Question on Finnish word for 'brother'

[djarvinen47]

All of my grandparents moved to Oregon in the very early 1900s; Astoria at that time had many Finns, and Finnish was as common as English in many places. However, when we went back to Finland in the 1990s on a visit, everyone there said we (actually, my mother mostly) spoke beautiful Finn but it was considered 'old' Finnish.

My Finnish is very poor (I can either order beer or get my face slapped; I'm not sure which will happen) but I remember distinctly my mother calling my uncle 'Velu' (or possibly 'veluu') which I took to mean as brother. But when I asked my Finnish cousin, he said he only knew of the word 'veli'.

So my question is, have any of you heard of 'brother' being called 'velu', perhaps in very old Finn, or as a dialect?

Thanks.

[Upphew]

All of my grandparents moved to Oregon in the very early 1900s; Astoria at that time had many Finns, and Finnish was as common as English in many places. However, when we went back to Finland in the 1990s on a visit, everyone there said we (actually, my mother mostly) spoke beautiful Finn but it was considered 'old' Finnish.

My Finnish is very poor (I can either order beer or get my face slapped; I'm not sure which will happen) but I remember distinctly my mother calling my uncle 'Velu' (or possibly 'veluu') which I took to mean as brother. But when I asked my Finnish cousin, he said he only knew of the word 'veli'.

So my question is, have any of you heard of 'brother' being called 'velu', perhaps in very old Finn, or as a dialect?

Thanks.

Haven't heard veli kalled velu, or more likely vellu. On the other hand Veli (a name) can be and is called Vellu. Also Veli-Matti, Veli-Pekka are shortened to Vellu.
Also I have heard brothers, veljet, called vellokset. Or rather me and my brother have been called as such.

[Jukka Aho]

On the other hand Veli (a name) can be and is called Vellu. Also Veli-Matti, Veli-Pekka are shortened to Vellu.

Yep.

Veli is both a noun with the meaning of ‘brother’ and (a not too uncommon) Finnish male first name. Vellu, on the other hand, is a standard informal nickname for persons called Veli... much like ‘Bob’ for ‘Robert’.

[Pursuivant]

Old Finnish did have many distinct forms of relationship that in modern usage are either colloquial or used as synonyms like ukki/vaari and mummo/muori. One surviving is the distinction between setä and eno, for the patrilinear and matrilinear uncles... any strange man is a patrilinear uncle in 'kidspeak' (in Estonian the generic uncle or strange man is onu). Many of these have lost their meanings, for example veli was distinctly the elder brother, whereas veikka was the younger brother... and as said, dialects have their own colloquial terms, some still used... I had a few times coffee on the keyboard my mate called home and blatantly asked onko ämmä pihas? ("is mother at home" in Savo).

[djarvinen47]

Thank you all for the prompt and concise replies; I appreciate them greatly.

On reflection, I think that my mother used the word 'vellu' and not 'veluu' (as I thought earlier). The 'l' was certainly a bit 'hard', and the 'u' short and not 'extended' as it would be with 'uu'.

So I suspect that 'vellu' was a nickname of sorts (as some of you indicated); I now need to find out my uncle's "real" name. I only knew him as "vellu".

Thanks again.

[linforcer]

I had a few times coffee on the keyboard my mate called home and blatantly asked onko ämmä pihas? ("is mother at home" in Savo).

I'm a bit confused by the relationship between the coffee on the keyboard and the rest of that sentence.

[onkko]

I had a few times coffee on the keyboard my mate called home and blatantly asked onko ämmä pihas? ("is mother at home" in Savo).

I'm a bit confused by the relationship between the coffee on the keyboard and the rest of that sentence.

Well that sentence means "is mother at home" if you speak savo dialect but if you don't it means "is bitch at yard"

[Pursuivant]

more like "is the old witch in the yard"...

[Jukka Aho]

I had a few times coffee on the keyboard my mate called home and blatantly asked onko ämmä pihas? ("is mother at home" in Savo).

I'm a bit confused by the relationship between the coffee on the keyboard and the rest of that sentence.

In standard informal/colloquial Finnish, ämmä is something of a pejorative word – a rude term for ‘an old woman’; ‘hag’. In some dialects (and families), though, it’s an unremarkable everyday synonym for äiti (‘mother’).

The non-pejorative dialectal usage of ämmä is probably on its way out. I can’t see how it could survive as a neutral word even in Savo when the rest of Finland – including mass media and people on the Internet – use it as an insult. (Younger generations also apply it to younger women, in which case the meaning and tone is roughly analogous to the English pejorative word ‘bitch’.)

[Pursuivant]

though, it’s an unremarkable everyday synonym for äiti (‘mother’).

I think "ämmä" comes from the same root as "emo" or "emä"; you don't find "emo" used except as a poetic reference as usually its used for animal mothers, like kanaemo (chicken with hatchlings).

But reading some old tale you can get a wee bit confused when you read the origin of the conflict was when the setämies got upset of what the kotivävy had said to the vanhaämmä over her syytinki, and went all agrarian over his ass

[linforcer]

I had a few times coffee on the keyboard my mate called home and blatantly asked onko ämmä pihas? ("is mother at home" in Savo).

I'm a bit confused by the relationship between the coffee on the keyboard and the rest of that sentence.

Well that sentence means "is mother at home" if you speak savo dialect but if you don't it means "is bitch at yard"

Right, I was confused by the missing "when" as well...

The sentence didn't imply that the coffee got on the keyboard after (and indeed as a result of) the message, rather than the coffee already being there. So I thought somehow the comment from the "mate" in the sentence was a comment on the coffee-covered keyboard rather than the cause. (Which of course also left me confused as to whether the call was indeed a phone call or not)

Now all is clear.

[Pursuivant]

So, "coffee on the keyboard"... have you ever been drinking something and started to laugh so that the liquid came through your nose? OK, so keep that mental image.