puhekieli spoken finnish

[Tom and Jerry]

This is what all Finnish say, and what nobody writes. The official version nobody uses, except the news reader.

yks
kaks
kolme
neljä
viis
kuus
settemä
kasi
ysi
kymmene, kymppi
yto
ka-to
kolmetoist
neljätoist
viistoist
kuustoist
seittemäntoist
kasito
ysito
kakskyt
kolkyt
nelkyt
viiskyt
kuuskyt
seitkyt
kahekskyt
yhekskyt
sata

[Great Scott]

The worst part about the spoken language is all the different variants (this is without even getting into slang). Even on the list you have written you will still here people using: yy, kaa, koo, nel, vii, kuu, especially if they are in a hurry.

Spoken langauge somewhat confuses me. Not the meanings. They are almost always clear if one speaks pretty well. What confuses me is the subtle nuances that make spoken language different from slang. I was taught that spoken language is something that does not vary through Finland whereas slang is regional. Yet in Helsinki sinä becomes sä and in Joensuu sinä becomes sie.

Those of you who have been around Finnish children alot know that the children learn the spoken language first. Very rare to hear a child using yleiskieli or kirjakieli. It's my experience that here in Southern Finland many even have problems if they are forced to use anything but slang or spoken language. I have been stuck doing translations lately, and you'd be shocked how many Finns include spoken language in academic papers where it does not belong.

I'm not a linguist, and I'm certainly not an expert in the Finnish language, but what point does the spoken language serve other than to bastardize the standard written langauge?

[Hank W.]

The "kirjakieli" written language was a bastard Turku dialect from 1500 originally.

If Agricola had lived more east, who knows...

Tuatto meijän taivahalline!
Olgah pühännü Sinun nimi.
Tulgad Sinun valdu.
Roikkah Sinun tahto
kui taivahas, mugai mual.
Anna meile tänäpäi
meijän jogapäiväine leibü.
Prosti meile meijän vellat,
kuin müö prostimmo niile,
ket ollah meile vellas.
Älä vie meidü muanitukseh,
a piästä meidü pahas.
Sinunhäi on valdu, vägi da kunnivo
ilmazen ijän. Amin!

Aunus Karelian (Livvi)

[Tom and Jerry]

Children at school use a shorter form:

yy - kaa - koo - nee - vii - kuu - see - kasi - ysi - kymppi

Foreigners better use:

yksi -kaksi - kolme - neljä - viisi - kuusi - seitsemän - kahdeksan - yhdeksän - kymmenen.

The short forms are very difficult to get exactly right.

[pierrot]

I´m using the long version, the short is still too ...erm.. short

[Samppa]

I´m using the long version, the short is still too ...erm.. short

you better get used to the short forms because you will never hear the long ones Maybe only on TV or in some books.

[Andrew_S]

The worst part about the spoken language is all the different variants (this is without even getting into slang). Even on the list you have written you will still here people using: yy, kaa, koo, nel, vii, kuu, especially if they are in a hurry.

Spoken langauge somewhat confuses me. Not the meanings. They are almost always clear if one speaks pretty well. What confuses me is the subtle nuances that make spoken language different from slang. I was taught that spoken language is something that does not vary through Finland whereas slang is regional. Yet in Helsinki sinä becomes sä and in Joensuu sinä becomes sie.

Those of you who have been around Finnish children alot know that the children learn the spoken language first. Very rare to hear a child using yleiskieli or kirjakieli. It's my experience that here in Southern Finland many even have problems if they are forced to use anything but slang or spoken language. I have been stuck doing translations lately, and you'd be shocked how many Finns include spoken language in academic papers where it does not belong.

I'm not a linguist, and I'm certainly not an expert in the Finnish language, but what point does the spoken language serve other than to bastardize the standard written langauge?

The written language was created in the 19th cenury by intellectuals and is a mix of eastern and western dialects (leaning more easterly to avoid lots of Swedish borrowings in western dialects).

I'd hardly describe the older and more original dialects as bastards. The standard language contains a mix of words that absolutely nobody spoke 200 years ago.

[Hank W.]

Klabbeissa on mulla tonnin stiflat.
Ei ne tonnii paina, mut ne bungaa sen.
Joskus mä stygen niille tsungaan,
silloin kun mä muille tsungaa en.

Monen vuoden jälkeen mä Hesarilla luudaan
ja dallaan sinne minne klabbit kuljettaa.
Snagarilla hodarin mä skruudaan,
ja rundaan kohti kulman kuppilaa.

Slurkit ohi bilikalla skujaa.
Näil kanteil ennen flindaa stikattiin.
Joka gubbel futas sillo vitun lujaa,
nyt futaa vähä iisimmin - päin helvettii.

Mä hiffaan Flemarilla Stigun, tutun dorgan.
Se pummaa huggen taikka febosen,
et se vois vetään boltsiin vaikka snadin borkan.
Mä biffaan sille stoben, bulin ja huurteisen.

Klabbeissa on mulla tonnin stiflat.
Ei ne tonnii paina, mut ne bungaa sen.
Joskus mä stygen niille tsungaan,
silloin kun mä muille tsungaa en.

Slade, vanha starbu, botskin alla bunkkaa.
Ei sil oo fyrkkaa luukkuun eikä skruudikseen.
Öögat valuu vodaa ja densalle se dunkkaa.
Ennen se tsombas dösaa duunikseen.

Mä dallaan Hagikseen ja venttaan sporaa.
Tää rundi pyörii niinku ennenkin.
Spurgujengi flänäpäissään joraa,
tai sit ne flaidaa, mä en maindaa - olkoon niin.

Ei täs kande paljo brassailla tai sniidaa.
Nyt on pakko panna tsigge flekkaamaan.
Mä griinaan, vaik mun tekis mieli spiidaa.
Tääl saa daijuun jos ei pysty gnekkaamaan.

Klabbeissa on mulla tonnin stiflat.
Ei ne tonnii paina, mut ne bungaa sen.
Joskus mä stygen niille tsungaan,
silloin kun mä muille tsungaa en.

[kalmisto]

>> I was taught that spoken language is something that does not vary through Finland whereas slang is regional. Yet in Helsinki sinä becomes sä and in Joensuu sinä becomes sie. <<

I would say that "sä" is spoken language and "sie" is dialectal. The word "sä" sounds all right everywhere in Finland but I can not say the same about "sie". Where I grew up ( Kuusamo) , no one ever said "sie" or "mie" and those words still sound strange to me.

[Hank W.]

But in some dialects its 'sää' and 'mää'

[Tom and Jerry]

pronouns. These are spoken forms:

mä mua mut
sä sua sut
se sitä sen
me meitä meiät
te teitä teiät
ne niitä ne

These are official ones

minä minua minut
sinä sinua sinut
hän häntä hänet
me meitä meidät
te teitä teidät
he heitä heidän

[Hank W.]

pronouns. These is spoken forms:
me meitä meiät
te teitä teiät

I'd use 'meidät' or 'meijät' - the iä is 'not good' to the tongue.

Also usage of 'ketä' is interesting.

'Ketä tietää mistä saa ostaa maapähkinävoita?'

[kalmisto]

>> Ketä tietää mistä saa ostaa maapähkinävoita?<<

I have never heard anyone use "ketä" instead of "kuka". Do some people speak like that in Helsinki?

I only use "ketä" like this : "Ketä sinä tarkoitat?" ( Whom do you mean? ) or "Ketä sinä rakastat/vihaat?" ( Whom do you love/hate? )

[Tom and Jerry]

Names in spoken language are not the same as the written ones.

Arska - Arto
Hessu - Heikki
Jussi - Juhani
Make - Markku
Mara - Martti
Manu - Mauno
Saku - Sakari
Timppa - Timo
Eppu - Eeva-Liisa
Jatta - Marjatta

[PeterF]

If you go to Hakaniemi market hall you can buy a booklet for 15€ which is a Finnish/Stadi Slang dictionary..if you live in the area you need it!!