. And or those who are wondering, I only had one glass of wine prior to the experience. My friend Lisa also did it with me, along with four other members, and it was truly an experience I won't soon forget. And for those wondering, clothing is optional in the sauna, and I figured "when in Finland"...enough said. Next on my list is ice swimming; yes, I mean doing what I've been watching from my window...going swimming in the water hole in the ice. Crazy, but very Finnish, and I want to do it just once to say that I have.
I am told that the rolling in the snow/swimming in the ice thing is good for the health and is practiced religiously by some, including people in their eighties and older. For me, this experience has further strenghened my belief that the Finnish know what their doing and are fun-loving besides. I know they take it seriously, but I found it to be a fun bonding experience. The Finnish ladies were all too happy to share the experience with us and were most helpful in our getting the most out of it. My thanks to those ladies. I can't wait to see what is next!
Actually it was pretty amazing and I would do it again. And or those who are wondering, I only had one glass of wine prior to the experience. My friend Lisa also did it with me, along with four other members, and it was truly an experience I won't soon forget. And for those wondering, clothing is optional in the sauna, and I figured "when in Finland"...enough said. Next on my list is ice swimming; yes, I mean doing what I've been watching from my window...going swimming in the water hole in the ice. Crazy, but very Finnish, and I want to do it just once to say that I have.
I am told that the rolling in the snow/swimming in the ice thing is good for the health and is practiced religiously by some, including people in their eighties and older. For me, this experience has further strenghened my belief that the Finnish know what their doing and are fun-loving besides. I know they take it seriously, but I found it to be a fun bonding experience. The Finnish ladies were all too happy to share the experience with us and were most helpful in our getting the most out of it. My thanks to those ladies. I can't wait to see what is next!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
language
So I have started my Finnish lessons. I have been graced with many opinions about Finnish as a language prior to my lessons and am finding that some of what I've heard is true. Some of it is not.
I was told by many people that it is the most difficult language to learn; I doubt that. It is indeed very difficult, but at least the characters are the same as English, unlike, say, Chinese. So I'm guessing it could be worse. I was told by a friend that Finnish had a lot of unnessary vowels in it,which makes it difficult to pronounce. I disagree. I think it has an equal number of unnecessary connsonents in it as well. Either way, it is difficult for me to pronounce, but I'm working on it.
One truth I heard is that words are pronounced phoenetically, and that every letter is pronounced. You would think that this would make it easy to figure out how to pronounce words, but not so. There are words that go on for miles. Heck, even the numbers can be long when stating them. Take "327" it is kolmesatakaksikymmentaseitseman (I think, and by the way there are umlats over two of the vowels but my keyboard doesn't have them). Anyway, I am working on being able to pronounce these words in one shot. Right now I can only say these words in pieces...I greatly admire my tutor who can rattle off the longest words smoothly and who, by the way, is very patient. So far I can count to ten... and beyond ten with a little help very slowly. It is not coming naturally.
Now a few words about vowels. They have eight of them, some with umlats, others without. The umlats are killing me! I can't seem to get my mouth to form the correct pronunciation. Sure, if my tutor says a word I can repeat it successfully, but ask me to read a word on my own, and forget it. I think I am over-thinking it...so does my tutor... she says to relax. Perhaps a glass of wine or two would help (ha ha). I joke, but as with learning any new language there are many ways to embarrass oneself.
As I said, every letter is pronounced, even when there are two of the same next to each other. God forbid you forget to pronounce every letter clearly, or in other cases, overpronounce a single letter. Why, if you did that you could find yourself happy to kill someone instead of being happy to meet them!
So that is my take on the language so far. I don't expect to become fluent, but if I can just learn to pronounce what I see, then I will be happy. I figure the vocabulary will come in time. I'm learning the basics right now (of course), and hope to "get it" some day..I'm waiting for that moment when it just "clicks" for me and I am comfortable trying to speak. At any rate, I'm trying....and that is the important thing. Until later. Hei hei!
I was told by many people that it is the most difficult language to learn; I doubt that. It is indeed very difficult, but at least the characters are the same as English, unlike, say, Chinese. So I'm guessing it could be worse. I was told by a friend that Finnish had a lot of unnessary vowels in it,which makes it difficult to pronounce. I disagree. I think it has an equal number of unnecessary connsonents in it as well. Either way, it is difficult for me to pronounce, but I'm working on it.
One truth I heard is that words are pronounced phoenetically, and that every letter is pronounced. You would think that this would make it easy to figure out how to pronounce words, but not so. There are words that go on for miles. Heck, even the numbers can be long when stating them. Take "327" it is kolmesatakaksikymmentaseitseman (I think, and by the way there are umlats over two of the vowels but my keyboard doesn't have them). Anyway, I am working on being able to pronounce these words in one shot. Right now I can only say these words in pieces...I greatly admire my tutor who can rattle off the longest words smoothly and who, by the way, is very patient. So far I can count to ten... and beyond ten with a little help very slowly. It is not coming naturally.
Now a few words about vowels. They have eight of them, some with umlats, others without. The umlats are killing me! I can't seem to get my mouth to form the correct pronunciation. Sure, if my tutor says a word I can repeat it successfully, but ask me to read a word on my own, and forget it. I think I am over-thinking it...so does my tutor... she says to relax. Perhaps a glass of wine or two would help (ha ha). I joke, but as with learning any new language there are many ways to embarrass oneself.
As I said, every letter is pronounced, even when there are two of the same next to each other. God forbid you forget to pronounce every letter clearly, or in other cases, overpronounce a single letter. Why, if you did that you could find yourself happy to kill someone instead of being happy to meet them!
So that is my take on the language so far. I don't expect to become fluent, but if I can just learn to pronounce what I see, then I will be happy. I figure the vocabulary will come in time. I'm learning the basics right now (of course), and hope to "get it" some day..I'm waiting for that moment when it just "clicks" for me and I am comfortable trying to speak. At any rate, I'm trying....and that is the important thing. Until later. Hei hei!
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