Problems with stems

Learn and discuss the Finnish language with Finn's and foreigners alike
Rob A.
Posts: 3966
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 1:51 am

Post by Rob A. » Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:50 am

Thanks for the links, Jukka....They're already bookmarked... :) :)

And, yes, I guess you've expressed the language learning process for native speakers a little better than I did... :) :) I would say it was probably more like that when I was a child learning English...(within the context of what is required to learn English, of course...). But it gets forgotten pretty fast...and for some reason I don't recall the process of learning English grammar in school as being particularly difficult or complicated...

Yet, somehow when it came to learning French, it seemed much more complicated. They seemed to throw lots of complicated stuff at us... I'm thinking more and more...partly from what I hear in this forum and from what I've read elsewhere that perhaps the process by which adults are taught languages is a bit over-structured. Probably because of traditional views regarding the education process. What I do now with French is watch TV (enough French channels in Canada, from both Quebec and France, that there is a fair bit of variety) and read occasionally... Seems to work...

I think for most of us the language learning process seems to rely on memory and regular use...Though maybe the "intellectual approach" works too... For example, Cardinal Mezzofanti:

http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/e/ ... index.html

he apparently was fluent in 38 languages and never left Italy!!!... :) :)



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EP
Posts: 5737
Joined: Sun Jun 22, 2003 7:41 pm

Post by EP » Sat Apr 21, 2007 11:42 am

What I do now with French is watch TV
That is how I learned French. I went to live in France, knew only "bonjour" and "merci", bought a TV and thought that at least from there I can hear a language I understand. And then came a shock, everything was dupped. I watched Bobby Ewing from Dallas opening his mouth and out came NAJTUSFJYFYUF. I watched and watched. And after some months I could go to the boulangerie and buy my bread without a piece of paper where I had written everything down from a dictionary. The first time I realised that I UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE SAYING, that I have never forgotten.

But that does not help with Finnish. Finnish TV does not show in Israel.

kalmisto
Posts: 3315
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 9:41 am
Contact:

Post by kalmisto » Sat Apr 21, 2007 1:56 pm

>> So what's the difference between a consonant stem and a vowel stem?
Or the weak vowel stem to the strong vowel stem? <<

Vowel and consonant stems ( unfortunately only in Finnish ) :
http://sokl.joensuu.fi/aineistot/aidink ... rtalot.htm

Jukka Aho
Posts: 5237
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2007 1:46 am
Location: Espoo, Finland

Post by Jukka Aho » Sun Apr 22, 2007 3:37 am

EP wrote:
What I do now with French is watch TV
That is how I learned French. [...] I went to live in France [...] everything [on tv] was dupped. I watched Bobby Ewing from Dallas opening his mouth and out came NAJTUSFJYFYUF. [...] But that does not help with Finnish. Finnish TV does not show in Israel.
But you can circumvent this problem in many ways. You can get Finnish language tv shows, movies, radio talk shows, etc. in Israel, too – just like in many other places – and even live Finnish TV, if you’re determined enough.

(What you can’t get is Gilmore Girls babbling in Finnish since Finns Just Don’t Dub, in the usual case.)
  • Buy Finnish DVDs online [Link 1] [Link 2] [Link 3] ¹)
  • There is this thing called BitTorrent
  • Make friends with a Finn and buy him a Slingbox. (Also make him let you access the device over the Internet – that’s pretty much the point of this exercise.) Now you can watch whatever Finnish tv channels you like wherever in the world you want to. (See the demo videos for a better explanation of the concept. Note that there are different types of Slingboxes for the different parts of the world. Since Slingbox hasn’t been officially launched in Finland yet, the safest way – as far as tv standards, electricity, etc. goes – would probably be ordering one from Sweden or Denmark.)
  • ...or do the same with a suitable computer, a tv tuner card, and Orb
  • Make someone living in Finland record Finnish tv shows for you (preferably as digital files which you can then easily download from him or which your Finnish contact can periodically upload to your computer.)
  • Watch and listen to the free content provided by YLE. Pay special attention to the various recent audio clips on Radio Peili’s website, and to the various (not-that-recent) video clips exhibited on YLE’s “living archive” website, which will undoubtedly teach you many interesting things about Finns, their cuisine, haircuts, and lifestyle.
  • Google Video (which also seems to index YouTube content these days) has various clips made by Finns, captured from Finnish language tv shows, etc. Some examples: salkkarit, salatut elämät, pulkkinen, uutiset, julmahuvi, kummeli, spede, haastattelu, aamu-tv, huomenta suomi, karpolla on asiaa, ... the culture shock goes on!
  • Did I miss anything obvious? Your opinions count! Scribble them down on this line using Finnish handwriting: _________________________________________
_____

¹) These are actually Google searches for the DVD release of Pulkkinen, a relatively well-received Finnish skit show from some years back. The search results should lead you to various online retailers of Finnish language DVDs. (This is step 1 in my cunning plan.) Once you have come across an e-shop that looks decent enough, browse the rest of their catalog (step 2.) Step 3 would be finding something of interest in the catalog, and step 4 asking the company by e-mail if they will deliver abroad – and if they do, how much will they charge for that. (Some will deliver abroad, some probably won’t. Some might even say on their website if they will or won’t – in plain Finnish!)
znark

Rob A.
Posts: 3966
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 1:51 am

Post by Rob A. » Sun Apr 22, 2007 11:06 am

Yes...great stuff!! It's dead easy now-a-days, with minimal effort and not too great an expense, to get good material...particularly for languages from such high tech aware places as Finland...

I've started getting DVDs and other video aides....

Just tonight I downloaded a 10 minute YouTube video on learning bad words in Finnish.... :) :)

Here's some of the "politer" stuff... :wink:

If the neighbours are getting on your nerves:

"Perkeleen naapurit!!" "Nyt sä kuolet!!!"..... :twisted: :twisted:

Getting there slowly...And I'm trying to make it fun... :) :)

Jukka Aho
Posts: 5237
Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2007 1:46 am
Location: Espoo, Finland

Post by Jukka Aho » Mon Apr 23, 2007 12:12 am

Rob A. wrote:Just tonight I downloaded a 10 minute YouTube video on learning bad words in Finnish.... :) :)

Here's some of the "politer" stuff... :wink:

If the neighbours are getting on your nerves:
"Perkeleen naapurit!!" "Nyt sä kuolet!!!".....
Surely more useful than many exercises in text books!

(Somehow that bit of dialog reminds me of Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning (Trailer) (Download) (Oldies) (What?)...)
znark


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