Hello,
I have been studying the finnish language for a while, renting grammar books from the library, picking up random tidbits off the internet.
Can anyone recommend a good, wholesome Finnish grammar book, one which encompasses all aspects of Finnish grammar (everything from the basic conjugation to advanced aspects of Finnish heard only in universities)? So far I haven't found any books that contain everything. I have a pretty good grasp on Finnish but whenever I have to fill out forms, or receive official letters in the mail I have a hard time understanding them not because of the vocabulary, but because of the grammar structure they use.
Kiitos
Best finnish Grammar Book?
Re: Best finnish Grammar Book?
Fear not, you are not the only one with that problem. Even kotus petitions that next administration does something to officialese...suomalainenamerican wrote:I have a pretty good grasp on Finnish but whenever I have to fill out forms, or receive official letters in the mail I have a hard time understanding them not because of the vocabulary, but because of the grammar structure they use.
http://google.com http://translate.google.com http://urbandictionary.com
Visa is for visiting, Residence Permit for residing.
Visa is for visiting, Residence Permit for residing.
Re: Best finnish Grammar Book?
Iso Suomen Kielioppi is available for online browsing here, free of charge. It’s in Finnish so probably not suitable for absolute beginners but at least you can’t beat the price. (They do have a vocabulary where they explain the grammatical terms they’re using throughout the book.)suomalainenamerican wrote:Can anyone recommend a good, wholesome Finnish grammar book, one which encompasses all aspects of Finnish grammar (everything from the basic conjugation to advanced aspects of Finnish heard only in universities)?
znark
Re: Best finnish Grammar Book?
I don't know all the books or even most of the books available today, so I can't tell you the best one.
But "Finnish Grammar" by Fred Karlsson is a classic and I have always liked it a lot.
For the use you describe, it does have a weakness. To look up a construct, you need some idea of what it is to begin with because there's no index of common endings where you could look up "verb + maisillaan," for instance. On the other hand, the entire book including appendices is only 222 pages long in my 1983 English edition. So it's not that hard to scan the whole book for what you're looking for. The layout and typography are conducive to such scanning.
There's only one construct I've ever not found in Karlsson and I can't remember what that was. It was one of the things discussed here in Kielikoulu in the last two years, I do remember that much. I'm on the verge of remembering -- it was something in which Jukka Aho and I conversed a bunch -- but I can't quite get it to bubble to the surface at the moment.
Another popular grammar book is Leila White's "Finnish Grammar For Foreigners" -- or something like that, I only have the Finnish-language edition, Suomen kielioppia ulkomaalaisille. It does exist in English, though. I'm not sure it's quite as easy to find any arbitrary construct in White when you don't know what it is or what it's called, but I haven't spent a lot of time with the book. It doesn't have an index-by-example, either.
But "Finnish Grammar" by Fred Karlsson is a classic and I have always liked it a lot.
For the use you describe, it does have a weakness. To look up a construct, you need some idea of what it is to begin with because there's no index of common endings where you could look up "verb + maisillaan," for instance. On the other hand, the entire book including appendices is only 222 pages long in my 1983 English edition. So it's not that hard to scan the whole book for what you're looking for. The layout and typography are conducive to such scanning.
There's only one construct I've ever not found in Karlsson and I can't remember what that was. It was one of the things discussed here in Kielikoulu in the last two years, I do remember that much. I'm on the verge of remembering -- it was something in which Jukka Aho and I conversed a bunch -- but I can't quite get it to bubble to the surface at the moment.
Another popular grammar book is Leila White's "Finnish Grammar For Foreigners" -- or something like that, I only have the Finnish-language edition, Suomen kielioppia ulkomaalaisille. It does exist in English, though. I'm not sure it's quite as easy to find any arbitrary construct in White when you don't know what it is or what it's called, but I haven't spent a lot of time with the book. It doesn't have an index-by-example, either.
Last edited by AldenG on Thu Dec 30, 2010 6:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
As he persisted, I was obliged to tootle him gently at first and then, seeing no improvement, to trumpet him vigorously with my horn.
Re: Best finnish Grammar Book?
Come to think of it, you can analyze individual words at FINTWOL, which should simplify looking up what you want help with. Of course it can sometimes still be a challenge to figure out where a multi-word construct begins and ends so that you can go find a discussion of it.
As he persisted, I was obliged to tootle him gently at first and then, seeing no improvement, to trumpet him vigorously with my horn.
Re: Best finnish Grammar Book?
I agree - Leila White is very good at explaining finnish grammar. She has 2 books - "A Grammar book of Finnish" and "From Start to Finnish" which is a short course. Both are easy to read and understand. I use mine alongside the Finnish for Foreigners course which is taught in finnish, so I feel I often get the gist of what is being taught but might miss the crucial points! I simply go home and look it up for myself using Leila White and Fred Karlsson - Karlsson seems to be more comprehensive but not quite so user friendly.
From your post, I get the impression you're not a beginner, so you might find Leila White too simple - If you're in Finland, Stockman usually have it in stock so you could always have a browse before you decide!
From your post, I get the impression you're not a beginner, so you might find Leila White too simple - If you're in Finland, Stockman usually have it in stock so you could always have a browse before you decide!
selling children's books in English in FinlandRe: Best finnish Grammar Book?
Today in the US that same book costs about €200. So, reading that book online for free is a great bargain!Jukka Aho wrote:...Iso Suomen Kielioppi is available for online browsing here, free of charge...