English language contractions...

[tuulen]

...In fact I think some Finns would be insulted if you started speaking really slowly, in a loud voice, using the Queen's English and absolutely no contractions!...

...tuulen - I think you are reading way too much in to this, and I'm sorry to say, but being a little bit patronising...

Hei,

Oh, I agree, that writing in non-contracted English is a bit like being in a straight-jacket, all bound up! And, it is quite unnatural for me.

However, and in addition your views, I also considered this, the following, from earlier on this thread.

...To me those are stupid, if you want shorter word then do it finnish way and really shorten it!
Most/many of us i dare to say are grown up and learned US english or atleast know it. I see that stupid anyway.

Take a hint. Minä olen = moon, Sinä olet = soot etc, your ´ is joke because mostly you dont even save a letter.
Caesare weold Graecum, ond Caelic Finnum...

Apparently onkko thinks they are stupid, he is a Finn, and so, just what should I do now?

:-)

[Bubba Elvis XIV]

Well he's one Finn, and doesn't speak for the whole nation....and let's say he's quite a character.

(3 contractions...I bet the queen is disgusted).

[tuulen]

To me those are stupid, if you want shorter word then do it finnish way and really shorten it!
Most/many of us i dare to say are grown up and learned US english or atleast know it. I see that stupid anyway.

Take a hint. Minä olen = moon, Sinä olet = soot etc, your ´ is joke because mostly you dont even save a letter.

Thank you, I now know more about the Finnish perspective to the English language, and from now on I will not use contractions.

I am only at a beginner's level with the Finnish language, and I have not yet adopted contracted Finnish.

First, however, let me learn "standard" Finnish, and after that I will make an effort to learn contracted Finnish.

BTW, Finnish really is a great language!

:-)

And then, after seeing onkko's opinion, I told him that would not use contractions.

So, any advise as to how I might break my commitment, without being seen as going back on my word, or words, figuratively and literally?

This could be an exercise of international diplomacy, after all.

:-)

[Bubba Elvis XIV]

FFS...Is that the sound of my tarddar?

As said, despite your ignorance regarding the British's use of contractions, we use them...Can't you even read my posts and see the contractions? So whther a Finn learns English or American, they will be taught contractions.

Onkko's opinion is valuable ,I teach here so any insight into how a Finn feels about English is good, but he is one Finn. Are you always going to take the advice of one person on a forum?...well, I have some advice, Finns speak Swahili and you shouldn't (contraction) waste your time learning Finnish as it was banned when Finland joined the Kenyan Confederated States.

EP is a Finn she said she has been taught them.

As Penelope said:

In fact I think some Finns would be insulted if you started speaking really slowly, in a loud voice, using the Queen's English and absolutely no contractions!

USE CONTRACTIONS - STOP WORRYING ABOUT NOTHING!!

Unafahamu?

[onkko]

What i ment its stupid to call those "contractions" when word isnt shorter

[Bubba Elvis XIV]

(you missed the apostrophy - no real ninja misses apostrophies)

[onkko]

(you missed the apostrophy - no real ninja misses apostrophies)

jedi i am, jedi stupid dots uses not! cool jedi is.

[tuulen]

What i ment its stupid to call those "contractions" when word isnt shorter

Aha! Apparently I misunderstood you, as I thought you were speaking about the use of contractions.

So, if contractions aren't a problem, then I'll go back to using them, for I have otherwise appeared as incongruous, apparently.

Thank you!

[Bubba Elvis XIV]

(you missed the apostrophy - no real ninja misses apostrophies)

jedi i am, jedi stupid dots uses not! cool jedi is.

Yoda speaks like half my students.

Stupid dots is the correct expression..most Brits can't use them or commas.

[Rosamunda]

for I have otherwise appeared as incongruous,

...and your mother tongue is....?

At a guess, I'd say that English isn't your mother tongue and/or you're over 75 yrs of age.

[tuulen]

OK, I'm back to using contractions, as non-contracted language really isn't my thing, and it was weird while it lasted.

On another board, of an international nature, I'm in fairly regular contact with some from the UK, and I've noticed a fairly consistent absence of contractions in their use of language. So, I'd assumed that could be a standard usage, there, at least in terms of text.

...As said, despite your ignorance regarding the British's use of contractions, we use them...Can't you even read my posts and see the contractions?...

Actually, I've taken note of your earlier posts, including your use of contractions (as so often marked), and thank you. Anyway, the purpose of this thread was to get to the bottom of my question about contractions, and it now looks as though the matter has clearly been resolved, but had I not asked it would have been one of those nagging little questions.

[Bubba Elvis XIV]

OK, I'm back to using contractions, as non-contracted language really isn't my thing, and it was weird while it lasted.

On another board, of an international nature, I'm in fairly regular contact with some from the UK, and I've noticed a fairly consistent absence of contractions in their use of language. So, I'd assumed that could be a standard usage, there, at least in terms of text.

The UK? This guy is from the UK ->



And this fella, whay eh....



I guess all americans speak like this right?

[onkko]

(you missed the apostrophy - no real ninja misses apostrophies)

jedi i am, jedi stupid dots uses not! cool jedi is.

Yoda speaks like half my students.

Stupid dots is the correct expression..most Brits can't use them or commas.

Well you should hear me speaking, talk about thick accent and stumbling on words. yes i rarely need talking just reading and writing
To me "can't" is word "cant" what means same as can not, maybe we finns are too used to combine words and endings in words what t/nt is for me. I know only one word in finnish using ' and its vaa'an and as you see there is clear reason for it

[tuulen]

for I have otherwise appeared as incongruous,

...and your mother tongue is....?

At a guess, I'd say that English isn't your mother tongue and/or you're over 75 yrs of age.

I'll get to 75 in another 20 years, no doubt, but otherwise your intuition seems to be intact. My father was an English speaker from Scotland, and were he still alive he'd have been 99 this year. And, it's accurate to say that he and his family were a major, early influence on my use of language, as your intuition detected.

Anyway, it's good to say goodbye to non-contracted language.

And hello, Finland!

[Bubba Elvis XIV]

Well you should hear me speaking, talk about thick accent and stumbling on words. yes i rarely need talking just reading and writing

See that's the problem with accents. If you don't use English (spoken) you probably won't really pick one up.

I think accents are tough, especially for males, like me learning French back at school. In my opinion there's a few ways to learn them as an adult.

1 by using the language around foreigners daily
2 by some kind of natural 'skill'
3 living abroad for a while
4 by hard work...and I mean damn hard work, which is also very boring, 'repeat after me'.

when I did my teaching course, the tutor said that listening skills with tapes and radios etc are the hardest thing to learn, you can't see the body langauge, or ask for the speaker to slow down etc etc. But for Finns listening is easy...so much English on TV etc...The pronunciation and getting an accent is probably one of the toughest things. Articles and prepositions and those tricky areas of grammar aren't so important but an accent has to be reasonably clear. For Finns it's not just the 'accent' it's also about the stress, intonation, pausing etc etc.

Swedish speakers usually have less of a problem as they have that 'singing' style anyway.

Most of my course are 90 mins 1 time a week...with a schedule like that it is nearly impossible to see any improvement in the accents. It can be done but it's not easy. I've been fighting for a change in the teaching schedule from day 1...In Prague all my groups met 2 x a week and the improvement was noticable. Here, it's 1 x a week..improvement is minimal. What can you do?

(I dunno if Penelope would agree with any of that but that's my take on it).